​Postdoctoral Researcher
Vollum Institute

Saul Bello Rojas, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Kelly Monk's Lab in the Vollum Institute. Saul received his BA in neuroscience from Lake Forest College. He worked at Northwestern University under David McLean, mapping motor neuron innervation in zebrafish. He completed his Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2024 at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His graduate research focused on studying the developmental and connectivity patterns of the larval zebrafish spinal cord, specifically the role of clonal relationships during development in defining spinal circuits. As a postdoc, Saul will continue to further advance his molecular repertoire by learning the genetic and cellular techniques utilized in the lab.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine

Daniel A. Lopez is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Bonnie Nagel’s Developmental Brain Imaging Lab in the Department of Psychiatry and an IRACDA at OHSU scholar. Daniel completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of California-Los Angeles. He holds a master’s degree in public health from the City University of New York and a Master of Arts from Stanford University. He completed his Ph.D. in Epidemiology in 2023 at the University of Rochester. Prior to joining the Epidemiology PhD program, he worked with the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. His graduate research focused on reward processing and cognitive development in adolescents. As a postdoc, Daniel will continue his work analyzing longitudinal trajectories of cognitive development in adolescents. 

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine

Hatun Duran Cete is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr Pepper Schedin’s laboratory in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, and an IRACDA at OHSU scholar. She received her MD degree from Dicle University, School of Medicine in Diyarbakir, Turkey. She completed her pediatric surgery residency at the Pediatric Surgery Department of Dicle University, School of Medicine. In her postdoctoral work, Hatun will focus on studying the metastatic environment within the liver that facilitates breast cancer establishment in postpartum women. She will utilize mouse models of postpartum breast cancer to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Prior to her postdoc, Hatun has been studying the immune infiltrate of the postpartum liver, with the ultimate goal of identifying an immune-based therapy targeted to the liver metastatic niche.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Integrative Biosciences, School of Dentistry

Islam Abdelhalim Abdelaziz Ali is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Hui Wu’s laboratory in the Department of Integrative Biosciences, School of Dentistry. He holds a master’s degree in Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics (2016) at Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Egypt. He completed his Ph.D. in Endodontology (2021) at Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Islam’s graduate research focused on studying the quorum-sensing (QS) phenomenon in the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis, and investigating the antibiofilm and anti-QS effects of a phytochemical against this bacterium. In his post-doc work, Islam will focus on exploring the effect of small molecules on microorganisms involved in the pathogenesis of dental root canal infections and polymicrobial interactions in these infections.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology 

Teketay Wassie is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Fikadu Tafesse’s laboratory in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. He received his Ph.D. from Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China in genetics, breeding, and reproduction. His graduate research focused on developing a recombinant bivalent DNA vaccine that expresses a fusion peptide composed of the Orf virus envelope gene (B2L) and Kisspeptin-54 and evaluating its immunogenicity against ORFV and fertility. As a postdoc, Teketay will investigate how antibody-mediated immunity is elicited by vaccines and natural infections.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Neurology 

Carla da Silva Batista holds a Ph.D. and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of São Paulo in Movement Sciences with a background in exercise physiology and Parkinson’s disease. Her graduate research focused on improving clinical outcomes (e.g., motor signs, mobility, and cognition) in individuals with Parkinson’s disease by investigating the pathophysiology of these clinical outcomes and improving them with exercise interventions with high sensorimotor demand. As a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Balance Disorders Laboratory at the Department of Neurology, Carla’s research will focus on using news rehabilitation strategies to improve neurophysiological mechanisms that can be predictors of disease progression. Under Dr. Mancini mentorship, Carla will investigate if vibrotactile feedback can restore loss of spinal mechanisms in people with Parkinson’s disease and start hesitation. Her long-term goals are to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to investigate the use of news rehabilitation strategies with high sensorimotor integration in improving neurophysiological mechanisms that can be predictors of disease progression with the goal of preventing falls as a principal investigator.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Immunology

Alexis Gibson is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Isabella Rauch in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Immunology. She received her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. During her graduate work in the lab of Boris Striepen, Alexis studied the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium and how its epithelial host cell responds to infection. Now at OHSU, her post-doc work will focus on innate pathogen recognition in intestinal epithelial cells through inflammasomes and the impact of extrusion and cell death in infection and chronic disease. 

