Oliver Bracko
Principal Investigator
Oliver Bracko will be a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. He will join the Department of Biology in 2021 after finishing his postdoctoral training at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University with Chris Schaffer. Previously, he was in the Lab of Susanne Wegner at the University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland, and did his PhD in the Lab of Sebastian Jessberger at the ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Oliver enjoys the outdoors and is an active birder.
Gabriela Rodriguez
PhD student
Gabriela is pursuing her Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Miami. Gabriela’s research focuses on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, where she works towards elucidating the relationship between immune cell dysfunction and disease onset and development. Specializing in platelets, she seeks to uncover novel biomarkers for AD that would contribute to the development of early, non-invasive detection methods.
Madeleine Weick
PhD student
Maddie has joined the Blood Flow Lab to pursue her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her project focuses on the impact that the peripheral immune system (and the body’s subsequent inflammatory response) has on the development and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Her experience in research began as a post baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institute of Health, strengthening her foundation in Molecular Biology and Genomics. Maddie then continued on to join a biotechnology startup in Silicon Valley where she was able to hone her skills at the bench as a member of the Drug Discovery team. She intends to continue evaluating potential therapeutic targets to treat neuropsychiatric disease and other neurological disorders. Outside of the lab, you can find Maddie in search of the best restaurant that Miami has to offer.
Supriya Chakraborty
PhD student
Supriya is the first PhD student in the lab. He is studying the microvascular dysfunction in the Frontotemporal Dementia using Progranulin-deficient mouse model. Supriya has got his B.Sc degree in zoology from RKMVC College and M. S from IISER Mohali, India. He likes cycling and painting in his free time.
Zeynab Tabrizi
PhD student
Zeynab is a PhD student . She is researching the potential involvement of neutrophils in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Her primary focus will be the identification of specific subpopulations of neutrophils and their interactions within the Alzheimer’s pathogenesis. She holds an MSc degree in medical immunology and has a background as a researcher, actively contributing to several research projects exploring the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders such as schizophrenia, paranoid personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and addiction. She enjoys traveling, and swimming.
Alejandra Cano
Research Associate
Alejandra is a Research Associate who graduated from the University of Miami this past May 2024, earning her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Psychology, and joined the lab soon after graduating. She was a part of different on-campus organizations including AMSA, Commuter Council, and KESEM. Alejandra is keen on working within the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Alejandra loves baking and enjoys traveling and being with friends and family.
Poorva
Research Associate
Poorva is a Research Associate with a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics from Indiana University, graduating in May 2024. She currently contributes to ongoing projects in the lab, focusing on bioinformatics tasks, including Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis. Prior to this role, Poorva was a Research Associate at the IU School of Medicine, where she worked on brain cancer research, specifically targeting Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and Glioblastoma. Her research aimed to understand the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and explore strategies for targeting cancer stem cell microenvironments using NK cells.
Outside of the lab, Poorva enjoys traveling, cooking, and hiking.
Bartu Sevil
Undergraduate Researcher
Bartu is a pre-medical undergraduate student studying at the University of Miami, majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Mathematics. He hopes to attend medical school after he graduates. Bartu has done clinical research work in the past concerning studies relating to cardiovascular incidents, hypertension, weight loss, and hyperlidemia. Bartu enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym, and spending time friends in his free time.
Gwyn Willwerth
Undergraduate Researcher
Gwyn is an undergraduate student at the University of Miami, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics on the pre-medical track. She is passionate about medicine and the healthcare industry and plans to apply to dual MD/MBA programs after she graduates. Gwyn has laboratory experience through the HHMI Undergraduate Program and has also done clinical cardiovascular research in the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Sciences. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and cooking.
Jolie Janulis
Undergraduate Researcher
Jolie is an undergraduate student at the University of Miami, majoring in Microbiology and Immunology with a minor in Chemistry, who hopes to pursue her PhD after graduation. She has participated in research-oriented programs with a focus on topics pertaining to the field of Immunology, where she hopes to earn her PhD. Outside of academia, Jolie enjoys figure skating, sewing and crocheting, volunteering, and spending time with friends.
sofia franciosa
Undergraduate Researcher
Sofia is an undergraduate studying at the University of Miami. She will be receiving her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering in the Biomaterials and Tissues concentration with a Dance minor. She has done lab work in the past at American University using PCR to study enzymes and bacteria during the National Student Leadership Conference. She has also had a job at LifeTime Fitness as a camp lead. She will be an undergraduate researcher under Dr. Oliver Bracko and is currently funded by a diversity supplement for the NIA. She plans to attend graduate school after graduation. Sofia enjoys singing, dancing and anything adventurous.
devi priya patcha
undergraduate researcher
emilia weiss
undergraduate researcher
jordan biller
undergraduate researcher
Nairuti Bhatt
graduate researcher
sofia lopez
undergraduate researcher