Dr. Kelly Ruggles
Associate Professor
Kelly has been a faculty member at NYU SoM since 2015 after completing two postdoctoral positions at NYU with Drs. David Fenyo and Scott Braithwaite in computational proteogenomics and mathematical modeling of HIV, respectively. She received her PhD in Metabolic Biology from Columbia University and a BS in Biological Engineering from Cornell University. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running, karaoke and board games.
Sarah Keegan
Research Scientist
Sarah is a staff research scientist with the Ruggles and Fenyo labs. She recently graduated with an MS in Biomedical Informatics from the Vilcek Institute of Biomedical Science. She has collaborated with many labs during her time at NYU and her interests include software development, image analysis/computer vision, statistical modeling and simulations. Outside of work she likes to go for runs in Central Park, listen to music, go to museums, and spend time playing board games with her kids.
Dr. Abhimanyu (Abhi) Amarnani
Rheumatology Fellow
Abhi is a dedicated physician-scientist in rheumatology who is completing his fellowship on the NYU Langone HealthT32 research training program. With PhD training in molecular biology, he also has extensive knowledge in immunology, microscopy, and computational data analysis. Abhi's expertise include short read RNA sequencing differential gene expression and mass-spectrometry based quantitative protein abundance data analysis. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles for college, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University for medical school and graduate school, and the University of Southern California for residency. When he's not in the lab, Abhi enjoys exploring biking through the diverse neighborhoods of New York City, trying out new restaurants, enjoying rooftop views, and rooting for LA sports teams at local pubs..
Tania J. González Robles
PhD Student
Tania is an HHMI Gilliam Fellow and a PhD candidate in Computational Biomedicine and Cell Biology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, co-mentored by Dr. Michele Pagano. She received her BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, where she contributed to the development of cytochrome c nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery strategies in cancer (Griebenow Lab). After graduation, she spent time working at the Molecular Science Research Center in Puerto Rico, where she helped develop nanocellulose composites for bone regeneration (Nicolau Lab). She later joined MIT Biological Engineering and the MIT Koch Institute to help elucidate mechanisms of carcinogenesis (Essigmann Lab), genetics of cancer progression in the lung (Jacks Lab) and therapy resistance in leukemias (Hemann Lab). In the Ruggles Lab, Tania looks forward to leverage molecular biology and computational multi-omics to investigate mechanisms of targeted protein degradation and immunomodulatory molecules. Outside of lab, Tania loves good food, a sunny beach day, and walking with her pups Luna and Nova.
Grant Hussey
PhD Student
Grant is a PhD student in the Systems and Computational Biomedicine training program. As an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they majored in biochemistry and worked at Henzler-Wildman lab developing mathematical simulations of the multidrug efflux protein EmrE. Outside of research, Grant is passionate about urban planning and science communication.
Efiyenia (Fenia) Kaparos
PhD Student
Fenia is a PhD candidate in the Systems & Computational Biomedicine training program. She is from the north suburbs of Chicago and graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2019 with a degree in Biochemistry. Fenia is co-mentored by Dr. David Fenyo and is working on determining LINE-1 retrotransposon expression at the single-cell level. On her free time, Fenia loves reading, traveling, making sure she's up to par with pop culture gossip, eating fruit, and obsessing over Bridgerton.
Jasmine Shwetar
MD/PhD Student
Jasmine is a MSTP student in the Systems and Computational Biomedicine program at NYU. She graduated from Cornell University in 2017 with a degree in Biology, and spent two years at the National Human Genome Research Institute before coming to NYU. She looks forward to using computational approaches to investigate human disease.
Brecca Miller
PhD Student
Brecca is a graduate student in the Computational Biomedicine program at NYU and is co-mentored by Dr. David Beck. She graduated from University of Florida with a major in Biomedical Engineering and worked on studying allele specific expression and computational tool development during this time. Her favorite hobbies are hiking, rock climbing and listening to music.
