People

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    Principal Investigator

    Paul Zhong-Ru Xie

    I am always interested in the research topics of Structural Bioinformatics, especially structure-based drug design. Identifying drug candidates for target proteins, disclosing binding mechanisms, and creating new virtual screening tools are three major goals of our researches. I have abundant experiences in building kinetic models and performing Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulation. This allows me to be able to collaborate with biologists to reveal the molecule mechanism behind the data of health care, biomarker, precision medicine, and disease treatments.

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    PhD Student

    Yifei Wu

    I’m a PhD student in Dr. Paul Xie’s lab. My currnet research topic is about computational drug design. I’ve also got a Ph.D degree of Chemical Engineering and Technology， focusing on synthetic biology in Escherichia.coli for production of pharmaceutically compounds as well as fuels and renewable chemicals.

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    PhD Student

    Lei Lou

    I'm a PhD student in Dr. Xie's team. My undergraduate major is bio-engineering and now I major in electrical and computer engineering. I had experience in microorganism fermentation as well as biological and pathological experiments. My previous research topic is about artificial liver cells and now I’m working on RGC-32 and HIF-2α docking and simulation. Being in our team really benefits me and I really learn so much from the others. I like music and board games. I’m also an electrical enthusiast.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Ebelechukwu Ezenwa

    I am a 4th year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia pursing a major in Cellular Biology and a minor in Spanish. Additionally, I am a pre-medical student, and my goal is to not only practice medicine but to also perform research and become a physician scientist. Though I have had a long-standing love for biological sciences, I have recently become interested in computer science due to a great experience with coding and programming in a cellular biology course. I am intrigued by coding and its potential applications in analytic research, and I hope to be able to contribute useful computational research and tools towards medically pertinent issues.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Lauren Nicole Mullininx

    I’m a third-year student at UGA studying biology with a double minor in philosophy and Japanese. I’ve been interested in biology since I started watching videos on a children’s education website in fifth grade after one of my teachers gave us the username and password (which I still remember), and I’ve been hooked ever since. I think computational modeling has the ability and potential to discover aspects of biology that were previously undiscoverable due to their complexity, so it’s really exciting! I plan on perusing a PhD degree in either computational biology or biochemistry after I graduate. I also enjoy playing tennis, video games, and learning languages in my free time.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Andrew Chishom

    My name is Andrew Chishom and I am a junior biology major at the University of Georgia with hopes of attending medical school. I love the drug design and drug discovery aspect of medicine and I hope research in this field can assist me in my future career goals. In my free time, I love watching sports such as football or baseball and cooking.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Gianluca Mario Ramirez

    I am a third-year undergraduate student at UGA majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. My goal is to become a physician that advances healthcare. By working in the computational drug discovery laboratory, I will become a student with a more diverse skill set that will help me in the medical field. In my free time I enjoy mountain biking, squash, and spending time with my friends and family.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Larraine Mensah

    I am a third year at UGA studying Computer Science. I have always been interested in health sciences and have had hopes of working in a field where I am able to make meaningful contributions to the healthcare industry. Also, accessibility in healthcare is important to me, and it’s my hope that this research will allow me to be a part of a future in which the production costs of drug candidates do not result in them becoming inaccessible to those who need them. In my free time, I enjoy doing yoga and pilates and going for trail walks. I also enjoy studying philosophy.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Juntao Qiu

    I am a sophomore biology student at UGA. I plan to apply for medical school after my undergraduate studies. I believe that medicine is one of the most crucial fields of study for the wellbeing of the human species, and that is why I want to enter medical school. Through my assistance in the research here, I hope to learn about how computer models are used in the biomedical field as well as gauge the general nature of lab research and how it is conducted. My hobbies include choral singing (bass) and video games.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Sai Vikranth Kanthamneni

    I am a second-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. I am intrigued by computers and always look forward expand my knowledge by finding ways for my programming skills to use in new ways. Through this lab, I am hoping to learn more about and help discover the computational methods required for drug discovery and hope to find a career path in bioinformatics in the future. In my free time, I enjoy reading, spending time with my friends, and watching movies.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Isaac Martinez

    I am currently a second-year Computer Science student. I have a deep interest in artificial intelligence and quantum computing because I believe that these technologies, among other applications, will facilitate the development of a cure to illness. I hope that collaborating in the computational drug discovery will help me understand how computer programs accelerate drug research so I can improve current computational models and build new ones using artificial intelligence and quantum computers. In my free time I like to watch shows, listen to music, and hang out with friends.

