Skip to main content

Faculty

Howard Aizenstein MD, PhD
Professor

Our lab uses structural and functional MRI to study the brain changes associated with aging, and the disorders of aging   

Stephen Badylak DVM, MD, PhD
Professor

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, emphasis upon clinical application; cell:biomaterial interactions; epimorphic regeneration in mammals

Christopher Bakkenist PhD
Professor

Identify phosphorylations, dephosphorylations and acetylations that regulate ATM activity in vivo. 

Aaron Batista PhD
Professor

Neurophysiology of sensory-motor coordination, brain-machine interfaces.          

Marlene Behrmann PhD
Professor

Interdisciplinary approach to explore how the signals from the eye are transformed into meaningful percepts by the brain 

Kambez Benam

We apply a multidisciplinary strategy to design and develop biologically and clinically inspired technologies that enable us to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern tissue pathology or offer protection during lung and immune injury.

Robert Binder PhD
Professor

The mechanisms of cross-priming of antigens during immune responses to cancer, viruses and autoimmunity   

Lisa Borghesi PhD
Associate Professor

Demand adapted hematopoiesis in infection and inflammation.   

Jeffrey Brodsky PhD
Professor

Protein “quality control”, diseases associated with misfolded proteins, and drug treatments for these diseases 

Ronald Buckanovich MD, PhD
Professor

Tumor microenvironment, Cancer stem cells, novel therapeutics for cancer 

Timothy Burns MD, PhD
Professor

Development of targeted therapies for KRAS mutant NSCLC; Reactivation of OIS and apoptosis; Mechanisms of acquired resistance to targeted agents       

Carlos Camacho PhD
Associate Professor

Computational drug discovery

Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis PhD
Associate Professor

In the Carvunis lab, we study the molecular mechanisms of change and innovation in evolution.   

Jane Cauley DrPH

Osteoporosis treatment and the consequences of osteoporosis in both men and women.          

Stephen Chan MD, PhD
Professor

Basic science and translational research studying the molecular mechanisms of pulmonary vascular disease and pulmonary hypertension           

Claire Cheetham, PhD
Assistant Professor

Our lab wants to understand how neurons wire together to form the intricate yet adaptable neural circuits that support complex brain functions. We are particularly interested in how newborn neurons form synaptic connections, and how this determines whether a neuron will survive. To answer these questions, we use in vivo 2-photon microscopy to track the structure and function of individual neurons and synapses over time in the living brain, as well as molecular genetic tools, electrophysiology, optogenetics, and behavior.
 

Charleen Chu MD, PhD
Professor

Redox signaling & autophagy in neuroprotection and neurodegeneration; mitochondrial phosphoproteomics; genetic & toxin models of Parkinson's disease   

Marlene Cohen PhD
Assistant Professor

My group studies the way visual information is encoded in groups of neurons and used to guide behavior.     

Keith Cook PhD
Professor

Artificial lungs; hemodynamics, pulmonary drug delivery; liquid ventilation; right ventricular function, critical care medicine           

Marc Coutanche, PhD
Marc Coutanche PhD
Associate Professor

My group studies human memory and perception with neuroimaging, cognitive studies, and advanced analysis methods. We seek to understand how the human brain learns, remembers, and ultimately creates knowledge.

Leonardo DAiuto PhD
Leonardo DAiuto PhD
Research Assistant Professor

Modeling of CNS infections using induced pluripote; Modeling schizophrenia using induced pluripotents; Development of three-dimensional neuronal platform.

Donald DeFranco PhD
Professor

Steroid hormone action in neural stem cells and cancer          

Greg Delgoffe PhD
Professor

The metabolic regulation of T cell function, with a specific focus of those T cells that infiltrate the nutrient-poor tumor microenvironment. 

Neal DeLuca PhD
Associate Professor

HSV gene expression in productive and persistent infections 

Terry Dermody MD
Professor

Research in the Dermody laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms of Mammalian Orthoreovirus (reovirus) and Chikungunya virus infections.

Julie Donohue PhD
Professor

Conducts research in the areas of pharmaceutical policy and mental health, and has particular expertise in the Affordable Care Act.       

