Duke's Amgen Scholars

This page celebrates the talented scholars who have participated in our program over the years, highlighting their research projects and achievements. Each year, our scholars are paired with Duke faculty mentors and engage in independent research projects, benefiting from hands-on experience in the lab and exposure to the Research Triangle’s thriving biotech community. Learn more about our Amgen Scholars below!

Brian Armijo
Home Institution: Southwestern University
Faculty Mentor: Scott Floyd, MD/PhD, Radiation Oncology
Project Summary: CRISPR screen reveals a putative glioblastoma radiosensitizer in organotypic brain slice culture

Sameeha Gazi
Home Institution: University of Texas at Dallas
Faculty Mentor: Corinne Linardic, MD/PhD, Pediatrics
Project Summary: Investigating the role of ZEB2 and the bone morphogenetic pathway in Rhabdomyosarcoma neurogenic differentiation

Kira Grossman
Home Institution: Vanderbilt University
Faculty Mentor: Nimmi Ramanujam, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Constructing tissue mimicking phantoms for the validation of simultaneous imaging of 3 fluorophores reporting on metabolic pathways relevant to aggressive breast cancer

Lauren Heverly
Home Institution: Penn State University Park
Faculty Mentor: Zhao Zhang, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: The non-canonical histone variant H3.3 is involved in ecDNA formation in cancer cells

Kathleen Jackson
Home Institution: Hendrix College
Faculty Mentor: Dennis Ko, PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Investigating the alternative splicing of PARP2 in influenza A infection

Mia Jastrzembski
Home Institution: Mercer University
Faculty Mentor: Nimmi Ramanujam, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Evaluating the impact of dissolution time on a phase-changing polymer

Srijan Meesala
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Trudy Oliver, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Characterizing new cell states in squamous cell lung cancer

Tyler Myers 
Home Institution: University of Tennessee
Faculty Mentor: John Rawls, PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Measuring enteroendocrine cell lifespan in the zebrafish intestine with kaede photoconversion

Joshua Ruley
Home Institution: University of Floria
Faculty Mentor: Tosh Chilkoti, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Investigating the effect of elastin-like polypeptide sequence on multicomponent condensate formation in vitro

Julianne Sharpe
Home Institution: University of Kentucky
Faculty Mentor: Zach Reitman, MD/PhD, Radiation Oncology
Project Summary: Using PCR to examine CRISPR/CAS9 editing of a mouse model of a diffuse midline glioma

Andrew Watts
Home Institution: University of Richmond
Faculty Mentor: Emily Derbyshire, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Structural investigations into the druggability of Plasmodium falciparum UBC13

Akweley Allotey 
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Jatin Roper, MD/PhD, Medicine
Project Summary: A Reg4+ niche cell population in colon cancer.

Anais Del Rosario Martinez  
Home Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
Faculty Mentor: Ashutosh Chilkoti, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Developing a scaffold for nerve repair.

Gautam Chaudry
Home Institution: Rice University
Faculty Mentor: Katherine Franz, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Understanding and manipulating the metal homeostasis of Candida Albicans

Abigail Engler
Home Institution: Denison University
Faculty Mentor: Dick Brennan, PhD, Biochemistry
Project Summary: Understanding multidrug resistance inNeisseria gonorrhoeae

Coby Garcia
Home Institution: Harvard
Faculty Mentor: Kate Meyer, PhD, Biochemistry
Project Summary: The regulation of genetically-encoded M6A sensor by RNA demethylases

Olivia Holman 
Home Institution: Arizona State University
Faculty Mentor: Dick Brennan, PhD, Biochemistry
Project Summary: Inhibition of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (Tps1) in Candida albicans

Kanika Chopra
Home Institution: Transylvania University 
Faculty Mentor: Amanda Hargrove, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Exploring new targets for SARS-COV-2

Kevin Kim
Home Institution: Brown University
Faculty Mentor: Warren Warren, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Nonlinear pump probe microscopy and machine learning for early detection of metastatic melanoma

Mason Lee 
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Bob Lefkowitz, MD, Medicine
Project Summary: Allosteric activation of the ERK MAPK by β-arrestin

Naya Lewis
Home Institution: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Faculty Mentor: Samria Musah, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Engineering human induced iPS cell derived podocytes to uncover the role of TRCP6 risk variants in podocytopathies

Quyen Nguyen
Home Institution: University of Florida
Faculty Mentor: Qiu Wang, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Oxidative amination using o-benzoylhydroxylamines for synthesis of allylic amine-containing heterocycles

