Prairie View A&M Teaching Mentors
Department of Biology
Dr. Lori Banks
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: My lab is focused on the preclinical development of antiviral drug targets for the treatment of rotavirus disease. We are currently working on developing target sites on factors that drive pathogenesis and/or virus replication. We plan to use this information for rational drug design efforts to hopefully shorten the length of the disease or to decrease the disease burden of affected patients.
Dr. Victoria Mgbemena
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: Cancers are preceded by mutations or changes in normal functioning genes which are important for maintaining a balance within the body. Genes identified previously as tumor suppressors include BRCA genes like BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2, which are important for suppressing cancer through their involvement in DNA repair pathways. Some of these mutations are germline (inherited) and have been shown to correlate with an increased risk of developing certain types of cancers. Mutations in these genes are prominently known for the role they play in breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Still unclear is the precise impact of rare or unknown variants in the tumor niche of reproductive cancers and their effect on function of tissues such as the prostate, ovaries, uterus and cervix. Further, there exists stark health disparities with regards to tumor aggressiveness and expression of variants or genes associated with refractoriness. The group of the Principal Investigator (PI) will investigate the role of DNA repair mutations in the development, maintenance and proliferation of cancer cells. The expected outcome of this research will be to observe differences in the signaling and gene expression of cervical and prostate cells possessing under-characterized or unknown mutations.
Dr. Charcacia Sanders
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: My research focuses on the design and synthesis of innovative electro-active molecules and molecular cables with the aim of creating practical molecular devices for applications in the burgeoning field of nanotechnology. These molecules are envisioned to serve as integral components of next-generation nanoscale devices, with potential applications in areas such as sensors, data storage, and energy harvesting. Furthermore, I am committed to exploring the intersection of nanotechnology and biomaterial applications. My work involves the development of bioactive organic compounds through modern synthetic methods, allowing us to engineer molecules with specific biological properties. I utilize various chromatographic techniques for the purification of these products to ensure their purity and efficacy. In addition to synthesis and purification, my research involves the structural assignment of these compounds, which is crucial for understanding their mechanisms of action. This knowledge facilitates the design of more potent and targeted bioactive molecules.
Ultimately, my research has broader implications for advancing both nanotechnology and biomaterials, offering innovative solutions to complex challenges in these fields. By pushing the boundaries of molecular design and synthesis, I aim to contribute to the development of novel materials and technologies that can revolutionize various industries and improve the quality of life.
Department of Chemistry
Dr. Sameh Abdelwahed
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: As an educator and mentor in Organic Chemistry, I focus on fostering critical thinking, hands-on research experience, and interdisciplinary learning. I guide students at both undergraduate and graduate levels, encouraging them to engage with complex scientific concepts while developing essential research skills. My mentorship emphasizes providing students opportunities to explore innovative projects and present their findings in academic settings.
In addition to individual mentoring, I organize workshops on laboratory techniques and NMR spectroscopy, helping students connect theoretical knowledge with practical skills. My involvement in interdisciplinary research initiatives further strengthens my ability to create diverse research opportunities for students. I integrate my research on heterocyclic organic compounds and charge delocalization into teaching, ensuring students understand the real-world applications of their studies.
My goal is to inspire curiosity and creativity in students, guiding them to explore their potential and contribute meaningfully to the scientific community
Dr. Gina Chiarella
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: My research is currently focused on the preparation of environmentally friendly copper, iron, nickel, zinc and cobalt metal complexes containing L-histidine and carbonyl groups as aldehydes and ketones to mimicking enzyme active sites, study of their catalytic and optical properties. In addition, I focus on the synthetic procedure involves the use of microwave techniques, characterization of new compounds and explorations of potential applications of known and new complexes in this classification.I expect to extend the research field to other amino acids.
Dr. Harshica Fernando
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: Research in my laboratory is focused in two different areas. We work with environmental contaminants, namely polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons, pesticides and investigate the presence of sterols in food. These studies are carried out using advanced instrumentation or assays to quantify the presence of these compounds. We use fluorescence-based methods in the identification of these compounds as a group with the aim of developing field-based assays. In addition, research is being carried out in the synthesis and characterization of green nanoparticles and applying these in environmental remediation.