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Restorative Dentistry 

Mauricio Gonçalves da Costa Sousa is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Luiz Bertassoni laboratory at the School of Dentistry. He received his BSE in dentistry (2014) at the Catholic University of Brasilia, a Master’s in health sciences (2017) at the University of Brasilia, and a Ph.D. in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology at Catholic University of Brasilia. His graduate research focused on developing a new antibiofilm and immunomodulatory nanofibrous scaffold loaded with host defense peptides to regenerate the dental pulp tissue. As a postdoc, Mauricio will develop a smart bioprinted hydrogel loaded with host defense peptides and bone marrow stem cells to reconstruct the bone tissue.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences

Joshua Gonzalez is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Nicole Bowles and Dr. Steven Shea at the Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences. He received his PhD from Michigan Technological University in integrative physiology with a background in autonomic cardiovascular control. His graduate research focused on how short-term fasting influences autonomic balance and the acute influence of e-cigarettes on arterial pressure and peripheral sympathetic activity in humans.  As a postdoc, Josh’s research will focus on sleep and circadian physiology and how they contribute to disparities in hypertension. Under Dr. Bowles mentorship, Josh will study how one’s socio-cultural context may augment how an individual processes stress and the concomitant impact on sleep. His long-term goals are to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to investigate the intersectional impact of circadian rhythms, race, sleep, and nicotine usage on hypertension and autonomic dysfunction as a principal investigator.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Vollum Institute 

Alejandra Fernandez is a postdoctoral researcher at the Vollum Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in molecular medicine from the George Washington University (2018). Throughout her career, Alejandra has focused on the intersection of metabolism, gene regulation and circuit development. She is currently studying the effects of altered signaling of a mayor nutrient pathway, the PI3K-PTEN-mTOR network, in the development of the peripheral nervous system in Dr. Kevin Wright’s laboratory.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Behavioral Neuroscience 

Robert Hermosillo holds bachelor's and master's degrees in neurophysiology from the University of Oregon, and a Ph.D. in systems neuroscience from the University of British Columbia (2015). He held a Postdoctoral fellowship in speech and hearing sciences, investigating speech motor disorders at the University of Washington in Seattle with Dr. Ludo Max. He uses a combination of machine learning algorithms, genetics and state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques to look at brain networks and classify neuropsychiatric disorders. Robert’s background is in computational neuroscience, investigating how the organic circuitry of the brain is able to perform computations that humans can use to control their limbs in a coordinated manner. Currently, his research aim is to be able to find patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or genes that result in aberrant developmental brain circuits in neuropathological disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Robert is involved with the OHSU Post-doctoral Association and the Alliance for Visible Diversity in Science. 

Postdoctoral Fellow
Vollum Institute 

Ernesto Manzo is currently working in the laboratory of Dr. Marc Freeman, researching the cellular mechanisms that control axon degeneration. His research uses the fruit fly as a model organism to better understand how neurons either survive or degenerate in response to genetic insults. As an undergraduate at Swarthmore College, he became fascinated by how genetic alterations cause human disease. In 2010, he sought out an internship at the Clinic for Special Children, where he studied genetic diseases in the Amish and Mennonite Plain populations under Dr. Erik G. Puffenberger. He received his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona (2019) where he studied metabolic defects implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the laboratory of Dr. Daniela C. Zarnescu. Ernesto is a former HHMI predoctoral Gilliam Fellow with an interest in breaking down institutional barriers for traditionally underrepresented students in higher education. 

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology 

Benjamin Sarno is a postdoctoral researcher currently working in Dr. Gordon Mills’ lab in the Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology. He received his PhD from the University of California San Diego in Chemical and Bioengineering with a background in cancer diagnostics. His  =work is focused in liquid biopsy technologies for cancer therapeutics and condition monitoring. Ben is currently developing a translational technology to interrogate blood plasma from triple negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients to identify key biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapy monitoring. He is also leading an exploratory effort to define potential bacterial biomarkers from opportunistic cultures found in tumor necrotic regions. In addition to his laboratory research, Ben is also passionate about challenging preconceived notions about who and what makes a “scientist” and breaking down barriers to create more ethical and diverse workspaces.