Board Members

Elisa Balzano

Senior Chair
Department of Human Genetics

Rehab Mohammad Ismail Ahmad

Junior Co-Chair
School of Architecture

Rehab is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the School of Architecture (CA+P) at the University of Utah. She earned a Master's in Architectural Engineering from Assiut University and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology in Egypt. Her research focuses on energy efficiency and the thermal and visual comfort of building occupants, especially in adaptively reused heritage buildings. Rehab joined UPDA to support the postdoctoral community and to help make the postdoctoral experience at the University of Utah both inspiring and enriching.

Lokesh Saravanan

Junior Co-Chair
Department of Chemistry

Lokesh is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah, where he works with Prof. Scott Anderson. His research focuses on fundamental studies of electrochemical catalysis using atomically precise clusters for energy conversion, aiming to make clean energy more efficient, one atom at a time. Lokesh earned his PhD in Physics from National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan. His scientific interests lie at the intersection of materials science, chemistry and sustainable energy. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing racquet sports and exploring new places with friends. Lokesh joined the UPDA board to develop leadership skills and to foster connections within the postdoctoral community at the U.

Zeynep Irem Ozay

Chair of Communications and Outreach
Department of Internal Medicine

Zeynep is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Huntsman Cancer Institute. She earned her MD degree from Gazi University in Turkey. Her research focuses on clinical studies in genitourinary cancers, particularly real-world outcomes, biomarker identification, and treatment personalization to improve patient care. Zeynep joined the UPDA with a passion for fostering communication, building connections within the postdoctoral community, and supporting outreach initiatives.

Deborah Kajewole

Board Member
Department of Internal Medicine

Deborah is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Huntsman Cancer Institute's Division of Hematology and Hematopoietic Malignancies, being mentored Dr. Shannon Buckley. She obtained a Doctoral degree in Biochemistry at Rhodes University, South Africa, where she explored the anticancer potentials of a novel artemisinin derivative in triple-negative breast cancer cells. Currently, Deborah's research aims to better understand the molecular mechanisms that drive the progression of mantle cell lymphoma, an aggressive hematological malignancy, using genomic and proteomic methods to identify novel therapeutic targets. Deborah joined the UPDA with a passion to build impactful relationships, contribute to the postdoctoral experience and development of others while pursuing continuous self-improvement.

Luis Cedeño-Rosario

Postdoc Success Chair
Department of Biochemistry

Luis was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and completed a bachelor’s degree with honors in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao. Prior to joining the University of Utah as a postdoctoral fellow, he completed his PhD training with Dr. Deborah N. Chadee at the University of Toledo in Ohio. There, he studied how the MAP3K protein Mixed Lineage Kinase 3 (MLK3) regulates ovarian cancer cell division and how it is regulated during this process. Now as a Burroughs Wellcome Fund postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jared Rutter's lab, Luis is studying how the Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier (MPC) is regulated by the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the significance of this regulation in cell metabolism and cell fate.

Jacob Kisiolek

Treasurer
Department of Pathology

Jacob is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Pathology, Division of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Utah. His work focuses on immune cell receptor kinetics upon antigen recognition. Prior to his work in Utah, Jacob earned his PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Northern Colorado. Outside of the lab, he enjoys fishing, gardening, and anything outdoors. Jacob joined the UPDA to get more involved in improving the postdoctoral experience at the University of Utah.

Md Hasan Al Faruque

Chair of Social Event and Network
Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics

Hasan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics at the University of Utah, where he has been contributing since June 2022. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (Immunology) from the School of Medicine at Kyungpook National University, South Korea, and began his postdoctoral journey at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST). His research is driven by a passion for advancing cancer immunotherapy through innovative platforms such as antibody-drug conjugates and polymer-based therapeutics, as well as uncovering novel diagnostic biomarkers via extracellular vesicle analysis. Beyond the lab, Hasan is deeply committed to promoting scientific collaboration and building inclusive research communities.

Emmanuel Aghimien

Co-Chair of Professional Development
School of Architecture

Emmanuel is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the School of Architecture, University of Utah. He holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from the City University of Hong Kong, where his research concentrated on modeling solar radiation, daylight, and sky models, and their impact on energy-efficient bioclimatic building designs. Before joining the University of Utah, he served as a researcher at the City University of Hong Kong, Purdue University, and the Hong Kong Metropolitan University. His current research explores the application of artificial intelligence in building performance analysis. Emmanuel joined UPDA to initiate developmental programs and strengthen collaborative engagements among postdocs within the association.

Thankhoe Rants'O

Co-Chair of Professional Development
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Thankhoeis a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Co-Investigator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. His research focuses on cancer metastasis, the principal cause of cancer-related death. His studies aim to identify the molecular mechanisms that drive solid tumor (mainly liver cancer) metastasis and druggable bottlenecks, especially protein kinases, in such cell signaling cascades. His research interests include cancer biology and pharmacology, mass spectrometry-based cancer proteomics, and cancer cell signaling with specific focus on solid cancer metastasis and resistance. He joined UPDA board with a passion to contribute to the postdoctoral professional career development.  

Rhiannon Cowan

Advocacy Chair
Department of Neurosurgery

Rhiannon Cowan is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Utah, where she conducts research in the Neurosmiths Lab. As an international postdoc, Rhiannon is passionate about creating inclusive and impactful opportunities for fellow postdoctoral researchers. She actively advocates for postdoc success, with a focus on outreach, community-building, and professional development across the university.

Ashwini Sri Hari

Board member and Former-Senior Chair
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Ashwini is a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Anticonvulsant Drug Development (ADD) Program and the Metcalf lab under the mentorships of Drs. Karen Wilcox and Cameron Metcalf in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Ashwini earned her doctoral degree in Toxicology (neuroscience) from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical campus. Her research focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of catastrophic childhood epilepsies like Dravet Syndrome in order to uncover new druggable targets. Ashwini joined the UPDA to help enrich the Postdoc experience at the U by fostering community interactions, and creating opportunities to grow on both a professional and personal level.

Amy Barrios

Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs
University of Utah Graduate School
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
University of Utah College of Pharmacy

Prof. Barrios earned her PhD in Inorganic  Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and she served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of San Francisco. She joined the University of Utah in 2007 from a previous faculty appointment at the University of Southern California. Dr. Barrios maintains an active NIH-funded research program centered upon the development of novel chemical probes to elucidate the efficacy of new pharmaceutical approaches to the treatment of cancer and other human diseases. Prof. Barrios was awarded the University of Utah Presidential Scholar Award in 2016 and served as the Co-Director of the Medical School’s Women in Health, Medicine, and Science Program from 2015 to 2019. At University commencement in May 2019, Prof. Barrios received the University of Utah Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentor award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to graduate and postdoctoral education.

Neil Vander Most

Associate Director of Postdoctoral Affairs
University of Utah Graduate School

Dr. Vander Most earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. He joined the University of Utah in 2018 as a Learning Specialist with the School of Medicine before transferring to the Graduate School. His research interests include Dutch & Belgian politics, as well as the dynamics of migrant integration into liberal democracies. Dr. Vander Most has over eight years of experience creating programming & policies for graduate and postdoctoral learners in various contexts.