Our goal is to do impactful, rigorous science in a supportive, collaborative and inclusive environment
Priya received her Bachelor of Science degree at the California Institute of Technology and her PhD in Biophysics from the University of California. She was a Leukemia and Lymphoma Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute/MIT. She started her independent career at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (UMMSOM) as an Assistant Professor. She is currently a tenured Professor of Radiation Oncology at UMMSOM and the co-Leader of the Tumor Biology program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (https://umiamihealth.org/en/sylvester-comprehensive-cancer-center/research/research-areas/research-programs/tumor-biology-program). She is also the founding director of the NCI-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)/CREATE program (https://med.miami.edu/graduate-studies/summer-programs). Her research has been continuously funded since 2009 through NCI, DOD, Florida Dept of Health and private foundations.
She is a member of the graduate programs in Cancer Biology and Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, and teaches graduate-level classes on p53, cellular senescence, apoptosis, DNA damage and cancer, ROS biology, and targeting the RAS oncogene.
Read more about her scientific journey and philosophy here (https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20230328/cancer-program-coleader-says-lean-into-clinical-research-stay-persistent-seek-mentors).
Sheela Pokharel
(Senior Research Associate)
Beatriz Mateo-Victoriano
(Cancer Biology PhD student; NCI F31 awardee)
Jenifer Sahaynathan, PhD
(Research Associate)
Shomita Ferdous, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Bhipasha Challu
(Undergraduate Researcher)
"It's all about the U!" Lab picture, Spring 2025
Active recruitments:
We are accepting PIBS rotation students, please email Dr. Rai with a statement of interest
We are recruiting an assistant scientist with strong expertise in cancer biology - please apply to position R100079931 on the UMiami careers website.
If you'd like to join our team, please send a statement of research interest and your CV (with a summary of your scientific experience and skills) to prai@miami.edu.
