Meet our Lab!

Malgorzata Nieborowska-Skorska: MD, Ph.D.: Assistant Research Professor & Lab Manager

Malgorzata had graduated from the Medical Academy of Warsaw in 1982 and received her MD. From 1982 to 1983, she then went on to do training in surgery, podiatry, and internal medicine. She became an assistant in internal medicine and cardiology from 1984 to 1990. During this time, she also worked in outpatient care, focusing on family medicine. She was practicing in the OMPB hospital in Warsaw. In 1996, she finished her Ph.D. at Pummonarlarn University with summ caluda. From 1991-1999, she did her postdoc at Thomas Jefferson University.  Ever since 1999-2026, she has been working as a research assistant professor & lab manager in the Skorski Lab. In her free time, she likes to paint, and likes to take walks with her dog, read books, likes to help people, and learn Duolingo!

Email: malgorzata.nieborowska-skorska@temple.edu

Monika Toma: Ph.D., Post-doctoral Research Fellow; Single Cell Core Facility Manager

Monika earned her Ph.D. in Łódź, Poland, where she worked on a synthetic lethality approach in the treatment of melanoma and glioblastoma. She joined Dr. Skorski’s lab (Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine) in September 2020, and her current research is focused on the clonal response of acute myeloid leukemia and myeloproliferative neoplasm to the treatment with DNA damage inhibitors and/or standard treatment regimens. Monika is involved in the clinical trial aiming to help patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. She is extremely passionate about her work, and since 2023, Monika has also been the head of Fels Single Cell Multiomics Facility at Temple University. The facility advances high-resolution single-cell analysis by providing state-of-the-art technologies, expert support, and end-to-end services.  Monika's list of publications can be found at https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8414-253X . Outside of the lab, Monika loves outdoor activities like hiking, but she will also appreciate a good nap or a lazy day at home with a good book in her hands.

Email: monika.toma@temple.edu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikatoma/

Srinivas Chatla, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Research Fellow

Sri was born and raised in Hyderabad, India. He carried out his doctoral research at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. His Ph.D. research work focused on understanding the mechanism of small molecule-mediated cancer therapy by targeting several oncogenic and survival pathways. Sri started his postdoctoral career at the University of Pennsylvania and worked on the Notch signaling pathway in luminal breast cancer. His second postdoctoral training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has covered many areas, including understanding the DNA damage response and repair mechanisms, studying the hematopoietic stem cells in Fanconi anemia (FA), and working with leukemia mouse models. Sri's postdoctoral research resulted in several publications in reputed scientific journals like Nature Communications, Blood, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Oncogene, Cancer Research, Haematologica, Stem Cell Research, etc. Sri joined Dr. Skorski’s lab at Temple University in 2020 and has been actively working on some exciting projects related to understanding and targeting DNA damage and repair mechanisms in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Outside of his scientific endeavors, he enjoys listening to music, driving, and exploring new places.

Email: srinivas.chatla@temple.edu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-srinivas-chatla-phd-523b7120/

Rifat Najnin, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Research Fellow

Rifat graduated from the University of Dhaka in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh, and completed my PhD in Medical Science from Kyoto University, Japan, with a scholarship awarded by LIMS (Leadership Program in Integrated Medical Science). She is a curious researcher in medical science and enjoys using her skills to contribute to the prevention and treatment of complex human diseases like cancer. As an accomplishment of her research career, she published some articles in the renowned journals and here is her Google Scholar page link https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EmWp06YAAAAJ. Outside of the lab, she loves to spend quality time with her three years old son, make good food for her family, and listen to music and storybooks.

Email: rifat.najnin@temple.edu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rifat-najnin-8ab93a78/

Sadia Rahat, Undergraduate Researcher

Sadia grew up in Hatfield, PA, which is relatively close to Philadelphia. She is currently an undergraduate majoring in Biochemistry with a Genomic Medicine Certificate at Temple University in the College of Science and Technology, and is graduating in May 2026. Sadia has previously conducted research in Dr. Lucia Borriello's triple-negative breast cancer lab and in Dr. Carol Manhart's DNA mismatch repair lab, focusing on its connection to Lynch Syndrome. She now works alongside Monika on the project focused on clonal heterogeneity in AML and myeloproliferative neoplasms. With her cancer research experience, she hopes to pursue a career in pediatric oncology. Outside of the lab, she loves to explore the Philly food scene with friends, sit in Rittenhouse and dog watch, and also cook & bake! 

Email: sadiarahat@temple.edu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadiarahat/