People

Principal Investigator

Gregor Neuert

Assistant Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology

I am trained interdisciplinary with an M.Eng. in Technical Physics from Technical University Ilmenau (Ilmenau, Germany), Montana State University (Bozeman, MT), and at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland, WA) focusing on surface science and solid-state physics. Following graduation, I switched research fields to biophysics to obtain a Ph. D. in Physics in the lab of Dr. Hermann Gaub at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. After finishing my Ph.D. I switched fields again, focusing on underlying mechanisms of signal transduction and gene regulation as a DFG Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Alexander van Oudenaarden in the departments of physics and biology at MIT. I started my independent lab at Vanderbilt University, supported by an NIH Directors New Innovator Award. My passion for science is to understand the molecular mechanisms of signal transduction and gene regulation using quantitative approaches. In my free time, I like to cook and bake, go hiking and camping, and enjoy the arts.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Rama Ali

Post-doctoral Fellow, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

I graduated with a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Cairo University and an M.S. in Biotechnology from the American University both in Cairo in Egypt. In my graduate studies in Pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in Chicago, IL I focused on the effects of environmental exposure to cadmium on prostate cancer progression. After my Ph.D., I decided to complement my education through quantitative training and I am now researching on fundamental questions of dynamic signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. In my free time, I like to walk, hike, and enjoy time with friends

Hossein Jashnsaz

Post-doctoral Fellow, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

I received my bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Tabriz in Iran and my master’s degree in Photonics from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran, after relocating the US to earn a Ph.D. in Physics from Purdue University in Indianapolis. During my Ph.D., I researched on fundamental theoretical and experimental questions of biological predator-prey systems. In my postdoc, I am interested in predictive modeling and experimental validation of signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. In my free time, I like to hike and cook and play FIFA on playstation4 whenever I get a chance.

Amanda Johnson

Post-doctoral Fellow, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

I obtained my B.A. in Biochemistry from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. My graduate studies in Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at Vanderbilt University focused on the biochemical understanding of transcription activators in eukaryotic cells. After my Ph.D., I decided to complement my education through quantitative training and I am now an Ion Channel and Transporter Biology Training Grant postdoctoral fellow researching fundamental questions of dynamic signal transduction in eukaryotic cells.

Graduate Students

Joseph Cleland

Gradaute Student, Chemical and Physical Biology

I graduated with a B.S. double Majoring in Chemistry and Biology with a focus on Biochemistry from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, GA. Besides, I graduated with a Master of Art in Secondary Education from the same institution. I am currently a graduate student in the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics program. My research as an NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Grant Fellow focuses on the quantitative understanding of signal transduction regulation in eukaryotic cells.

Blythe Hospelhorn

Graduate Student, Human Genetics

As an undergraduate student, I majored in with a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Before joining the IGP program, I worked for two years full time as a postbaccalaureate fellow for the Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) at the National Institutes of Health. I am currently a graduate student in the Human Genetics (HGEN) program. My research as an NIH Big Biomedical Data Science (BIDS) Training Grant Fellow focuses on the quantitative understanding of transcription regulation in eukaryotic cells. I enjoy coding frivolous programs, audio engineering, and voice acting in my free time.

Jason Hughes

Gradaute Student, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

I graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland in Baltimore. I am currently a graduate student in the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics program. My research as an NIH ITED Training Grant and NSF predoctoral Fellow focuses on the quantitative understanding of transcription regulation in single cells. In my free time, I enjoy playing board games, breakdancing, playing musical instruments, and going to the symphony.

Benjamin K Kesler

Graduate Student, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

As an undergraduate student, I majored with a B.Sc. in Neuroscience and with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Arizona. I am currently a graduate student in the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics program. My research as an NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Grant Fellow focuses on the quantitative understanding of long non-coding RNA regulation in eukaryotic cells. In my free time, I like to play the trumpet, video games, and board games.

Alexander Thiemicke

Graduate Student, Chemical and Physical Biology

I received a B.S. in Biochemistry and an M.S. in Molecular Medicine from Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany. My master’s thesis was performed at the University of California at Berkeley. I then started my graduate research at Vanderbilt University and recently was awarded an American Heart Association pre-doctoral fellowship. My graduate research focuses on the fundamental understanding of dynamic signal transduction in mammalian cells.