People

I graduated in 2019 from New Jersey City University, the school where I gained valuable research experience in Dr. Yufeng Wei biochemistry lab and mentorship in classes from memorable faculty. I joined the des Georges lab to learn more about the amazing ability of cryo-electron microscopy to obtain snapshots of large proteins, such as calcium ion channels, and ultimately obtain high resolution structural models of them. My research focuses on protein-lipid interactions, as they play a major role in membrane protein function. Aside from lab work, I enjoy sports, gaming with friends, and improving my computer science skills.

I graduated with my BS in Biochemistry from Siena College where I researched neurotransmitter protein synaptotagmin I and its relationship with lead poisoning. In 2021, I joined the Gardner Lab and started work on Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR), a xenobiotic sensor involved in dioxin poisoning and cancer. Specifically, I am interested in its ligand and coactivator binding mechanisms and how they work in tandem to produce unique downstream effects. Outside of the lab, I enjoy working out and cooking.

After getting a B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in mathematics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and two years of research at Tulane University, I joined des Georges’ lab in 2018 with a huge enthusiasm in applying the state-of-the-art technique of cryo-EM to solve the mechanisms of macromolecular assembly related to the Central Dogma. My long-term goal is to start my own lab in a research institute, contributing to the elucidation of key pathways related to cellular physiology with biophysical and biochemical tools, and training future students to continue the scientific development. Outside lab, I enjoy basketball, photography and backpacking. CMOS is one of my best friends now, both in the lab, and high in the remote mountains. 

As an undergrad research assistant at UTEP, fluorescently localizing viral-host protein interactions in the cellular pool made me interested in seeing such interactions more directly and in comprehending their novel  effects on cellular processes, such as translation. I got to explore this interest when I spent a summer in Joachim Frank’s cryo-EM ribosome lab in New York City.  Fascinated by the vast scientific community present in the city and Amedee des Georges’s cryo-EM expertise, I joined the ASRC for my graduate studies to learn single-particle cryo-EM. Mastering techniques from such an evolving field has been a very exciting challenge. My goal is to become an independent scientist whose research contributes to the physiological and mechanistic understanding of cellular complexes. 

Originally from Colombia, Liliana graduated with (Bs) in Biological Engineering from National University of Colombia. Liliana Margent moved to New York in 2016 to pursue a career in Biochemistry. In 2021, Liliana graduated with a masters in Biochemistry from Hunter College. She recently joined the Keedy Lab in which she hopes to focus her research in the study of allosteric networks of phosphatases with the use of computational tools.

Tarsisius was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He moved to South Africa where he obtained his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry and Chemistry (University of Fort Hare), an Honours degree in Biochemistry and an M.S in Biochemistry (University of The Free State). During his M.S, he investigated the effect of active site mutations in CYP153A71 on the oxyfunctionalization of short-chain alkanes and aliphatic alcohols. His research interests in the Gardner lab revolve around structure-guided understanding of molecular mechanisms used by bacterial photosensors to regulate their response to environmental cues. Away from the lab, Tarsisius likes to participate in sporting activities, enjoys traveling and exploring new cities as well as hiking.