Graduate Trainees
Hadil Al Muhisen, MS
Doctoral Student since 2018
Hadil Al Muhisen is from Alahsa, Saudi Arabia. In 2013, she received her Bachelors in Chemistry from the College of Science at King Faisal University. She worked for a year at Wyeth Nutrition (now Nestle Global). She studied English as a second language at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015 and had toxicology training at the Regional Poison Control Center, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in 2016. She earned her MS degree at Texas A&M University in Toxicology in Dr. Rajesh Miranda’s laboratory, where her thesis was “Sex Differences in Fetal Neural Stem Cells’ Response to Ethanol” in 2018. She is now working toward her doctorate with Dr. Tracy Clement in reproductive biology and toxicology, focusing on factors affecting male fertility and spermatogenesis. Al Muhisen has been a member of the Society of Toxicology since 2018 and has presented in SOT two times. She is the principal founder of the Arab Toxicologists Association (ATA), a special interest group within the SOT in 2019. She is also a member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), Saudi Toxicology Society (STS), American College of Toxicology (ACT), and American Society of Andrology (ASA). She mentored and trained three undergraduate students in laboratory skills during her graduate studies, in recording experiment notes, tissue preparation and sectioning, and histology assessment.
Ashli Brown
Doctoral Student since 2019
Ashli A. Brown is a first-generation college graduate from Atlanta, GA. She received her B.S. in Forensic Science from Albany State University, where she was introduced to the world of research. Her first research experience was at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Emergency Response Branch. Ashli’s independent project included three ruggedness tests on method optimization for the detection of organophosphorous nerve agents in urine, serum, mitra-multisampling devices, and dried blood spots using the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Her commendable efforts earned her a co-authorship on a scientific manuscript published in Analytica Chimica Acta. In 2018, Ashli completed a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Iowa to further her research experience and become a competitive applicant for highly-ranked graduate programs in biomedical science. There, Ashli analyzed molecular genetic risk factors and environmental exposures of major structural birth defects in the Department of Epidemiology, Interdisciplinary Human Toxicology. Her independent project analyzed different DNA extraction methods to optimize processing times and maximize DNA yields of residual newborn blood spots. Ashli is a past Texas A&M OGAPS fellow, and a toxicology PhD student, conducting research with Dr. Tim Herrman at the Office of the Texas State Chemist. Her research focuses on fumonisin and its impact on animal health in multiple species using the meta-analysis and benchmark dose approach.
Ruifeng Chen
Doctoral Student since 2021
Ruifeng Chen is from China where he worked at the University of Science & Technology of China on Calcium imaging. His previous work is about the relationship between the striatum and certain behaviors such as running, grooming or seeking of mice. Now he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Dr. Jun Wang’s lab. His research focuses on alcohol abuse and striatum, applying fiber photometry. He likes biking and swimming in his free time.
Alexandra Cordova
Doctoral Student since 2019
Alexandra “Alex” Cordova is from Frisco, Texas and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2018 with a BS in Chemistry and a BBA in Finance. She then spent a year conducting research on copper-directed carbon-hydrogen hydroxylations and cyclizations. Currently, she is a PhD student in the Toxicology program in Dr. Rusyn’s laboratory, where she is conducting forensic fingerprinting of complex petroleum substances using novel analytical methods. Alexandra is a past predoctoral fellow on the Texas A&M University Regulatory Science in Environmental Health and Toxicology Training Grant (T32 ES026568). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out, watching baseball, and photography.
Amon Cox
Doctoral Student since 2020
Amon Cox was born in Newport, Rhode Island and grew up across the US with his military family, graduating from Texas A&M in 2020 with a BS in Public Health and a shiny gold ring. As a member of Dr. Jayaraman’s lab, he studies the fate of BPA and BPS in intestinal bacterial cultures to understand how these microbiota mediate the activity of dietary xenoestrogens like bisphenols. Amon is a past predoctoral fellow on the Texas A&M University Regulatory Science in Environmental Health and Toxicology Training Grant (T32 ES026568). In his free time, Amon enjoys live comedy, losing at board games, and getting a laugh out of his lab mates.
