Leadership Team, Alumni and Founders
UT Southwestern Biotechnology Club
Current Leadership
Victoria Yang - Vice President of Operations and Administration
Victoria is a second-year Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering. They are a part of Dr. Daniel Siegwart's lab, where they work on developing gene delivery technologies. They are interested in incorporating viral and non-viral elements into delivery platforms to improve the stability and packaging of nucleic acids. In their free time, they like to play games with friends and make soup.
AP Wang - Vice President of External Affairs
AP is a second-year Ph.D student in the Biomedical Engineering program with an interest in nanomedicine and imaging as tools for drug delivery. Prior to joining the program, AP worked at Pfizer Inc. in the oncology R&D department focusing on impurities, cytotoxicity, and automation of methods. AP aspires to bridge the gap between the general public and scientists in disseminating scientific information, and to continue to inspire young scientists to pursue the unknown. Outside of work, AP enjoys all things gym, cooking, camping, and spending time with family and friends.
Kate Borner - Former Vice President of Operations and Administration
Kate is a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering program. She works in Dr. Matt Petroll's lab in the Department of Ophthalmology where she focuses on the characterization of gene expression patterns during corneal wound healing events. Outside of lab work, Kate enjoys caring for her collection of plants, music and spending time with her friends, family and corgi.
Gabriela Ayala Pazzi - Former Vice President of External Affairs
Gaby is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering program. With a background in Biology and two years of experience in cancer research, she hopes to dedicate her Ph.D. to elucidating the mechanisms behind LNP-mediated drug delivery as part of the Siegwart lab. Her goal is to be part of the driving force of scientists who take innovative treatments from the bench to the clinic. In her free time, Gaby likes listening to music, shopping, and spending time with friends
Kerelos Shehata - Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Kerelos (Kero) Shehata is a second-year PhD student aiming to join a lab in the cancer biology or genetics, development, and disease programs. Prior to joining UT Southwestern, he did three undergraduate internships in the biotech industry and after graduating worked for two years as a biotech research associate, working towards developing and optimizing cell engineering strategies to develop iPSC-derived CAR-T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune indications. While at UT Southwestern, Kerelos aims to conduct translational research towards understanding and enhancing novel therapeutic avenues for cancer treatment. Outside of lab, Kerelos enjoys working out and spending time with friends and family.
Winston Liu - Director of International Relations
Winston is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Cancer Biology Program. He works in Dr. Kareem Azab's lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where he focuses on developing a novel nanoparticle platform to enhance T cell activation, aiming to translate his findings into more effective therapies for cancer patients. His research interests include cancer immunology and drug delivery, and he is passionate about making an impact in the biotech industry in the future. Outside of the lab, Winston enjoys sports, traveling, and watching movies and TV shows.
Animesha Krishnamurthy - Former Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Animesha is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering program, working in Dr. Jinming Gao's lab. She recived her BS/MS from Case Western Reserve University, with her research focus being lipid nanoparticles for. Her current research involves evaluation of STING-activating nanoparticles in patient-derived tumor fragments. Outside of lab, she enjoys reading, making homemade coffee syrups, and spending time with her family.
Malavika Jayaram - Former Vice President of Education
Malavika (Mal) is a fourth-year immunology Ph.D. student in the Alto Lab, currently investigating the role of type three secretion effectors of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella in regulating innate immune signaling. As a member of the Biotech Club, she seeks to actively engage with the international student body at UTSW and help connect them to biotech opportunities to achieve their career goals. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, comedy podcasts, and yoga.
Macy Lozen - Director of She-E-O Series
Macy is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering program. She works in the Louros Lab in the Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases where she employs protein engineering to design de novo therapeutics targeting pathological amyloid conformations. Outside of the lab, Macy enjoys being active and spending time with her dogs.
Antonia is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Tagliabracci Lab. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, where she developed a strong interest in understanding proteins at a structural level to better define their activity and interactions. Her current research focuses on molecular interactions between bacterial defense systems and bacteriophages, with an emphasis on atypical and previously uncharacterized proteins. Outside of the lab, Antonia enjoys climbing, painting, and spending time with her cat.
Courtney Santos - Former Director of Seminar Series
Courtney Santos is a fifth-year PhD Candidate in the Molecular Microbiology program. She works in the Forsberg Lab studying bacterial defense mechanisms against phages and how they are related to eukaryotic antiviral factors. In her free time, Courtney enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking for loved ones, taking care of her plant babies, and relaxing with some yoga.
AJ Brewton - Assistant for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
AJ is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry Program. He works in the Nam Lab, where he studies RNA–protein interactions to better understand the mechanisms of RNA processing. Prior to joining UT Southwestern, he earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and his M.S. in Business from Texas A&M University. In his free time, he enjoys playing board games, spending time with friends, and cooking.
