Gerardo Zavala

Postdoctoral Fellows
Xiangshu Jin	2003-2006 (Assistant Professor, Michigan State University)	Structure determination of the TRPV1 and TRPV2 ankyrin repeat domains
Christopher Phelps	2003-2009 (Principal Scientist, GlaxoSmithKline)	Functional and Structural Studies of TRPM8 Structure of the TRPV6 ankyrin repeats Functional studies of TRPV channels
Wilhelm Weihofen	2005-2011 (Crystallography Group Leader, Novartis)	Structural studies of Nramp transporters Structures of pathogen deubiquitinating enzymes (collaboration with H.L. Ploegh) Structures of cadherins important in hearing (collaboration with D.P. Corey)
Sze Yi Lau	2008-2012 (Postdoc, A*STAR, Singapore)	Structural determinants of TRPV1 and calmodulin interaction Functional studies of TRPM8
Marcos Sotomayor	2008-2013 (Assistant Professor, Ohio State University)	Structure and molecular dynamics of the hair cell tip link cadherins (collaboration with D.P. Corey) HHW Fellow K99
Ahmet Vakkasoglu	2009-2015 (Scientist, Momenta)	Structure and function of the TAP transporter
Alex Peralvarez-Marin	2010-2011 (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain)	Production of TRPV channels for structural studies Marie Curie Fellow
Ute Hellmich	2012-2014 (Assistant Professor, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany	TRPV channel structural studies EMBO Fellow
Jeffrey McArthur	2013-2016 (Research Fellow, University of Wollongong, Australia)	Conformational changes in TRPV1
Christina Zimanyi	2013-2016 (Scientist, NY Structural Biology Center)	TRPA1 activation by electrophiles Jane Coffin Childs Fellow
Research Associates
Polina V. Lishko	2005-2007 (Assistant Professor, Berkeley)	Establishing Electrophysiology Developing a cysteine-less TRPV1 protein Role of the TRPV1 ankyrin repeats in TRPV1 function
Hitoshi Inada	2008-2012 (Lecturer, Tohoku University, Japan)	Expression of TRP channels in insect cells and yeast; evaluation using fluorescence size exclusion chromatography Crystallization and structure determination of TRPV and TRPM channel domains
Postbaccalaureate Students
Michael Gutierrez	2019-2020	Structural and biochemical investigation of Nramp substrate-binding site diversity
Undergraduates
Aaron Huang	2002-2004	Toward a TAP1/TAP2 nucleotide-binding domain heterodimer
Tiffany Hsieh	2002-2004 (MD, Columbia University)	Expression of the TRPV1 C-terminal domain
David Sola-Del Valle	2004-2005 (MD ’10, Columbia University, Ophthalmologist)	Thesis title: Structure-function studies of TRPA1, a thermo- and mechano-sensitive ion channel Hoopes Prize
Shelly S. Choo	2004-2006 (MD ’11, Johns Hopkins University)	Thesis title: Structural and Biochemical Studies of the N-Terminal Region of the Temperature-Sensing TRPV Ion Channels Hoopes and Henderson Prizes Co-author, JBC 2010; Nature Genetics 2010
Robert J. Huang	2005-2007 (MD ’11, Duke University)	Thesis title: Structural and Functional Studies of the Ankyrin Repeats of TRPV Ion Channels Co-author, Biochemistry 2008
Samer Haidar	2005-2009 (MBA+MS in Mechanical Engineering, MIT)	Engineering Design Project title: Inducing Dimeric Interactions Using Leucine Zippers (HHMI program)
Albert Li	2006-2009 (MD ’13, NYU; Asisstant Professor in Ophthalmology University of Maryland)	Thesis title: Structural Studies of TRPV1 Activation by Capsaicin (Hoopes Prize, PRISE Fellow)
Vi Vu	2007-2009 (VES concentration, class of 2010)	Interaction of TRPV1 with calmodulin (HHMI program, PRISE Fellow)
Alejandra Beristain-Barajas	2007-2010 (UC Davis Medical School)	Thesis title: Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Pain: Structural and Biochemical Studies on Nociceptor Channel TRPA1, Ankyrin Repeat Domain (PRISE Fellow)
Tianyi Zhu	Summer 2006	Expression and purification of bacterial Nramp transporters
Anne McCabe	2007-2011 (PhD, Princeton, Postdoc, Tufts University)	Thesis title: Studying the ion permeation pathway of divalent metal transporter NRAMP using site-directed mutagenesis (PRISE Fellow) Co-author, PNAS 2016, JBC 2020
Ahad Waraich	Summer 2008 (U. Chicago Class of 2012; MD)	Biochemical characterization of the TRPM2 NUDIX domain and its interaction with nucleotides (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Kevin C. Ni	2010-2012 (MD/PhD ’21, Indiana U)	Thesis title: Structural insights into asymmetric motor domains of the ABC transporter TAP (PRISE Fellow)
Robert Powers	2011-2014 (PhD student, Harvard Biophysics Program; Patent Agent, Cooley LLP)	Thesis title: Structural study of a novel partial Ca²⁺-free linker and a positively selected variation in Protocadherin-15: Implications for hearing and cell adhesion (PRISE Fellow, Hershel Smith Fellow, Hoopes Prize) First author, Structure 2017
Emily Lingeman	Summer 2012 (U. Wisconsin Madison ’14; PhD student at Berkeley)	Functional studies of NRAMP homologs (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Alexandra Rojek	2012-2013 (Harvard ’15; MD student at UCSF)	Functional studies of NRAMP homologs
Erik Zheng	2012-2015 (MD/PhD student, Tri-Institute program, NY)	Thesis title: The molecular basis of capsaicin sensitivity in the nociceptor TRPV1 (PRISE and Hershel Smith Fellow)
