Graeme Conn, PhD
Professor
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Graeme received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and followed this with postdoctoral research as a Wellcome Trust International Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Graeme was a faculty member at UMIST/The University of Manchester, UK, from 2000 and joined the Department of Biochemistry at Emory in 2008.
Dr. Conn's School of Medicine Faculty Profile
Professor
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Graeme received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and followed this with postdoctoral research as a Wellcome Trust International Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Graeme was a faculty member at UMIST/The University of Manchester, UK, from 2000 and joined the Department of Biochemistry at Emory in 2008.
Dr. Conn's School of Medicine Faculty Profile
Debayan Dey, PhD
Assistant Professor
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Debayan received his Bachelors degree in Physics and Masters degree in Biophysics from Calcutta University, India. He received his Ph.D. in Crystallography and Structural biology from Physics Department of Indian Institute of Science in 2016. After a short postdoctoral work at Indian Institute of Science and Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, India, he joined the Conn lab in June 2017. Deb was supported by a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation postdoctoral fellowship for his work on the P. aeruginosa lysine trimethyltransferase EftM and is continuing this work in parallel with studies of antibiotic resistance arising through rRNA methylation and drug efflux.
Assistant Professor
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Debayan received his Bachelors degree in Physics and Masters degree in Biophysics from Calcutta University, India. He received his Ph.D. in Crystallography and Structural biology from Physics Department of Indian Institute of Science in 2016. After a short postdoctoral work at Indian Institute of Science and Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, India, he joined the Conn lab in June 2017. Deb was supported by a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation postdoctoral fellowship for his work on the P. aeruginosa lysine trimethyltransferase EftM and is continuing this work in parallel with studies of antibiotic resistance arising through rRNA methylation and drug efflux.
Enoch Ayamga
Graduate Student, BCDB Program
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Graduate Student, BCDB Program
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Enoch obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana in 2017. He then pursued a Master’s degree in Agricultural and Environmental Systems from North Carolina A&T State University, where he investigated the effects of plant natural compounds on triple-negative breast cancer. He entered the Biochemistry, Cell, and Developmental Biology Program at Emory University in Fall of 2022 and joined the Conn lab in March 2023. Enoch’s thesis research will focus on the activation of OAS1 by double-stranded RNAs, with the aim of unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in this process.
Mohamed Barmada (he/his)
Graduate Student, BCDB Program
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Mohamed received his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. He joined the Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology Graduate Program at Emory in Fall 2022 and later joined the Conn Lab in March 2023. He is currently working on characterizing the properties and functions of intrinsic ribosomal methyltransferases and their association with the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance in bacteria.
Graduate Student, BCDB Program
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Mohamed received his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. He joined the Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology Graduate Program at Emory in Fall 2022 and later joined the Conn Lab in March 2023. He is currently working on characterizing the properties and functions of intrinsic ribosomal methyltransferases and their association with the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance in bacteria.
Sada Boyd-Vorsah, PhD (she/her)
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Sada earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bennett College and her Ph.D. from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University studying the evolution of metal resistance in bacteria. Sada next completed post-doctoral research at the University of California Los Angeles where she focused on microbial evolution, specifically exploring the evolution of multiple stressor interactions in bacteria. Sada’s current research focuses on mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, with the long-term goal of investigating the causes and consequences of bacterial evolution to antimicrobial treatments to to contribute to the development of more sustainable antimicrobial therapies.
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Sada earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bennett College and her Ph.D. from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University studying the evolution of metal resistance in bacteria. Sada next completed post-doctoral research at the University of California Los Angeles where she focused on microbial evolution, specifically exploring the evolution of multiple stressor interactions in bacteria. Sada’s current research focuses on mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, with the long-term goal of investigating the causes and consequences of bacterial evolution to antimicrobial treatments to to contribute to the development of more sustainable antimicrobial therapies.
Mina Henes
Graduate Student, MSTP/ BCDB Program
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Mina completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2018, where he investigated antiviral resistance mechanisms. He joined Emory’s MD/PhD Program in 2020 and after completing the first phase of medical training, joined the BCDB program in 2023. His research in the Conn lab aims to blend computational (e.g. advanced molecular dynamics simulations) with experimental biochemistry, microbiology, and structural biology to deepen our understanding of molecular mechanisms underpinning bacterial resistance to antibiotic treatments.