Kaylyn Dinh
Doctoral Student since 2022
Kaylyn Dinh is an IDP merit fellow from Corpus Christi, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Biochemistry and a minor in Bioinformatics. During her undergraduate career, she completed the LAUNCH Undergraduate Research Scholars program and culminated a thesis regarding PFAS exposure in breast milk. She is currently an Environmental Health Sciences Intern at ICF where she is working on multiple projects involving organohalogen flame retardants, Next 20 chemicals, and PFOA/PFOS, and will continue to work with the consulting firm throughout her doctoral studies. Outside of school and work, Kaylyn enjoys going to farmer’s markets, thrift shopping, and spending time in downtown Bryan.
Evan Farkas
Doctoral Student since 2022
Evan Farkas is a first-year graduate student and was born in Houston, Texas but grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He completed his B.S. in Biochemistry at Texas A&M in 2022 and is a loud and proud 2nd generation Aggie. During the course of his undergraduate research career, he focused on the potential of sulfonamides as a novel inhibitor of malate synthase (GlcB) in tuberculosis. Evan is a HEEP Fellow and is currently rotating in Dr. Stephen Safe’s lab. In his spare time, Evan enjoys watching sports, taking care of his dog and snakes, and a variety of outdoor activities like fishing and being mediocre at golf.
Pierre Ferrer
Doctoral Student since 2018
Pierre Ferrer was born in Mexico City, but has lived the majority of his life in Texas. In 2018, he graduated from Trinity University with a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During his undergraduate career, Pierre worked in the Beaudoin electrophysiology lab were the properties of cocaine to physiologically remodel dopaminergic cells are being explored. Currently, Pierre is a PhD student at the Toxicology program at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Dr. Tracy Clement’s lab. He is a past predoctoral fellow supported by the Texas A&M University Regulatory Science in Environmental Health and Toxicology Training Grant (T32 ES026568), and also a past Texas A&M OGAPS fellow. His research interests are molecular models of spermotoxins as well as the use of machine learning and other computational tools for simulating toxicity.
Lucie Ford
Doctoral Student since 2020
View Lucie’s Superfund Research Center video
Lucie Ford is from Moncton, Canada. She received her Bachelors in Biology from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with human hepatocytes and exposure to PFAS chemicals. Lucie is a PhD student and University Merit fellow in Dr. Rusyn’s laboratory. Her PhD research focuses on inter-individual variability in response to environmental chemicals and mixtures. In her free time, she enjoys sailing, skiing, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
Steven J. Jackson, PhD, RDN
Doctoral Student since 2021
Dr. Jackson is a former U.S. Army Medical Service Corps Biochemist/Physiologist (71B), and he recently completed a 5-year assignment as an industry scientist responsible for leading novel food ingredient safety assessments at one of the world’s largest agribusiness firms. Dr. Jackson currently volunteers his time as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, while also studying toward a second doctoral degree in toxicology at Texas A&M University. His research and professional interests include phytochemical mechanistic toxicology, as well as issues of food safety along the supply chain from farm to consumer. Toxicology research is currently being conducted with the kind mentorship of Dr. Timothy Phillips in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences at Texas A&M University.
SuJi Jang
Doctoral Student since 2019
SuJi Jang is from Seoul, South Korea and received her Bachelors in both Applied Chemistry and Information Statistics from the Dongduk Women’s University. During her undergraduate years, she worked at the KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology) Neuroscience Center’s lab where she studied the correlation between visual response and dementia by looking into the visual cortex of Camk2a-Cre mice. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant for two years at the Forensic Toxicology division of the National Forensic Service in South Korea. SuJi is now a third year PhD student working in Dr. Chiu’s lab. In her free time, she enjoys biking, listening to music, doing house chores, and hanging out with friends.
Isaac Juarez
Masters Student since 2022
Isaac Juarez is from the Rio Grande Valley and graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Forensic and Investigate Science. During his time at Texas A&M, he has been a member of the Corps of Cadets and is currently the company commander for N-1. In his undergrad, he began research on the usage of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the forensic identification of hair colorants. He is continuing research on Raman spectroscopy’s toxicological applications within Dr. Kurouski’s lab. Upon graduation, he plans to commission into the U.S. Armed Forces. In his free time, Isaac enjoys working out and studying philosophy.