Andrew Duncan PhD
Associate Professor

Research in the Duncan lab focuses on liver development, homeostasis, and regeneration.     

Mo Ebrahimkhani, M.D.
Mo Ebrahimkhani MD
Associate Professor

Synthetic Morphogenesis of Human Tissues, Human Organoids, Epigenetic Engineering, Designer Tissues, Blood Development, Synthetic Biology, Systems Biology, Cellular Ecology

James Faeder PhD
Associate Professor

My lab is interested in developing mathematical models of biological regulatory processes that integrate specific knowledge about protein-protein interactions.     

Adam Feinberg PhD
Professor

We develop materials-based, engineering strategies to control the self-organization and assembly of various cell types into tissues using nanoscale fabrication and 3D bioprinting. Understanding of higher-order function in biological systems.   

Robert Ferris MD, PhD
Professor

Mechanisms of immune escape and clinical translation to therapeutic cancer immunotherapy trials   

 Julie Fiez PhD
Professor

Cognitive and educational neuroscience of reading, language, math, and learning.       

Toren Finkel MD, PhD
Professor

aging, metabolism, mitochondria 

JoAnne Flynn, PhD
Co - Director, MSTP

Immunology and Pathogenesis of Tuberculosis.          

Shou-Jiang Gao PhD
Professor

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associate herpesvirus (KSHV), AIDS-related malignancies, Cancer metabolism, Angiogenesis, Innate immunity, Microbiota, microRNAs, Genomics Epigenetics, RNA epigenetics, high-throughput screening (drug and genomic), systems biology

Arjuman Ghaz
Associate Professor

Genetics of aging, reproduction, lipid metabolism, immunity, protein homeostasis, age-related disease biology   

Aryn Gittis PhD
Associate Professor

Neural circuits in the basal ganglia involved in motor control and disease 

Michael Gold, PhD
Professor

Pain continues to be a major health problem with tremendous financial, social and psychological costs. Conservative estimates put the cost of pain to the US economy well into the hundreds of billions of dollars per year as a result of associated medical expenses and lost wages with a significant minority of Americans suffering from persistent or recurrent pain syndromes throughout the most productive years of their lives. Just one pain syndrome, migraine headache, directly impacts 20% of the adult population. Yet, there remain few if any effective therapies devoid of serious side effects that are currently available to treat pain, particularly persistent or recurrent pain associated with syndromes.

The clinical features of a number of pain syndromes serve as the organizing focus of research in the Gold laboratory. These observations include the following: 1) many pain syndromes are unique to a particular part of the body such as the head in migraine, the temporomandibular joint in temporomandibular disorder (TMD), or the colon in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); 2) many pain syndromes such as migraine, TMD and IBD occur with a greater prevalence, severity and/or duration in women than in men; 3) many pain syndromes are associated with changes in the excitability of primary afferent neurons; 4) there are time-dependent changes in the mechanisms underlying pain syndromes; and 5) the type of injury, (i.e., inflammation or nerve injury), are differentially sensitive to therapeutic interventions. These observations led to specific hypotheses that are tested in ongoing studies in the Gold laboratory. These include 1) characterizing the mechanisms underlying inflammation-induced changes in the evoked Ca2+ transients in sensory neurons, 2) characterizing the mechanisms underlying the initiation of migraine attacks, 3) characterizing the influence of estrogen on the excitability of spinal and trigeminal ganglion neurons, 4) characterizing the role of changes in inhibitory receptors, in particular GABA, in injury-induced increases in sensitivity, and 5) identification of ways to maximize the therapeutic utility of local anesthetics. The ultimate goal of these studies is to identify novel targets for the development of therapeutic interventions for the treatment of pain.

Anthony Grace PhD
Professor

Neurophysiology of basal ganglia system related to psychiatric disorders.

Angela Gronenborn
Professor

Combining NMR spectroscopy w/Biophysics, Biochem&Chem to investigate cellular processes at the molecular & atomic levels in relation to human disease 

Jeff Gross PhD
Professor

Our research focuses on vertebrate eye development, disease modeling and regeneration utilizing the zebrafish as a model system. 

