{"id":232,"date":"2019-05-20T20:26:51","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T20:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.che.ufl.edu\/jain\/?page_id=232"},"modified":"2025-11-17T19:21:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T00:21:27","slug":"lab-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/piyush-jain\/lab-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Members"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

THE TEAM<\/span><\/h1>
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Fall 2023<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Postdocs<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>Boyu Huang, PhD
BS<\/strong>: Wuhan University (Biology)
PhD<\/strong>: Chinese Academy of Sciences (Genetics | Prof. Jian-Kang Zhu | class 1 CRISPR systems)

Boyu is currently working on Developing novel precise DNA and RNA editing technologies and developing novel CRISPR screening systems. In his doctoral stage,he worked on Type I CRISPR-Cas systems inducing large fragments deletions in plants.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

PhD Students<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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<\/td>		Noah Rakestraw <\/strong>
BS (Summa Cum Laude)<\/strong>: Occidental College (Biochemistry)
Prior research<\/strong>: Inscripta: Digital Genome Engineering Company

Noah is an NIH CBI T32 Predoctoral Fellow and a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. student working on protein discovery and engineering for gene editing applications. He hopes that the lab\u2019s work on fundamental genetic engineering technologies will eventually translate to use in clinical settings.<\/td><\/tr>

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<\/td>		Carlos Orosco
<\/strong>BS<\/strong>: Georgia Institute of Technology (Chemical Engineering)

Carlos Orosco is a Ph.D. student in the Chemical Engineering Department who joined the Jain Lab in Spring 2023. His main research interests are in biotechnology and bio-molecular engineering. He was born and raised in Bolivia and moved to the United States to pursue undergraduate and graduate studies. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music and playing video games.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Briana Pizzano
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Biological Engineering)

Briana Pizzano is from Boston, MA, US, and grew up partly there and partly in Georgia, US. She did her undergraduate work and 12 credits of graduate work in Biological Engineering (with a minor in biomolecular engineering) before applying to the Chemical Engineering ME to continue doing research in Dr. Jain\u2019s lab.

She enjoys cooking vegan Italian food for friends, taking care of her plants and animal companion, reading, aerial\/acroyoga (when pandemic & health factors permit), and observing wildlife\/spending time outdoors. She is enthusiastic about transitioning to the PhD program.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Daisy Aguilar Aguilar
BS<\/strong>: North Carolina State University (Chemical Engineering)

Daisy is currently working on the creation of an integrative device for the early detection of HIV-1 using the CRISPR\/Cas system<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Dhruv Champaneri<\/strong>
BS: <\/strong>Rutgers University(Biotechnology)

Dhruv is a 2nd<\/sup> year Ph.D student in the Biomedical Sciences program under the Genetics concentration. His research explores the molecular mechanisms underlying  in vitro<\/em> DNA fragment assembly and developing adeno-associated virus (AAV) – based delivery system for gene editing applications.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Dheeraj Pedada<\/strong>
BE: <\/strong>University of Delaware(Chemical Engineering)
 
Dheeraj is a 2nd<\/sup> year Ph.D. Student and is currently working on developing a point-of-care testing device for HIV-1 and also on engineering a new Cas3 platform for genome editing.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Research Assistants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>Dipan Das<\/strong>
BS<\/strong> : Presidency University, India(Chemistry)\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002
MS<\/strong> : University of Florida(Chemistry)

Dipan is a Research Assistant who joined the Jain Lab in Spring 2025 after completing graduate studies. His work focuses on synthesizing organic molecules, including DNA\/RNA and peptides, and developing CRISPR-based electrochemical devices. Originally from India, he enjoys music, video games, and soccer outside the lab.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Aaryan Pasupuleti<\/strong>
MS<\/strong>: University of Florida(Computer Science)

Aaryan was a Software Engineer at Verizon before beginning masters at the University of Florida. His interests include web development and machine learning.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Masters Students<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>Victor Vargas<\/strong>
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)
MS:<\/strong> University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)