Shayaan Rasheed
Home Institution: Ohio State University: Columbus Campus
Faculty Mentor: Ben Alman, MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Project Summary: Studying the effects of NF1 bone marrow transplants on fracture healing in neurofibromatosis type 1

Giselle Rasquinha
Home Institution: Georgetown University
Faculty Mentor: Dennis Ko, PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Deciphering human genetic susceptibility to Zika virus

Alagu Subramanian
Home Institution: Baylor University
Faculty Mentor: Bob Lefkowitz, MD, Medicine
Project Summary: Nanobodies as allosteric modulators of G-protein Coupled Receptors: Insights from the βeta-2-adrenergic receptor

Lizzy Taggart
Home Institution: University of Richmond
Faculty Mentor: Emily Derbyshire, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Investigation of the C-terminal domain of plasmodium Heat shock protein 90 as a target for novel antimalarials

Clara Tandar
Home Institution: Brown University
Faculty Mentor: Trudy Oliver, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Investigating tumor plasticity in olfactory neuroblastoma

Rachel Washart
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Uncovering dependencies for cancer cells undergoing the epithelial mesenchymal transition

Rami Darawsheh
Home Institution: University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
Faculty Mentor: Scott Floyd, MD, PhD, Radiation Oncology, & Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Validating an ex-vivo brain slice model for glioblastoma

Christopher D’Inzeo
Home Institution: Elon University
Faculty Mentor: Amanda Hargrove, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Characterization of a potential tertiary Structure in disease associated long non-coding RNA

Miguel Flores Garcia
Home Institution: University of California: Berkeley
Faculty Mentor: Samira Musah, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Exploring regenerative therapy approaches for tissue loss in diabetic kidney disease.

Mia Greeson
Home Institution: Davidson College
Faculty Mentor: Bob Lefkowitz, MD, Medicine
Project Summary: Using nanobodies to elucidate the structure of ligand-GPCR complexes.

Samuel Gruber
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Uncovering mechanisms of resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

Dahlia Halabi
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Charlie Gersbach, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Reprogramming human astrocytes to neurons with CRISPR activation

Selena Halabi
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Nimmi Ramanujam, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Spectral unmixing for low-cost metabolic imaging in tumor tissue

Olivia Kelly
Home Institution: Gannon University
Faculty Mentor: Ed Levin, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Project Summary: The impact of paternal cannabis use on opioid self-administration in their offspring

Jocoa Kerschen
Home Institution: Benedictine College
Faculty Mentor: Ashutosh Chilkoti, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Improving drug delivery of chemotherapeutics.

Yannie Lam
Home Institution: Brown University
Faculty Mentor: Matt Hirschey, PhD, Medicine
Project Summary: The Effect of Cysteine Side-Chain Acetylation on GAPDH Activity

Madison Maille
Home Institution: Loyola Marymount University
Faculty Mentor: Amanda Hargrove, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Developing a Functional Enzymatic Assay to Quantify RNA Degradation

Atharv Oak
Home Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Faculty Mentor: Kris Wood, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Novel Functional Genomics Approaches Elucidate the Role of SOX9 in Lung Adenocarcinoma Metastasis

Charlotte Pollack
Home Institution: University of South Carolina: Columbia
Faculty Mentor: Corinne Linardic, MD, PhD, Pediatrics
Project Summary: Role of long noncoding RNAs in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Carl Shirley
Home Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Faculty Mentor: Gerry Blobe, MD, PhD, Medicine
Project Summary: Uncovering the role of ALK4 in pancreatic and basal breast models

Emily Troutman
Home Institution: Davidson College
Faculty Mentor: Nicholas Heaton, PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Exploring strategies to improve the influenza vaccine.

Kevin Tu  
Home Institution: University of Maryland: College Park
Faculty Mentor: Zach Reitman, MD, PhD, Radiation Oncology
Project Summary: Exploring FLASH Radiotherapy in pediatric medulloblastoma

James Zheng  
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Raphael Valdivia, PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Gut phageome mediates cancer immunotherapy response

Summer 2020 Amgen Scholars Program at Duke was canceled due to impacts of COVID-19. Scholars selected for Summer 2020 were given the opportunity to defer to Summer 2021. No new applications were accepted for Summer 21.