Linda Honaker	Summer 2013 (SDSU ’14; PhD student, Harvard MCO program)	Structural studies of TRPV channels (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Jenifer Brown	2013-2015 (PhD ’21 Stanford)	Thesis title: Engineered chimeric natural resistance associated macrophage proteins (NRAMPs) for antibody co-crystallization (PRISE Fellow)
Peter O’Byrne	Summer 2014 (Trinity College, Dublin Ireland ’15; PhD student, Trinity College)	Structural studies of clustered protocadherins
Patrick Bruck	Summer 2014 (Creighton University ’16; Research Assistant, HMS ’17-’19; PhD student at UCSD )	Functional assays of yeast Ste6 transporter homologs (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Hannah Zurier	2015-2017 (PhD student at Cornell University)	Thesis title: Structural and Biophysical Studies of Ligand Binding and Cytosolic Interactions in TRPA1 (PRISE Fellow)
Bennett Vogt	2015-2017 (Consultant, ClearView Life Sciences ’17-’19; UMASS Medical School)	Thesis title: Investigating the assembly of clustered protocadherins involved in dendrite self-avoidance (PRISE Fellow) Co-author, eLife 2016
Benjamin Barnett	2015-2017 (Research Assistant, NYU)	Structure and function of Nramp transporters Co-author, JBC 2020
José Velilla	Summer 2015 (University of Florida ’16; PhD student, Harvard Chemical Biology)	Assembly of TRPC channel intracellular domains (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Brandon Lee	2015-2016 (Harvard ’19)	Structure and function of Nramp transporters
Valia Leifer	Spring 2016 (Harvard ’19; Research Assistant at HMS)	Membrane protein structure analyses
Stephanie Kabeche	Summer 2016 (University of Miami ’16; PhD Student at Stanford)	Structure of clustered protocadherins (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Casey Zhang	2017-2020 (Harvard ’20; NYU Grossman School of Medicine)	Structural analyses of LeuT-fold transporters (PRISE Fellow) Co-author, eLife 2019
Nhu Dang	2017-2020 (Harvard ’21; The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University MD-MSc program)	Structural studies of C-type clustered protocadherins (PRISE and Hershel Smith Fellow)
Keri Ngo	Summer 2017 (Boston U ’18; Graduate Student, Stanford)	Structure of clustered protocadherins MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern
Brenda Chiang	2018-2019 (UCSF Medical School)	Thesis title: Promiscuity and Specificity of Clustered Protocadherin Binding Interfaces (PRISE Fellow)
Mit Patel	2018-2021 (Harvard ’21; SUNY Stonybrook School of Medicine)	Thesis title: Uncovering the Structure and Function of ZmaM: A Peptidase-Transporter Fusion Protein (PRISE Fellow)
Agnele Sewa	Summer 2018 (Brandeis ’20; PhD Student at Stanford)	Structural determinants of metal binding in Nramp transition metal transporters MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern
Unice Yoo	2018-2020 (Harvard ’20; Research Scientist at Nference)	Thesis title: Determining metal selectivity imparted by variations in the metal-binding site of Nramp-family (PRISE Fellow)
Arianna Broad	Summer 2019 (Florida State University ’20)	Functional studies of insect gustatory receptors (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern)
Femke Ahlers	Summer 2019 (Cambridge University ’20)	Structural studies of Nramp transporters (Emmanuel College PRISE Fellow)
Serin Baek	2019-2021 (Harvard ’21; Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, Taiwan)	Thesis title: Exploring the Structure and Substrate Specificity of Two Insect Gustatory Receptors (PRISE and Hershel Smith Fellow)
Jacob Licht	2020-2021 (Harvard ’21; Postbac at NCI)	Thesis title: A Systematic Comparison of Conformational Movements of LeuT-fold Transporters (PRISE Fellow)
Tammie Tam	Summer 2021 (UC Davis)	Sequence analyses of Nramp transporters (SysBio Intern)
Emily Villalpando	Summer 2021 (UC Riverside ’22; Harvard MCO PhD student)	Sequence analyses of secondary metabolite peptidases (MCO SROH Intern)
Edward Lee	2020-2022	Thesis title: Determining the Metal Transport Features of the Eggerthella lenta Nramp-like Proteins (PRISE Fellow; Hoopes Prize)
Janny Liao	2021-2022	Structural studies of bacterial transporter-peptidases
Amber Wei	Summer 2022	Structural studies of bacterial transporter-peptidases
Karissa Mennes	Summer 2022	Genetic engineering of Bacillus cereus (MCO SROH Intern)
Masters Students
Valerie Daum	2018-2020	Role of the C-terminus in TRPA 1 structure and function
Research Assistants
Jason Touhey	2004-2006 (Hospitalist)	Structure of the TRPV2 ankyrin repeats Co-author JBC 2006
Amanda McFedries	2008-2009 (Harvard PhD ’14; WarpDrive Bio Inc.)	Structure and function of the TAP transporter
Gavin MacKinnon	Extension School Volunteer 2008-2009 (MD Student, U. Michigan)	Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of TRPV1
High school students
Serena Blacklow	2011-2013 (Harvard College ’17 MD/PhD Student, UCSF)	Lipid binding of TRPV ankyrin repeats
Julia Burnett	2015-2016 (Amherst College ’20)	TAP nucleotide binding domain dimerization
Research Interns
Nina Christ	Spring 2014 (Goethe University PhD ’14; Postdoc University of Mainz)	Structure and function of TRPV2 and TRPV4
Antonia Lott	2016-2017 (Eberhard Karls University)	Structural studies of bacterial Nramp homologs

Gaudet Lab

Gerardo Zavala

Gerardo Zavala

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Alumni