Olivia Lampe
Doctoral Student since 2022
Olivia Lampe is from Lake Jackson, Texas, and she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BSA in Chemistry in 2022. She is a 1st-year toxicology student on the T-32 training grant, and is currently rotating in Dr. Natalie Johnson’s lab. Her current research is focused on the cleanup and extraction of PFOA and PFOS in cord blood samples. In the future, she will research untargeted approaches to PFAS compounds in human serum. In her free time, Olivia enjoys caring for her houseplants, board games with friends, and teaching her cat that the washing machine is not an eldritch horror.
Alicia Lim
Masters Student since 2021
Alicia Lim was born in Singapore, but grew up in Northern California. She graduated from the University of California, Davis, in 2017 with a BS in Forensic Chemistry and a BA in Japanese. During her time there, she worked at UC Davis’s Olive Center where she analyzed olive oil as part of a larger effort to provide practical solutions and support sustainable growth for the food and agricultural sectors. After graduating, Alicia spent three years as an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan. She is currently in Dr. Rusyn’s lab, and enjoys knitting, karaoke, reading novels, and going to concerts in her free time.
Hsing-Chieh Lin, MS
Doctoral Student since 2021
Hsing-Chieh Lin is from Taiwan. She received her B.S in Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology at Kaohsiung Medical University and M.S. in Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering at National Taiwan University. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant for around three years in the Optimization Modeling and Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment Lab at National University of Tainan, where she conducted research on developing toxicological models to simulate chemicals circulating within organisms and predict toxicities. Currently, she is a PhD student in Dr. Chiu’s lab. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, yoga, working out, and cooking.
En-Hsuan Lu, MS
Doctoral Student since 2021
En-Hsuan Lu is from Taichung, Taiwan. She received her Bachelors in Public Health and Masters in Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, both from National Taiwan University. She has worked as a legislative assistant in Taiwan Congress (Legislative Yuan) and an Environmental Health & Safety engineer in a global technology company after graduation. She is also certified as an Occupational Health Technologist in Taiwan. En-Hsuan will begin her first rotation in Dr. Chiu’s lab in the 2021 Fall semester. She is also a coffee enthusiast. She enjoys staying at an indie coffee shop and relax there in her free time.
Haley Moyer
Doctoral Student since 2020
Haley Moyer is from Waymart, Pennsylvania and is a 2020 graduate of Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Biology-Chemistry and a minor in environmental studies. She participated in a Research and Extension Experience for undergraduates at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the summer of 2019 where she studied the effects of pesticides on monarch butterflies. Currently, she is a PhD student in the Toxicology program and Texas A&M OGAPS fellow in the Rusyn laboratory.
Samera Mulatu
Doctoral Student since 2021
Samera Mulatu is from Savannah, Georgia. She graduated from Georgia Southern University Honors College in May 2020 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Chemistry. During her undergraduate studies she participated in two Research Experience for Undergraduate internships (REUs) funded through the National Sciences Foundation. These internships focused on the development and use of the Eastern Mud Snail as a sentinel species to detect endocrine disruptors in Charleston Harbor. Once Samera graduated, she briefly worked as a QC laboratory assistant for Arboris, LLC before joining Texas A&M. She is currently a PhD student in the Toxicology program, and she will be rotating in Dr. Weston Porter’s and Dr. Natalie Johnson’s labs during her first-year rotations. She is a predoctoral fellow on the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) T32 training program. In her free time, she likes to cook new recipes, travel, and spend time with her dog, Rolo. Samera is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Toriq Mustapha, DVM, MPH
Doctoral Student since 2018
Toriq, a veterinarian from Nigeria, graduated from the University of Ibadan before proceeding to obtain his Masters in Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology at Texas A&M in 2018. His experiences as a veterinarian geared him toward the interest of studying the human, animal and environmental health relations. In the fall of 2018, he joined the Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program in Dr. Natalie Johnson’s lab where his research focuses on early life exposures, its effects on the respiratory system and interplay on the gut lung axis. In the summer of 2021, Toriq completed an internship in the non-clinical safety, discovery and project pathology group at Janssen pharmaceuticals (JnJ). Toriq enjoys traveling, teaching and photography. In his spare time, he continuously expresses himself through the art of photography.”