Lucas Kim
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Ed Levin, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Project Summary: Exploring the interactive effects of glutamate and dopamine antagonists on nicotine self-administration in rats

Samuel Liu
Home Institution: Yale University
Faculty Mentor: Robert Lefkowitz, MD/PhD, Medicine
Project Summary: Exploring allosteric modulators of the β2 adrenergic receptor

Nicholas Manfred
Home Institution: Columbia University
Faculty Mentor: Pelin Volkan, PhD, Biology
Project Summary: Cell adhesion molecule combinatorial code guides development of Drosophila olfactory glomeruli

Erin Mansell
Home Institution: Davidson College
Faculty Mentor: David Kirsch, MD/PhD, Radiation Oncology
Project Summary: Understanding the biology of radiation-induced tumors.

Ikechi "Bradley" Nwadike
Home Institution: Bowie State University
Faculty Mentor: Francis Ka-Ming Chan, PhD, Immunology
Project Summary: Uncovering the Anti-Tumor Immune Potential of RIPK3

Lauren Onweller
Home Institution: Penn State University
Faculty Mentor: Tatiana Segura, PhD, Biomedical Engineering    
Project Summary: Promoting neural progenitor cell spreading after stroke.

Behnia Rezazadeh Shirazi
Home Institution: Iowa State University
Faculty Mentor: Charles Gersbach, PhD, Biomedical Engineering    
Project Summary: Investigating the proliferation capacity of human derived iPSCs cardiomyocytes

Jeffrey Zhang
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Steve Malcolmson, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Improving synthesis of nitrogen containing compounds.

Summer 2020 Amgen Scholars Program at Duke was canceled due to impacts of COVID-19. Scholars selected for Summer 2020 were given the opportunity to defer to Summer 2021.

Andréa Ball
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Nancie MacIver, MD/PhD, Pediatric Endocrinology
Project Summary: Targeting metabolism to alter T cell function as a potentially novel way to treat autoimmune disease.

Owen Canterbury
Home Institution: Washington State University
Faculty Mentor: Hiroaki Matsunami, PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Mapping olfactory receptors governing the sense of smell.

Amanda Cimino
Home Institution: Mercer University
Faculty Mentor: Charles Gersbach, PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 to develop a gene therapy to treat nerve sheath tumors.

Allen Green
Home Institution: Brown University
Faculty Mentor: Donald McDonnell, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Utilizing high-throughput methods to identify compounds that interfere with androgen receptor dimerization to treat prostate cancer.

Dominick Jenkins
Home Institution: University of Northwestern-St. Paul
Faculty Mentor: Dennis Ko, MD/PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Project Summary: Determining the molecular mechanisms Salmonella infection.

Caylee Marshall
Home Institution: University of Kentucky
Faculty Mentor: Tatiana Segura, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Optimizing nanoparticles to treat stroke.

Erin Mihealsick
Home Institution: Clemson University
Faculty Mentor: Don Fox, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Screening of tardigrade genes for alteration of radiation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster.

John Nguyen
Home Institution: Cooper Union
Faculty Mentor: Scott Floyd, MD/PhD, Radiation Oncology
Project Summary: Evaluating the radioprotection and radiosensitization properties of a drug to improve radiotherapy for cancer patients.

Anna Savelyeva
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: David Kirsch, PhD, Radiation Oncology
Project Summary: Investigating the role of ATM and p53 in childhood brain cancers.

Shannon Silva
Home Institution: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Faculty Mentor: Ann Marie Pendergast, PhD, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Project Summary: Understanding the role of ABL kinases in lung cancer brain metastasis.

Janel Sowers
Home Institution: New Mexico State University
Faculty Mentor: Dorothy Sipkins, MD/PhD, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy
Project Summary: Improving chemotherapeutic treatments for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). 

Tamanna Srivastava
Home Institution: Duke University
Faculty Mentor: Emily Derbyshire, PhD, Chemistry
Project Summary: Identifying new therapies to target Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of malaria.

Alessia Stewart
Home Institution: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Faculty Mentor: George Truskey, PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Project Summary: Targeting drivers of inflammation in atherosclerosis (plaques in arteries).

Priscilla Villalona
Home Institution: Bay Path University
Faculty Mentor: Hashim Al-Hashimi, PhD, Biochemistry
Project Summary: Targeting HIV-1 RNA Using Small Molecules.

Yuqi Bill Zhang
Home Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Faculty Mentor: Steven Patierno, PhD, Duke Cancer Institute
Project Summary: Engineering a novel cell line for functional analysis of alternative splicing in prostate cancer.