Leadership Team, Alumni and Founders
UT Southwestern Biotechnology Club
Current Leadership
Lindsay Johnson
Executive Vice-President
Lindsay.Johnson@UTSouthwestern.edu
Lindsay is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her research in Dr. Daniel Siegwart's lab focuses on investigating the interactions of RNA-loaded dendrimer lipid nanoparticles with specific cell populations of the liver. Outside of research, Lindsay is passionate about fitness and nutrition. She enjoys long-distance running and is currently training for her third marathon. Lindsay is excited to be involved in the Biotech Club leadership this year and is interested in the pharmaceutical industry and cell-specific nanomedicine.
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Yongbin Choi
Director of Professional Development
Yongbin.Choi@UTSouthwestern.edu
Yongbin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Immunology Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His research in Dr. Andrew Koh's lab focuses on understanding the effects of resident bacteria (microbiota) in the gastrointestinal tract on cancer immunotherapy. Outside of research, Yongbin is interested in how the current macroeconomic situation can influence the biopharmaceutical industry and individual companies.
Colton Davis
President
Colton.Davis@UTSouthwestern.edu
Colton is a Ph.D. candidate in the Organic Chemistry Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His research in Professor Joseph Ready's lab focuses on enantioselective, catalytic reactions involving 1,2-metallate rearrangements triggered by electrophilic activation of olefins. Colton is interested in synthetic and process chemistry, as well as the pharmaceutical industry.
Akansha Shah
Vice-President
Akansha.Shah@UTSouthwestern.edu
Akansha is a Ph.D. candidate in the Genetics, Development, and Disease Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her research in Dr. Eric Olson's lab focuses on investigating the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms that repress skeletal muscle differentiation and promote tumor growth in Rhabdomyosarcoma. Akansha is interested in collaborating with KOLs and decision makers to translate scientific discoveries into successful therapeutic interventions.
James Raynard Dizon
Director of Marketing and Media Relations
JamesRaynard.Dizon@UTSouthwestern.edu
James is a first-year graduate student in the
Biomedical Engineering program at UT Southwestern. He is interested in working
at the intersection of immunology and biomedical imaging to treat and diagnose
diseases like cancer and lupus. Beyond the lab, James enjoys photography and
the process of making coffee.
Maggie Wang
Director of External Affairs
Maggie.Wang@UTSouthwestern.edu
Maggie is a first-year graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering program and is interested in the field of cancer immunometabolism. She is currently still going through rotations, learning the different techniques from the experts that UT Southwestern has to offer. Outside of school, Maggie enjoys outdoor activities and exploring new restaurants/food. Her ultimate career goal is to start her own biotech company, focusing on nanotechnology; or continuing her research career at a cancer institution.
Founding Members and Alumni
Jackson Gartman
Co-Founder, Alumni
Jackson co-founded the Biotechnology Club with Tyler Piazza in summer 2018, serving as both vice president and president during his tenure through early 2020. He completed his Ph.D. in the Organic Chemistry Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center with Professor Uttam Tambar in August of 2020. His research in Dr. Uttam Tambar's lab encompassed the total synthesis of bioactive natural products, reaction development, and medicinal chemistry. Jackson is now developing small molecule therapeutics as a Senior Scientist in Chemistry at AbbVie in Northern Chicago, Illinois. Jackson is dedicated to studying new chemical reactivity and the actions of molecules in living systems.
John "Tyler" Piazza
Founder, Alumni
Tyler founded the Biotechnology Club in summer 2018 to provide an industry-focused campus organization to the UT Southwestern student body. Tyler graduated in November 2018 with his M.S. in Genetics, Development, and Disease and is currently an active member of the Dallas healthcare startup community. He is passionate about transforming big ideas in healthcare into successful companies that deliver products that save lives.
Jordan Baumhardt
Alumni
Jordan.Baumhardt@utsouthwestern.edu
Jordan completed his Ph.D. at UT Southwestern Medical Center focused on Biophysics in early 2020. He studied how a prominent mutation in the major nuclear export machinery contributes to cancer pathogenesis in Yuh Min Chook's lab. During his time at UT Southwestern, Jordan led market analysis projects for promising early-stage technologies at the UTSW Office of Technology Development. He then stepped away from his Ph.D. studies for a summer to join the Flagship Pioneering Venture Fellowship in Boston. Soon after the Flagship fellowship, he spent six months interning with the Strategy Department at Reata Pharmaceuticals. Outside of biotech, Jordan is a coffee enthusiast and is developing manufacturing methods to substantially improve the quality of coffee. Jordan joined LifeSci Capital as a Biotech Equity Research Associate mid-2020.
Aman Kumar
Alumni
Aman is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Microbiology program at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He works in the lab of Prof. Vanessa Sperandio where he studies the small molecule signals of gut in regulating the virulence of intestinal pathogens. Aman is interested in synthetic biology and translating basic scientific findings into therapeutic interventions.
Madeline Milligan
Alumni
Madeline.Milligan@utsouthwestern.edu
Madeline is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biological Chemistry program at UT Southwestern. Her research in Ben Tu's lab focuses on investigating the effects of nutrient availability and metabolic state on gene expression and epigenetics. Madeline is interested in the pharmaceutical industry.
Minghao Li
Alumni
Minghao is a Ph.D. candidate in the Immunology Program at UT Southwestern. His work in the Chen lab focuses on understanding how innate immune signaling pathways can be modulated to adapt to different diseases. Minghao is interested in understanding how scientific discoveries can be developed into profitable drugs and devices.