Aracely Perez Gomez
Doctoral Student since 2019
Aracely A. Perez was born and raised in Mexico, but has lived in Texas since the start of high school. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2019 with a BS in Molecular and Cell Biology with a minor in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate career, she was involved in research with Dr. Suresh D. Pillai and the National Center for Electron Beam Research (NCEBR). Her undergraduate thesis centered on the molecular effects of electron beam irradiation on a variety of E. coli and S. typhimurium strains. During her first year of graduate studies, Aracely received a Texas A&M OGAPS fellowship. She is a doctoral student and member of Dr. Brinkmeyer-Langford’s lab. Her research focuses on how genetic backgrounds, in Collaborative Cross (CC) mice, influence neurological outcomes after being subjected to Theiler’s Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV). Outside of academics, she enjoys attempting to hike, going to concerts, and drinking coffee.
Jennifer Poole
Doctoral Student since 2022
Jennifer Poole is from Burlington, New Jersey. She received her bachelor’s in forensic chemistry from York College of Pennsylvania. While there, she worked on a research project, Application of green chemistry to select forensic spot tests, which was presented at the Undergraduate Research Poster Session at the Spring American Chemical Society Meeting in San Diego (2022). In her spare time, she likes to read, write, and do a variety of crafts such as knitting, latch hooking, cross stitching and diamond art.
Kelly Rathbun
Masters Student since 2020
Kelly Rathbun is a Master’s student in the toxicology program. After completing several terms of active duty in the Military Intelligence Corps of the U.S. Army, she earned a BS degree with an emphasis in biochemistry from The Evergreen State College, while also serving in the U.S. Army Reserves in Olympia, WA. She then spent two years as a quality control lab technician for a major vitamin production company in Arizona. Kelly is most interested in the health of our water and agriculture systems, and their broad impacts on individual body systems and human populations as a whole. She conducts research under the mentorship of Dr. Tim Herrman in the Office of the Texas State Chemist and is currently working on LC-MS/MS methods to identify potential antibiotic residues in commercial biosolid fertilizers.
Kelly Rivenbark
Doctoral Student since 2020
Kelly Rivenbark is from Wilmington, North Carolina and is a 2020 graduate of King University with a BS in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Mathematics. During her time there, she spent two years participating in several research projects in the C. elegans lab. Specifically, she utilized the nematode model to investigate gene-by-environment interactions that can lead to Parkinson’s disease, and investigated the impacts of bisphenol on nematode development. She is a past predoctoral fellow on the Texas A&M University IMSD Training Grant, and a University Merit fellow. Kelly is conducting research in the lab of Dr. Tim Phillips. In her free time, she enjoys painting, spending time with friends, and reading books.
Mariana Saitas
Doctoral Student since 2021
Mariana Saitas is a Texas A&M PhD Toxicology student from Austin, Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Environmental Studies. During her undergraduate career, she interned at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the Toxicology Division as an Environmental Analyst tracking chemicals from Formosa Plastics facilities and air permitting. She has a passion for traveling, reading Sci-Fi novels and eating sushi. In her free time, she likes to run on nature trails and spend time with friends and family.
Alexandra (Alex) Svetlik
Doctoral Student since 2021
Alexandra “Alex” Svetlik is from Georgetown, Texas and graduated from King University in Bristol, Tennessee in 2021. She graduated with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, whilst playing for King University Women’s Soccer Team. During her time at King University she spent two years conducting research with C. elegans. Specifically, she investigated the protective effects of nicotine on the neurodegeneration of C. elegans when exposed to the pesticide mancozeb. Alex is a Texas A&M University HEEP Fellow. In her spare time, Alex likes to watch tv, hang out with friends, and continues to play sports such as, soccer, tennis, and frisbee golf.
Devin Teri
Doctoral Student since 2022
Devin Teri is from Fredericksburg, Virginia. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College, located in Ashland, Virginia, in 2022 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics. At Randolph-Macon, she conducted research on a variety of topics including the effect of CBD oils on cytochrome P450s, CBD oil product concentrations, small ketone interactions with snow surfaces, and De Bruijn sequences. Currently, she is rotating wth Dr. Rusyn’s group as a PhD student. Her project focuses on characterizing petroleum products using various analytical techniques. She is a fellow of the NIGMS IMSD T32 federal training grant. In her free time, she enjoys being in nature, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family.