  • Alumni

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    Undergraduate Student

    Shannon Nicole Stevenson

    Graduated in 2017.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Marisa Stewart

    Graduated in 2017.
    Current student at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry
    Co-author of 1 book chapter

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    Undergraduate Student

    Darby Woodling

    Graduated in 2018.
    Current student at the Medicine School Augusta University
    Co-author of 1 book chapter

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    Undergraduate Student

    Amanda Pham

    Graduated in 2018.
    Current student of the Medicine School PCOM Georgia
    Co-author of 1 book chapter and a paper
    (2017 Spring) CURO Research Assistantship Winner

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    Undergraduate Student

    Jackson Owen Parker

    Received a Bachelor degree in 2018 and a Master's degree in 2020.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Ritesh Kumar

    Graduated in 2018.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Mark Andrew Phillips

    Graduated in 2019.
    Current PhD student of the University of Georgia Integrated Life Sciences Program
    Co-author of 2 book chapters.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Rachel Phillipps

    Graduated in 2019.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Rachel Brown

    Graduated in 2019.

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    Undergraduate Student

    Lindsey Greenfield

    Graduated in 2019.
    (2018 Spring) CURO Research Assistantship Winner

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    Undergraduate Student

    Justin Swaby

    Graduated in 2019.
    (2019 Spring) CURO Research Assistantship Winner
    Co-author of 1 paper

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    Undergraduate Student

    Lauren Marie Wilson

    Received a Bachelor degree in 2019 and a Master's degree in 2021.
    (2019 Spring) CURO Research Assistantship Winner
    Co-author of 1 paper

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    Undergraduate Student

    Dean Barber

    Graduated in 2019.
    (2018 Spring) CURO Research Assistantship Winner

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    Undergraduate Student

    Jung Choi

    Graduated in 2019.
    Co-author of 1 manuscript in preparation

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    Undergraduate Student

    Daniel Go

    Graduated in 2019.
    Co-author of 1 manuscript in preparation

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    Undergraduate Student

    Lorette Edwards

    Graduated in 2020.
    Working for Akesogen
    Co-author of 2 papers
    (2020 Spring) CURO Research Assistantship Winner

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    Undergraduate Student

    Godfrey Hendrix

    Graduated in 2020.
    Received Master's Degree at the Purdue University in 2022
    Co-author of 1 paper

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    Undergraduate Student

    Zeezoo (Cindy) Ryu

    Graduated in 2021.
    Current graduate student at the Virginia Tech
    Co-author of 1 paper

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    Undergraduate Student

    Joshua Christopher

    Graduated in 2021.
    Current student at the Morehouse School of Medicine
    Co-author of 1 paper and 1 manuscript in preparation

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    Undergraduate Student

    Madelyn Hansen

    Graduated in 2021.
    Current student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
    Co-author of 2 papers

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    Undergraduate Student

    Ellison Desrochers

    Graduated in 2022.
    Co-author of 3 papers and a couple of manuscripts in preparation

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    Undergraduate Student

    Edward (Teddy) Starling

    Graduated in 2022.
    Co-author of 2 papers and a couple of manuscripts in preparation

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    Undergraduate Student

    Carson Booth

    Graduated in 2022.
    Co-author of 2 papers and a couple of manuscripts in preparation

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    Undergraduate Student

    Faiyaz Alam

    Graduated in 2022.
    Working for Amazon

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    Undergraduate Student

    Charles Pettigrew

    Graduated in 2022.