Timothy Hand PhD
Assistant Professor

Understand the causes of diseases with disruptions between the immune system and the microbiota, such as Crohn’s Disease and Environmental Enteropathy.          

Graham Hatfull PhD
Professor

The Hatfull lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh studies the molecular genetics of the mycobacteria and their mycobacteriophages. 

Andrew Hinck PhD
Professor

Studying signaling proteins and receptors of the TGF-beta family, deciphering the molecular adaptations that the signaling proteins, single-pass transmembrane receptors, downstream effectors, and multitude of extracellular and intracellular modulators.

Lori Holt PhD
Professor

My lab investigates the cognitive and neurobiological bases of how human listeners use sound. This involves study of speech communication, auditory perception, attention, and learning.   

Neil Hukriede PhD
Professor

Identify renal progenitor cells, determine their role in patterning the embryonic kidney, and relate these events to kidney regeneration.           

Michele Insanally, PhD
Michele Insanally PhD
Assistant Professor

The neural basis of flexible auditory perception and behavior; novel neurotechnologies for restoring hearing 

Max Joffe
Max Joffe
Assistant Professor

Prefrontal cortex; interneurons; Novel pharmacology; Alcohol use disorders & affective disorders

Julia Kainertorfer
Associate Professor
Karl Kandler PhD
Professor

Plasticity of neuronal circuits during development and in pathology, focusing on the central auditory system     

Lawrence Kane PhD
Professor

Signal Transduction.

The role of the Akt kinase in NF-kB and T cell activation. 

Role of TIM proteins in T cell activation.     

Daniel Kaplan MD, PhD
Professor

To understand how skin resident immune cells (e.g. dendritic cells, T cells) interact with specific pathogens

Hong Kim
Hong Kim Kim
Professor

My research interests are in nano-optics and nano-electronics: materials & devices; hierarchical integration of nanoscale structures into systems for multifunctional operations.

Thomas Kleyman
Professor

Cellular, structural and molecular studies of epithelial ion channels       

Corrine Kliment MD, PhD
Co - Director, MSTP

Our laboratory is interested in identifying new molecular pathways in epithelial biology in the pathogenesis of tissue remodeling in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis to improve therapeutic options for patients. Our lab specifically studies the role of adenine nucleotide translocase (a canonical mitochondrial ADP/ATP transporter) in the airway and alveolar epithelium of the lung in the context of cigarette smoking-related lung disease and lung fibrosis. We want to better understand how in health and disease ANT regulates epithelial function through cell metabolism and cellular senescence, as well as, airway epithelial homeostasis through surface hydration and the action of tiny motile cilia in the airway. We utilize a repertoire of relevant murine models of injury, molecular genetic approaches, in vitro biochemical assays, and human bio-samples to examine epithelial cell homeostasis in the lung.

Melanie Königshoff, MD, PhD, ATSF, FERS
Melanie Königshoff MD, PhD, ATSF, FERS
Professor

Our research focuses on deciphering mechanisms involved in lung repair and regeneration, with the aim to identify novel therapeutic targets relevant for age-related chronic lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our translational research program focuses on the comprehensive characterization of primary lung epithelial (stem) cells from experimental models and human tissue samples from patients with chronic lung disease. we aim to identify and investigate target signaling pathways that impact cellular mechanisms we identified the developmental WNT signaling pathway as a potent contributor to impaired lung repair and epithelial cell reprogramming, which is amenable to therapy and have further characterized features of epithelial cell reprogramming, such as cellular senescence. We further pioneered and apply patient-derived 3D Lung Tissue Cultures that allow to further validate and test potential novel drugs in an individualized fashion.

Bernhard Kuhn MD
Bernhard Kuhn MD
Professor

Our research is on whether and to what extent mammalian hearts can regenerate themselves, and to develop regenerative therapies for heart failure.       

Fadi Lakkis MD
Professor

Innate and adaptive immune response to transplanted organs and the mechanisms of transplantation tolerance. 

Adrian Lee PhD
Professor

Molecular profiling (genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic) of women’s cancers, mouse modeling, and predictive biomarkers for targeted therapy       

David Lewis MD
Professor

Functional architecture of the prefrontal cortex and schizophrenia.          