Graduate Student, MSTP/ BCDB Program
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Mina completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2018, where he investigated antiviral resistance mechanisms. He joined Emory’s MD/PhD Program in 2020 and after completing the first phase of medical training, joined the BCDB program in 2023. His research in the Conn lab aims to blend computational (e.g. advanced molecular dynamics simulations) with experimental biochemistry, microbiology, and structural biology to deepen our understanding of molecular mechanisms underpinning bacterial resistance to antibiotic treatments.
Logan Kavanaugh
Graduate Student, MMG Program
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Logan received her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Biology with a specialization in Microbiology and Bioinformatics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She joined the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) Program at Emory University in Fall 2019. Logan’s research interests include evolution of antibiotic resistance and therapeutic development. She joined the Conn Lab in March 2020 where her NIH/ NIGMS F31-supported thesis research will focus on the discrimination between substrates and non-substrates by efflux pumps that contribute to antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria.
Graduate Student, MMG Program
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Logan received her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Biology with a specialization in Microbiology and Bioinformatics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She joined the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) Program at Emory University in Fall 2019. Logan’s research interests include evolution of antibiotic resistance and therapeutic development. She joined the Conn Lab in March 2020 where her NIH/ NIGMS F31-supported thesis research will focus on the discrimination between substrates and non-substrates by efflux pumps that contribute to antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria.
Suparno Nandi, PhD (he/his)
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Suparno received his M.Sc. in Biotechnology from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, India, in 2013. After working as a research fellow at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, he joined the Chemistry graduate program at the University of Iowa in 2015. He earned his Ph.D. in 2020 and then joined the Conn lab in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow, where his goal is to understand the antibiotic resistance mechanism of rRNA methyltransferase enzymes.
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Suparno received his M.Sc. in Biotechnology from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, India, in 2013. After working as a research fellow at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, he joined the Chemistry graduate program at the University of Iowa in 2015. He earned his Ph.D. in 2020 and then joined the Conn lab in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow, where his goal is to understand the antibiotic resistance mechanism of rRNA methyltransferase enzymes.
Alejandro Oviedo (he/his)
Graduate Student, BCDB Program
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Alejandro received his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Biochemistry from Texas State University and was part of the South Texas Doctoral Bridge Program. He joined the Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology Program at Emory University in Fall 2020.Alejandro is interested in structural biology and biochemistry. He joined the Conn lab in May 2021 where his thesis research will focus on the structure and mechanism of OAS1/3 activation by cellular and viral non-coding dsRNA.
Graduate Student, BCDB Program
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Alejandro received his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Biochemistry from Texas State University and was part of the South Texas Doctoral Bridge Program. He joined the Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology Program at Emory University in Fall 2020.Alejandro is interested in structural biology and biochemistry. He joined the Conn lab in May 2021 where his thesis research will focus on the structure and mechanism of OAS1/3 activation by cellular and viral non-coding dsRNA.
Natalia Zelinskaya, PhD
Associate Scientist
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Natalia received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at Moscow State University, Russia. She continued as a research scientist at the Institute of Protein Research, Pushchino, Russia, Natalia and was a Royal Society visiting researcher at the University of Reading, UK, and Royal Society/ NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Sheffield, UK. In 2008 Natalia became the first Conn lab member at Emory. Her research focuses on antibiotic-resistance rRNA methyltransferases.
Alex Vasilakopoulos
Undergraduate researcher
Alex is an Emory undergraduate student from New York who is double majoring in Chemistry and French. He has been a member of the Conn Lab since August 2022 where he has been working closely with Alejandro. Alex has collaborated on projects focused on the OAS1 protein, examining the effect of both nucleotide identity and secondary structures on OAS1 activation, as well as the mechanism of activation by viral RNA. He hopes to continue exploring scientific research, with a goal of working as a pediatric infectious disease specialist in the future.
Undergraduate researcher
Alex is an Emory undergraduate student from New York who is double majoring in Chemistry and French. He has been a member of the Conn Lab since August 2022 where he has been working closely with Alejandro. Alex has collaborated on projects focused on the OAS1 protein, examining the effect of both nucleotide identity and secondary structures on OAS1 activation, as well as the mechanism of activation by viral RNA. He hopes to continue exploring scientific research, with a goal of working as a pediatric infectious disease specialist in the future.