Han-Hsuan (Doris) Tsai, MS
Doctoral Student since 2021
Doris Tsai is a PhD student in the Toxicology program. She is from Taipei, Taiwan and she received her Bachelors and Masters in Environmental Health from National Taiwan University, and MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University. After graduating, she worked as a researcher in a consulting company of chemical management, Safety and Health Technology Center in Taiwan, to help the industry and governmental sectors to properly manage risks from chemical uses/exposures. Her current project in Dr. Rusyn’s lab is to analyze gene expression of chemical exposure in in vitro models. In her free time, she enjoys biking, Pilates, reading novels, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Yu Xi
Doctoral Student since 2020
Yu Xi is a Ph.D. student in the toxicology program. He comes from Taizhou, China. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Nankai University, China. Then he spent three years as a graduate student in Zhejiang University in molecular and cell biology. Now he is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Peng’s lab where he studies how RNA secondary structure is regulated during blood vessel and lymphatic vessel formation. Yu is also working on Cdc42-regulated signal transduction in response to the environmental factors during heart development. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and playing video games with friends.
Lei (Lydia) Zhang, MS
Doctoral Student since 2020
Lei (Lydia) Zhang is from China. She received her B.S in Nutrition and M.S in Toxicology at Colorado State University. She then worked as a research associate in Peter and Takako Jones lab at University of Nevada, Reno, School of medicine, where investigated the epigenetic mechanisms of Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSDH) regulated by DUX4-FL and/or FRG1 gene expression. Currently, she is a PhD student in Dr. Safe’s lab. Her research focuses on the mechanism of resveratrol compound for NR4A1/NR4A2/NR4A3 as a drug target for multiple cancer models. In her spare time, she likes to play computer games, cook, watch anime, and spend time with her Siamese cat, Sushi. She is a travel enthusiast and has visited many countries and cities.
Postdoctoral Trainees
Danila Cuomo, PhD
Postdoc since 2018
Danila Cuomo received her PhD In Science for Environment and Health from the Università del Sannio in Italy during 2018. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. David Threadgill’s laboratory. Dr. Cuomo’s research is focused on identifying genetic susceptibility loci controlling lead (Pb) distribution and disease responses to early life Pb exposure. Specifically, Dr. Cuomo is interested in how Pb exposure during early life modulates the epigenome to adversely impact subsequent diseases later in life with the goal of identifying biomarkers for those individuals with heightened susceptibility to Pb exposure and intervention studies to reduce the effects of Pb exposure.
Jacob Kvasnicka, PhD
Postdoc since 2022
Jacob is a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Weihsueh Chiu’s lab. In this role, Jacob is working to advance the use of computational methods in human health risk assessment of chemical mixtures. He is also expanding the breadth of his knowledge in computational toxicology and regulatory science. Previously, Jacob conducted research regarding indoor environmental quality at the University of Toronto and developed the Activity-Based Indoor Contaminant Assessment Model (https://abicam.org/). Jacob also enjoys music, cooking, podcasts, and riding his bicycle.
Eva Vitucci, PhD
Postdoc since 2022
Eva Vitucci is from Titusville, FL and is a postdoctoral research associate in Dr. Natalie Johnson’s lab. She received her Ph.D. in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Vitucci’s research focused on developing in vitro models of the human airway and using these models to investigate how exposure to air pollution affects both the directly exposed airway epithelium and the indirectly exposed cells lying below the epithelial layer. Building upon this experience, Dr. Vitucci will investigate how inter-individual differences in children’s airway epithelium enhances their likelihood to develop asthma after exposure to inhaled toxicants and viruses. The overall goal of her research is to improve our understanding of the cellular mechanisms driving air pollution-induced respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Outside of her research interests, she enjoys hiking, running, and enjoying the great outdoors with friends and family.
Meichen Wang, PhD
Postdoc since 2020
View Dr. Wang’s Superfund Research Center video
Meichen Wang earned a Bachelor of Science from Beijing University of Chemical Technology studying Pharmaceutical Engineering and then began researching at Texas A&M University, where she earned a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Toxicology. She is currently a postdoctoral research associate in Dr. Phillips’ laboratory. Dr. Wang’s research is focused on developing therapeutic strategies using broad-acting sorbents to reduce human and animal exposures to environmental chemicals. Specifically, she is interested in investigating the sorption efficacy and safety of carbon- and clay-based mitigants. Dr. Wang enjoys hiking, running, swimming, and traveling in her free time.