Steven Hepensteil - Director of Industry Analytics
Steven is a Ph.D. candidate in the Cancer Biology program, working in Dr. Kathryn O'Donnell's lab researching cell surface proteins in non-small cell lung cancer. Prior to graduate school, he earned his B.S. in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and acquired hands-on industry experience at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, interning in both program management and gene therapy research. He is interested in the intersection of scientific innovation and business strategy, with the goal of guiding research and corporate decisions that advance impactful therapies. Outside of work, Steven enjoys ice hockey, golf, weightlifting, and cooking.
Swathi Ravi - Assistant Director of External Affiars
Swathi is a third-year medical student with a background in Biology and a strong interest in improving patient outcomes through both clinical care and scientific innovation. She conducts quality improvement research focused on medication adherence, as well as research exploring the stigma surrounding chronic diseases. With a growing interest in drug and biotech development, Swathi hopes to contribute to the advancement of therapies that are both effective and accessible. In her free time, she enjoys pottery, cooking, and reading.
Samantha Sakells - Former Director of IP Education
Sam is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Microbiology Program. She works in the Forsberg Lab studying the bacteria - phage arms race. More specifically, Sam wants to understand how phages evolve inhibitors of CRISPR-Cas systems, known as anti-CRISPRs, in a process known as de novo gene birth. Outside of the lab, Sam enjoys gardening, crocheting, and spending time with her cats.
Sanjana Prakash - Co-Director of Marketing
Sanjana is a third-year biochemistry Ph.D. Student in the biochemistry program. Prior to moving to Dallas, Sanjana completed her B.S. in biochemistry from the University of British Columbia and worked for two years in the biotech industry as a research associate. She is currently part of the Conrad Lab, studying the mechanisms of viral RNA expression and stability in Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus infection. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, going bouldering with her friends, and crocheting.
Debanjana Das - Assistant for Operations & Administration
Debanjana is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Matthew Parker in the Department of Biophysics. She completed her MSc-PhD in chemistry from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai in India. Her current research involves investigating the relation between the amino acid sequence and function of intrinsically disordered proteins in nature. She enjoys spending time with her friends, reading detective novels, and playing badminton.
Brandon Zhao - Assistant for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Brandon is a second-year medical student at UTSouthwestern's medical school. During his undergrad, he interned as a R&D Biomedical Engineer, working towards designing a novel ventricular assist device. At UTSW, Brandon is passionate about aligning his career goals of being a clinician with his prior background in biomedical engineering. Outside of school, Brandon enjoys running, various recreational sports, and spending time with friends.
Sonya Ostashevskaya-Gohstand
Sonya is a third-year PhD student aiming to join a lab in the Neuroscience program at UTSW. Prior to joining the program, Sonya was a Physical Therapist working in the public and private sectors in the UK, Nepal and Israel. Following completion of her MSc in Neuroscience at University College London, Sonya worked as a research assistant at Imperial College London, where she studied osteoderm development in squamates. Sonya moved to Dallas in 2022, where she worked as a research associate in the Department of Surgery at UTSW, studying heterotopic ossification in mouse models. Sonya would like to pursue a career in translational neuroscience within the biotechnology sector. Outside of work Sonya enjoys travelling, art and frequenting the theater.
Strategic Advisors
Yehui Sun
Previously: Director of Seminar Series
Yehui is a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering program. She works in Dr. Daniel Siegwart's lab focusing on engineering lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver mRNA selectively to lung via intravenous administration and using Lung SORT LNPs to advance the gene editing technologies for cystic fibrosis. Yehui is interested in Pharm/Biotech industry and nanomedicine for clinical translation. Outside of lab, Yehui enjoys traveling and reading manga.
Founding Members and Alumni
John "Tyler" Piazza
Founder
Tyler founded the Biotechnology Club in the summer of 2018 to provide an industry-focused campus organization to the UT Southwestern student body. Tyler graduated with his M.S. in Genetics, Development, and Disease and now lives in Boston where he works in the life sciences and healthcare data industry. Following graduation, he gained experience working as a strategy consultant, including a role at Trinity Life Sciences where he developed a passion for using real-world healthcare data to improve the development, launch, and commercialization of new therapies.
Jackson Gartman
Co-Founder
Jackson Gartman is currently a medicinal chemist at AbbVie. Jackson was a co-founder of the Biotech Club and joined UTSW in 2016 as a graduate student in Uttam Tambar's lab in the Biochemistry department, where he focused on the total synthesis of natural products, chemical methodology, and medicinal chemistry collaborations. In 2020 he joined AbbVie in Lake County, IL in their Protein Degradation Platform Team as a Senior Scientist.