Philana Lin MD, MSC
Associate Professor

Our lab is focused on the host protective immune responses to M. tuberculosis, a major factor in outcome of infection.   

Steven Little PhD
Professor

Drug Delivery, Biomimetics, Immunotherapeutics, Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, Synthetic Systems          

Cecilia Lo PhD
Professor

Our research objectives are focused on elucidating the genetic causes and developmental mechanisms of human congenital heart disease (CHD).

Beatriz Luna PhD
Professor

Brain basis of cognitive maturation through adolescence to adulthood.   

Aman Mahajan MD PhD
Professor

Neural network control of cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial function; Neuromodulation for treating sudden cardiac death; Studying perioperative healthcare delivery; Role of perioperative interventions in altering clinical outcomes and mortality     

J Patrick Mayo
J Patrick Mayo
Assistant Professor

Cortical control of vision and eye movements in populations of neurons

Neural coordination of oculomotor plans

Influence of eye movements on vision and behavior

Colleen McClung PhD
Professor

We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders with a particular focus on the role of the circadian clock in these disorders 

Diana Metes MD
Professor

Human immunology: Innate and adaptive immune responses to latent viruses and to allo-antigens after organ transplantation 

Iva Miljkovic, MD, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor

Dr. Miljkovic's research focuses on the epidemiology of obesity, ectopic fat deposition, body composition, and associated metabolic disorders. In particular, Dr. Miljkovic studies skeletal muscle, changes in skeletal muscle and whole body composition with aging, their determinants, and associated metabolic disorders, with a special focus on high-risk minority, international, and elderly populations.

Pam Moalli MD, PhD

Pelvic Floor Disorders, Prolapse Meshes   

Michael Morowitz MD
Associate Professor

Pathogenicity of Intestinal Microbes in Milk Fed and Formula Fed Premature Infants - See more >>

Alison Morris MD
Professor

HIV-associated lung disease; HIV-associated emphysema; Role of Pneumocystis in COPD   

Bonnie Nazbanou

I study the cognitive and neural basis of language production and cognitive control in neurotypical children and adults, as well as individuals with brain damage.

Kari Nejak-Bowen MBA, PhD
Professor

To understand the cellular and molecular basis of liver injury, regeneration, and cholestatic liver disease     

Anne Newman MD, MPH
Professor

Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology;Subclinical atherosclerosis: Associations with aging, disability & frailty;Sarcopenia & disability

Steffi Oesterreich PhD
Professor

Hormone response and treatment resistance in breast and ovarian cancer, including the analysis of aberrant genetic and epigenetic changes           

Kyle Orwig PhD
Professor

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and male germ lineage development

Patrick Pagano PhD
Professor

NADPH oxidase (Nox) & reactive oxygen species in signaling, vascular dysfunction and cardiopulmonary disease; Nox drug therapy development   

Andreas Pfenning PhD
Assistant Professor

What features do the genes and the genomes of vocal learning species have in common relative to those without the ability?          

Mary Phillips MD
Professor

Identification of neural correlates that underlie the symptoms of specific abnormalities in emotion processing in people with mood disorders     

Stacey Rizzo
Stacey Rizzo
Associate Professor

Research in Dr. Rizzo’s lab focuses on investigating the mechanisms that drive divergence from healthy aging towards inception and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, in order to identify novel pathways and targets that may enable the discovery of new therapeutic agents to treat and prevent disease. Dr. Rizzo is a behavior pharmacologist by training and holds a BS in Animal Sciences from Rutgers University and a PhD in Neuroscience from University College London.

Mark Roberts MD, MPP
Professor

He is interested in the use of observational data analysis for causal inference, as well as in the measurement and inclusion of patient preferences into treatment decisions and the use of electronic health records for research. 

Beth Roman, PhD
Associate Professor

Vascular development, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, zebrafish, BMP signaling, mechanotransduction.