Dania Annuar
PhD Student
Dania is a graduate student in the Computational Biomedicine program at NYU and is co-mentored by Dr. Eva Hernando. She received her bachelor's degree from UC San Diego majoring in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and earned her Masters in Biomedical Informatics at NYU. Outside of the lab, she enjoys good food, running and traveling.
Matthew Muller
PhD Student
Matthew is currently a PhD student in the Tandon Biomedical Engineering program and is co-mentored by Dr. Jeffrey Berger. He graduated from Reed College with a BA in Chemistry. After graduation he worked at Oregon Health and Sciences University, studying mechanisms underlying aortic valve disease and therapeutic uses of ultrasound. Aside from research, Matthew enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and table tennis in his free time.
Joseph Daccache
PhD Student
Joe is a PhD student in the Naik and Ruggles lab. He is interested in Immunology and Computational Biology. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2020 with a degree in Economics. Since graduating, he investigated functional genomics in cardiometabaolic diseases with Boehringer Ingelheim and cutaneous disorders in the Damsky Lab at Yale University. Outside of research, Joe’s hobbies include cycling, skiing and hiking.
Max La Forest
PhD Student
Max is a PhD at Tandon in Biomedical Engineering working in the Ruggles and Fisher Labs. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BS in Molecular Biology. After graduation he worked at NYU School of Medicine in Dr. Fisher's atherosclerosis laboratory where he will continue his work examining macrophage responses during weight cycling in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Ali Sahimi
MSTP Student
Ali is a MD/PhD student in the Ruggles and Sulman Labs. He graduated from USC in 2021 with a Bachelor's in Neuroscience and one in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and a Master's in Applied Biostatistics. His interests lies in multi-omics approaches to understanding neurodegenerative and neuro-oncological diseases. Outside of the lab, Ali likes days at the park, good food, and an even better book.
Sandhya Rajkumar
MSTP Student
Sandhya is an MSTP student in the Ruggles and Giannarelli Labs. She graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a degree in Computational and Systems Biology, and spent a year working at UCLA using single-cell omics to study cardiometabolic disease. Her interests lie in integrating multi-omics and clinical data to study cardiovascular disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading and exploring the city.
Paul Sastourné-Haletou
Bioinformatics Programmer
Paul is a bioinformatics programmer in the Ruggles lab. He has a strong passion for science, particularly in the fields of biology, informatics, and space. He graduated from Paul Sabatier University in France with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He then earned a Master of Science in Bioinformatics from the University of Bordeaux. His research journey includes valuable experience at Yale University, focusing on the immunity of planaria stem cells. Outside of the lab, Paul enjoys playing video games, discovering new places in NYC, and surfing.
Maha Kahn
Biology MS Student
Maha is a Fulbright Scholar from Pakistan and a current MS Biology student at NYU. She is co-mentored by Dr. Michele Pagano. She holds an undergraduate degree in Applied Biosciences from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Pakistan, where her research focused on identifying the underlying polymorphisms associated with viral-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, spending time in nature, and exploring new places.
Jonathan Amsalem
Biomedical Informatics MS Student
Jonathan is a biomedical informatics master's student at the Vilcek Institute of Biomedical Sciences, mentored by Dr. Ruggles. With industry experience in software engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Cell Biology, he is excited to apply his expertise to study mitochondrial function in chronic coronary artery disease. His hobbies include exercise, hiking, and eating good food.
Stephen Fatuzzo
Medical Student Researcher
Stephen is a medical student at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He graduated from Pomona College in 2023 with a BA in molecular biology. At Pomona, Stephen used simulation methods to study contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, he worked as an undergraduate research fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where he performed statistical analysis for several clinical research projects. At NYU, Stephen is excited to explore multi-omics in the context of cardiovascular disease. Outside of medical school and research, Stephen enjoys all things outdoors, including rock climbing, running, and backpacking!