Victor works on the Semi-comprehensive development of inexpensive prototypes for in-field use. These are designed to complement biomolecular assays and protocols developed by the lab.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>August Bodin
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)
MS:<\/strong> University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)

August graduated from UF with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and now is in graduate school. August is developing various nucleic acid detection methods.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Undergraduate Researchers<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>Jordan Lewis
<\/strong>Honors and University Research Scholar
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Jordan works on multiple projects including the development of various RNA detection methods.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Ian Lange
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Ian is helping with the development of various nucleic acid detection methods.<\/td><\/tr>

\"\"
<\/td>		Coleen Peggs
<\/strong>University Research Scholar
Major<\/strong>: Senior in the College of Public Health and Health Professions, majoring in Public Health, minoring in Pathogenesis and Chemistry. 

She is currently working on utilizing CRISPR\/Cas9 to edit antibiotic resistance genes in E. Coli.<\/em>
In her free time, you can find her Hiking and exercising!
Connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Kate Beerensson
Major<\/strong>: Biomedical Engineering

Kate is driven on the development of novel genome editors.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Sydney Antal
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Sydney is currently working on optimizing CRISPR\/Cas systems for disease detection and genome editing. Her research, which she has presented at multiple symposiums, focusing on using CRISPR to address global health challenges.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Anne Fang
Major<\/strong>: Biochemistry

Ann is developing novel multiplexed CRISPR-based detection platforms and Psi-DNA.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Suraj Raghunathan<\/strong>
Major: <\/strong>Biochemistry

Suraj is an undergraduate researcher.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Yasmin Elhabashy
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Yasmin is interested in developing various bioinformatics pipelines and is helping to develop novel precise RNA editing technologies.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Nayan Shah<\/strong>
Major: <\/strong>Microbiology and Cell Science

Nayan works on exploring CRISPR-Cas12 systems using novel \u03c8-DNA guides to study RNA targeting mechanisms. <\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Lina Mourad<\/strong>
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Lina works on multiple projects including the development of various RNA detection methods.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Divya Adabala<\/strong>
Major:<\/strong> Chemical Engineering

Divya explores the potential of relaxases and topoisomerases as novel genome editing tools.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Kayli Zimmerman<\/strong>
BS:<\/strong> University of Florida(Chemical Engineering)

Kayli is currently working on a project that involves using CRISPR reactions to create a device for early HIV detection.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Shruti Sreekanth <\/strong>
Major: <\/strong>Health Science

Shruti is currently exploring the potential of relaxases and topoisomerases as novel genome editing tools.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Mahika Balaraju<\/strong>
Major: <\/strong>Microbiology and Cell Sciences

Mahika is currently Working on novel CRISPR technologies and optimizing its performance and delivery at in-vitro stage, specifically focused on the knockdown aspect and expanding capabilities of the CRISPR protein complex.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Ivy Browning<\/strong>
Major:<\/strong> Chemical Engineering

Ivy is an undergraduate researcher.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lab Alumni <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>Santosh Rananaware
BS | MSc (Honors)<\/strong>: Birla Institute of Technology- Goa, India (Chemical Engineering | Physics) 
Prior research<\/strong>: CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory

Santosh Rananaware recently successfully defended his PhD. Before transitioning into the PhD program, Santosh researched in Jain Lab as an MS student. During his time in the lab, he worked on numerous projects including the development of various RNA detection methods such as SAHARA and SPLENDID. To learn more about him, click here<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Long Nguyen | PhD
BS | MS<\/strong>: Georgia Institute of Technology (Chemical Engineering)
PhD<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering | Jain Lab)
Current<\/strong>: PBI2 Distinguished Postdoc Scholar at Princeton University (Cameron Myrhvold and Jared Toettcher labs)

