Nagi G. Ayad, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Oncology of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center. Dr. Ayad received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in 1992, worked for Merck & Co., Inc. as a biochemist and then pursued graduate studies with Dr. Ira Mellman at Yale University. Dr. Ayad completed his Ph.D. in Cell Biology in 1998 and moved to Harvard Medical School in 1999 to perform a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Marc Kirschner. Dr. Ayad then joined The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida as an Assistant Professor in 2005 and moved to the University of Miami as an Associate Professor in 2011. Dr. Ayad’s research has focused on elucidating novel cell cycle pathways. His graduate studies identified a novel means through which endocytosis is inhibited during mitosis, while his postdoctoral studies identified two novel cell cycle regulators, Tome-1 and sororin. His work in his own laboratory has utilized high-throughput screens to identify regulators of cell cycle transitions, cancer, and neurite outgrowth. These regulators include Wee1, Casein Kinase 1, the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC/C), and BRD4.

Mi-Hye Lee, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the SOM Research Track in the Department of Oncology at LCCC, Georgetown University Medical Center, with a strong background in biochemistry and molecular cell biology. Mi-Hye completed her Ph.D. in Bone Cell Biology in 2003 and moved to NIDDK, NIH in 2005 to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship focusing on BRCA1, FGFR, and SIRT  with Dr. Chuxia Deng. Dr. Lee then joined Georgetown University as Junior Faculty in the Department of Oncology in 2010 and has been engaged in research since then. Mi-Hye has a longstanding interest in conducting mechanistic studies in cancer that can be translated into clinical practice and is currently conducting in vitro and in vivo studies in medulloblastoma and glioblastoma. Outside of research, Mi-Hye enjoys swimming and singing in the church choir.

Anna completed her Ph.D. in Human Genetics and Genomics at University of Miami in the laboratories of Dr. Ayad and Dr. Schürer. Her graduate studies focused on developing synergistic combination drug therapies to target glioblastoma tumors based on the underlying gene expression of the tumor. Anna is continuing her work as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ayad's laboratory with a focus on identifying and targeting the genetic vulnerabilities of pediatric brain cancers.

Nitish completed his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology at the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India. His graduate studies focused on identifying the role of a critical regulatory signaling (ligand-receptor) axis in lung and breast tumor and metastasis. He also studied the dimerization of a receptor molecule and its effect on ligand-binding and cellular physiology. He also identified the role of crucial regulatory signaling molecules in human and murine melanoma progression and metastasis during his graduation. He studied these signaling molecules using animal model studies in vitro and in vivo. He spent some time there at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA as a postdoctoral research fellow. In addition, he was involved in viral oncology studies in which he studied the molecular biology of a lytic and lysogenic cycle of a cancer-causing virus. Nitish has recently joined Dr. Ayad’s research group focused on Epigenetic pathways and cell cycle studies of glioblastoma and medulloblastoma.

Jordan completed his M.D./Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His graduate work used cell culture and animal models to study the neuroimmunology of alcohol use disorders. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at San Diego where he did translational studies examining substance use in special populations (such as cannabis use in people with bipolar disorder). His interests include the brain, psychopharmacology, cognition and behavior, the role of microglia in health and disease, and clinical/translational neuroscience in general. Outside of research, Jordan enjoys cooking new foods, traveling, philosophy, and the Lord of the Rings books and movies.

Takele is a research Lab Manager who oversees the entire laboratory setting to promote smooth operation, regulatory compliance, and interaction with other laboratories. He also works on several bench-science research projects including handling of mouse biopsy samples and cell culture. He earned his master’s degree in molecular biology at University Putra Malaysia in Malaysia and his DVM degree in Veterinary Medicine at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He is interested in animal research studies. In his free time, Takele enjoys watching soccer games, cooking, and gardening

Rishika is someone who dabbles between tech and bio. She enjoys hikes, camping, and is a big star wars fan, and loves to collect legos..

Jonathan is a research assistant in the Ayad lab. He earned his bachelor's degree in biotechnology from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2021. Outside of research, he enjoys reading high fantasy novels, dabbling in 3D animation, and making chocolate.

Emma is a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ph.D. student at Georgetown University. She earned her Masters degree in Biochemistry at Georgetown and her Bachelors degree in Neuroscience at the University of Notre Dame. She will begin working with glioblastoma cell lines to (i) investigate synergistic effects of combinatory therapeutic strategies pertaining to epigenetic regulation and immune response and (ii) see if they successfully attenuate tumor invasion and disease progression. In her free time, Emma enjoys playing basketball, scenic runs around The Mall and reading fiction.

Matt is an M.D./Ph.D. student in his third year of graduate training in the Ayad Lab, and is pursuing his Ph.D. in Tumor Biology. He earned his B.S. in Immunobiology at Brown University while studying genomics and drug resistance in patients with HIV. His current research aims to identify potential small molecules and drug synergies to treat breast cancer metastases in the brain. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading any and all fantasy novels, collecting vinyl records, and playing and judging competitive TCGs.

Longwei is in the first year of his master's degree in bioinformatics. He earned his bachelor's degree in Biology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His current research aims to identify potential target cell types of the Olig2 inhibitor and combination therapies. Outside of research, he enjoys reading classic literature, playing soccer, and watching movies.

Rithvik is a rising third-year undergraduate student at Georgetown University. He is pursuing a B.S. in Neurobiology and a minor in French. He is interested in studying new analytical techniques that can be used by providers to identify the most effective medications for GBM that will provide targeted treatment options for patients. Outside of research, Rithvik's hobbies include exploring D.C. and staying active outdoors.

Isabelle is a rising junior at Georgetown University who is pursuing a major in physics. Mentored by Nitish Jangde, she is currently interested in exploring Rac inhibitors for migration inhibition. She looks forward to attending medical school and pursuing a career as an academic physician. Outside of her studies, she is an EMT, bowler, and avid crocheter who loves to travel with her friends.  

Pravallika is a sophomore at Georgetown University pursuing a B.S. in Healthcare Management and Policy. Mentored by Rob Suter, she is interested in exploring bioinformatic methods to identify critical pathways and potential therapeutics to treat GBM. Outside of research, she is a dancer, EMT and enjoys exploring D.C. with her friends. 

Simon completed his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Cancer Biology at the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich in Switzerland. He focused on the preclinical development of diagnostic imaging probes and the study of receptor-ligand interactions. After graduation, Simon spent some time in the private sector, where he used data science and machine learning techniques to answer questions in finance.

In the Ayad lab, he investigates the involvement of Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) in glioblastoma brain cancer. In particular, he is interested in finding combination therapies targeting CK2. Simon applies bioinformatics and experimental methods in his work.