Dr. Yunxiang Gao
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: At PVAMU, I lead four major research projects: 1. Novel Liquid Crystalline Elastomers (LCEs): Developing LCEs with enhanced structural properties for both biomedical tissue scaffolding and engineering applications like ultrafast photo-actuation in soft robotics. Sub-projects are ongoing with collaborations for potential funding from NASA, NIH, and NSF. 2. Sustainable Agriculture Nanocomposites: Creating multi-functional hydrogel nanocomposites with crosslinked carbon nanotubes for improved fertilizer efficiency and drought resistance. This work is supported by a $500K grant from USDA, where I serve as the Principal Investigator (PI). 3. CO2 Capture Nanocomposites: Collaborating on a project aimed at carbon capture and sequestration in agricultural fields, utilizing modified carbon nanotube structures. This project received a $2.6M grant from Shell, with me as a major co-PI responsible for material synthesis. 4. Graphene and Graphene nanobuds for Energy Applications: Extending prior research on graphene’s electro-catalytic activities, focusing on the enhanced edge activities compared to the basal plane. A related paper was published in the Journal of Chemical Physics in 2020, and a DOE grant ($750K) to support this direction starts in Fall, 2023.
Dr. Marco Giles
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: My research interests include Organic Polymer synthesis. I am working on multiple projects involving biomaterials comprised of branched polymers from biocompatible or natural products. Specifically, dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers coated with the amino acid N-acetylcysteine to enable the chelation of toxic heavy metals as well as silver to generate agents for water purification and antimicrobial materials, respectively.
Dr. Matthew Minus
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: The earth is currently being polluted with millions of tons of plastic waste annually. Plastic waste in particular, has garnered attention due to its high thermal stability and low biodegradability. As a result, the scientific community has put considerable effort into remediating plastic pollution, and creating a new generation of soft materials that are environmentally sustainable. One strategy for creating more sustainable plastics is creating soft materials that can be recycled in a “closed-loop”, making a net zero chemical impact on the environment. Herein we report acyl polhydrazones as a new class of soft materials that can be degraded under specific conditions, giving these materials “closed loop” potential. We demonstrate materials synthesis from both diketone and dialdehyde monomers. We show methods of both solid and solution state characterization. We demonstrate the diverse thermal properties of these compounds along with the mild chemical conditions needed for polymer degradation. We explore the insulative and luminescent properties of these materials. The properties of acylpolyhydrazone soft materials were shown to be sensitive to the monomers incorporated, suggesting that materials with acyl polyhydrazone backbones are tunable. In addition, polymers can be degraded through the introduction of terminal hydrazides.
Dr. Gururaj Neelgund
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: My primary area of research is the design and development of fascinating nanomaterials for cancer therapy and water purification applications. The classical therapeutic modalities used in cancer treatment, like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, have several disadvantages. Therefore, the gentle alternative for these classical modalities is the advanced therapeutic approach, photothermal therapy (PTT). PTT is a recently invented innovative method that kills cancer cells in a precise and selective manner. In PTT, the cancer cells are destructed by elevating their inside temperature beyond 50 °C as they can survive below 50 °C. So, we are involved in developing captivating nanomaterials-based photothermal agents for PTT. I have developed a novel class of multimode photothermal agents that could produce temperatures beyond 60 °C. This temperature level is much higher than the survival temperature of cancer cells. Another area of my research is water purification as water is crucial to life on Earth. In general, water affects all facets of our lives directly or indirectly. Without water, there would be no vegetation on land and no oxygen for animals to breathe, and the planet would look entirely different than it does today. Water is necessary to keep people's bodies and the environment healthy and should be valued and protected as the precious resource it is. So, recycling polluted wastewater for further use is the primary requirement to protect other water sources and the environment. With this emphasis, we are developing pioneering nanomaterials to remove toxic dyes and heavy metals from water. Our nanomaterials could remove the lethal heavy metals, mercury, chromium, cadmium, lead, and arsenic from water through adsorption. We also successfully removed carcinogenic dyes, alizarin yellow R, alizarin red s methyl orange, methylene blue, and rhodamine B from water.
Department of Mathematics
Dr. Indika Wickramasinghe
Assistant Professor
Research Statement: My research focus is mainly on three areas. One of the areas I am working on is the Saddlepoint approximation in Statistics, primarily a technique to approximate unknown density using the moments. My second interest is in the applications of Machine Learning and data analytics. Finally, I am also interested in Mathematics education. I have published several research papers in the above areas and presented at research conferences. In addition, I have successfully obtained a couple of external grants as well. Since I joined PVAMU, I have mentored several students with their research projects in these three areas.