Long is the first PhD student who graduated from Jain Lab. During his time in the lab, Long led the development of CRISPR-based ENHANCE, SPADE, SPLENDID, cCRISPR, and many other gene editing and diagnostic projects and published 6 first\/co-first author papers.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Mike Hanna, PhD
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Biochemistry)
PhD<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Biology | Prof. Michael Harris | Biochemistry of ribonucleotide reductase)
Research Interest<\/strong>: Dr. Hanna developed new CRISPR-based tools and devices for cancer detection.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Minji Chang<\/strong>
BS<\/strong>: University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign (Chemical Engineering)
MS<\/strong>: Carnegie Mellon University (Chemical Engineering)

Minji’s research interests include nanobiotechnology, drug delivery, and gene editing. When not in the lab, Minji enjoys golf, other outdoor activities, traveling, and playing musical instruments. She hails from Seoul, South Korea.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Raymond Cole Hautamaki | MS<\/strong>
BS | MS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Microbiology and Cell Science)
Current<\/strong>: MRes student at Imperial College London (Systems and Synthetic Biology)

Cole worked on the development of cCRISPR and other genome engineering projects.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Reza Ahamadimashhadi
BS<\/strong>: Imam Reza International University (Biomedical Engineering)
MS<\/strong>: Ca ‘Foscari University of Venice (Nanomaterials)
MS<\/strong>: Kyoto Institute of Technology (Material Science)

Reza is a PhD student interested in developing novel amplification-free detection methods.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Zoe Fang | BS<\/strong>
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Microbiology)

Zoe worked on multiple projects on CRISPR-based tools.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Grace Shoemaker | BS
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Current<\/strong>: PhD student at Johns Hopkins University (Chemical Engineering)

Grace worked on the development of SAHARA and SPLENDID and many other CRISPR engineering projects<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Dylan Carman | BS<\/strong>
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Current<\/strong>: PhD student at Johns Hopkins University (Chemical Engineering)

Dylan worked on the development of cCRISPR project.<\/td><\/tr>
\"Nico<\/td>Nicolas Macaluso | MS Thesis<\/strong> 
BS | MS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)
Teaching & Outstanding Gator Awards
Current<\/strong>: PhD student at Johns Hopkins University (Chemical Engineering)

Nico worked on several projects including the development of cCRISPR, SPADE, and SPLENDID.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Emma Vesco | BS<\/strong> 
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Chemical Engineering)Departmental Awards
Current<\/strong>: PhD student at Baylor College of Medicine (Chemical Engineering)

Emma worked on several projects including the development of SAHARA.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Ayushma Joshi
BTech<\/strong>: Vellore Institute of Technology, India (Biological Engineering)

Ayushma was a student assistant while pursuing Masters in Computer science at the University of Florida. Her research interests involve comparative genomics and machine learning.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Katelyn Meister
<\/strong>
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Katelyn worked on multiple projects including the development of various RNA detection methods. Katelyn joined MIT to pursue PhD in Chemical Engineering.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Vedant Karalkar
Major<\/strong>: Computer Science & Engineering

Vedant worked on the development of rapid CRISPR-based assays.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Katerina Anamisis
<\/strong>University Research Scholar
Major<\/strong>: Biochemistry

Katerina worked on treating Usher’s syndrome with genome editors.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Sarah Flannery
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Sarah contributed toward developing novel nucleic acid detection platforms.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Michael Baugh
Major<\/strong>: Chemical Engineering

Michael worked on developing methods to target RNA.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Lilia Yang
BS<\/strong>: Prairie View A&M University (Chemical Engineering)

Lilia Yang was born and raised in Southern California for 18 years before attending Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She decided to continue her journey eastward, ultimately choosing the University of Florida for her Ph.D. in chemical engineering to work on CRISPR-Cas systems for diagnostics and gene editing purposes. Her hobbies involve making inedible foods, learning about perennial edible plants, and getting lost when exploring parts of Gainesville. Currently, Lilia is working in industry.<\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Kendall Long
BS<\/strong>: University of Florida (Virology)

Kendall Long was a Biomedical Science Ph.D. student and rotated in Jain lab. Her interests include genome engineering, CRISPR-Cas systems, and viral vectors. She loves to run and hike. <\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>Sucheta Karmakar<\/strong>

Sucheta was a visiting fellow at the lab from India<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
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