MEMBERS

Mostafa Rahnama, PhD

Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor

Dr. Rahnama is a molecular and computational biologist with a background primarily in microbial genetics and mycology. He joined Tennessee Tech University as a tenure track Assistant Professor in 2022.

Educational Background

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Kentucky, 2022

Postdoctoral Fellow, U.K. College of Medicine, 2019

Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology, University of Auckland

M.S. in Biotechnology, Isfahan University of Technology

B.S. in Biology, Shiraz University

Teaching

Fundamentals of Bioinformatics (BIOL 4993/5993)

Microbial Evolution (BIOL 4110/5110)

General Microbiology (BIOL 3200)

Mycology (BIOL 4770/6980)

In addition to his research and teaching duties, he serves as an editorial board member of Scientific Reports, Bio-Protocols, and Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI) journals.

Email Address: mrahnama@tntech.edu

Phone/Fax number: +1 (931) 372-3722

Google Scholar / Twitter / ResearchGate

Current Graduate Students

Sahar Salimi

PHD STUDENT

Sahar is a Ph.D. candidate with a master's in mathematics and computational biology.

She has a background in programming languages such as Python, R, and Bash and is passionate to apply computer sciences to understand complex biological systems. In her thesis, she works on Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium spp. genome evolution and structure.

Astha Mishra

M.S. STUDENT

Astha is a master's student in biological sciences with a bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, and she joined the Rahnama lab in August 2024.

For her project, she is investigating the distribution of transposable elements in Magnaporthe oryzae, examining their impact on the fungus’s genetic diversity and adaptability.

Ari Mortensen

M.S. STUDENT

Ari is a master's student in biology sciences and joined the Rahnama lab in August 2024.

In his project, he is working in the lab on a group of retrotransposon elements in Magnaporthe oryzae to investigate their importance in fungal adaptation and pathogenicity.

Justin King

M.S. STUDENT

Justin is a master's student in biology sciences and joined the Rahnama lab in January 2026.

In his project, he is investigating the molecular mechanisms that regulate telomere maintenance in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Ashley Mcdonald

M.S. STUDENT

Ashley is a master's student in biology sciences and joined the Rahnama lab in January 2026.

In her project, she is investigating the mechanisms controlling zoospore production and cell wall development in Pythium irregulare.

Nuwanthika Herath

M.S. STUDENT

Nuwanthika is a master's student in biology sciences and joined the Rahnama lab in May 2026.

In her project, she is reconstructing the population structure of Fusarium isolates collected from cotton seedlings across 11 southeastern U.S. states over the past five years to understand population dynamics and predict the emergence of new diseases.

Current Undergraduate Students