Caterina Rosano MD, MPH
Professor

Brain adaptation, neuroepidemiological approaches to the causes, biomarkers and consequences of brain aging, advanced data reduction analyses

Sarah Ross PhD
Associate Professor

Understanding the functional organization of spinal microcircuits using molecular genetic, electrophysiological, optogenetic & behavioral approaches   

Maria Rubio MD, PhD
Associate Professor

Research focuses on investigating neuron-glia communication in the normal hearing and in the hearing impaired 

Lindsay Sabik PhD
Associate Professor

Dr. Sabik is a health economist & health services researcher focused on investigating the role of state & federal policies in affecting healthcare access, utilization, & health outcomes among low-income populations, with a particular focus on cancer care.   

Silvia Saccardo PhD
Assistant Professor
Srivatsun Sadagopan PhD
Assistant Professor

Neural mechanisms underlying complex sound perception in health and disease.   

Yoel Sadovsky MD
Professor

Our lab focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying placental development and its function in supporting fetal growth and maternal-fetal communication   

Russell Schwartz, PhD
Russell Schwartz PhD
Director - Carnegie Mellon University

I work in the general area of computational biology, with emphasis on computational genetics and the modeling and simulation of biological systems     

Rebecca Seal PhD
Associate Professor

Our work is focused on neural circuits that mediate two neurological conditions: pain and Parkinson’s disease. We are also developing novel therapies to treat these conditions.   

Mark Shlomchik MD, PhD
Professor

My lab is interested in the establishment of long term B cell immunity and in pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases and graft vs host disease   

Matthew Smith PhD
Associate Professor

Neurophysiology of visual perception and cognition, computational neuroscience, cortical circuitry, neural population coding   

Thomas Smithgall PhD
Professor

Non-receptor protein-tyrosine kinase structure, regulation and signal transduction in cancer, AIDS, and embryonic stem cell biology

Gwendolyn Sowa MD, PhD
Professor

Biomarker discovery, beneficial effects of mechanical loading, & implementation in targeted exercise therapies for musculoskeletal conditions     

Richard Steinman MD, PhD
Director - University of Pittsburgh

Mechanisms of white blood cell differentiation & its inhibition in leukemias; Mechanisms of stem cell differentiation & growth control           

Arohan R. Subramanya, MD, FASN
Associate Professor

Our work is focused on the relationship between biomolecular condensates, cytoplasmic crowding, cell fluid volume and size control, and kidney tubule function in health and disease

Robert Sweet MD
Professor

Loss and altered plasticity of auditory cortex synapses in schizophrenia; mediators of vulnerability to psychosis in Alzheimer disease.          

Galen Switzer PhD
Professor

Psychosocial issues in organ and tissue donation and transplantation. 

Siva Tavakoli MD, PhD
Siva Tavakoli MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Amantha Thathiah PhD
Assistant Professor

We use molecular, biochemical, and cellular approaches to study the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.          

Angus Thomson PhD, DSc
Professor

Regulation of the immune response; role of dendritic cells and T cells in tolerance induction; mechanism of action of novel immune suppressants           

Dennis Trumble PhD
Associate Professor
Michael Tsang PhD
Professor

Zebrafish Heart Development and Regeneration       

Robert Turner PhD
Professor

Basal ganglia-cortical dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and therapeutic mechanisms of deep brain stimulation          

Heth Turnquist PhD
Associate Professor

Understanding and controlling the cytokine networks that direct immune responses responsible for both protective and pathological immunity. 

Bennett Van Houten PhD
Professor

Repair of DNA damage in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes; 2) Structure and function of nucleotide excision repair proteins. 

Jonathan Vande Geest
Jonathan Vande Geest

Extracellular Matrix Remodeling, Tissue Engineering, Biomechanics, Computational Modeling

Alberto Vazquez
Alberto Vazquez
Professor
Tim Verstynen
Associate Professor
Dario Vignali PhD
Dario Vignali PhD

The inhibitory mechanisms, including inhibitory receptors & regulatory T cells, that limit anti-tumor immunity in cancer patients. 

Shyam Visweswaran MD, PhD
Associate Professor

Computer-aided diagnosis and patient-specific prediction, genomic and precision medicine, clinical decision support, research data warehouse

William Wagner PhD
William Wagner PhD
Professor

Cardiovascular engineering with projects that address medical device biocompatibility and design, tissue engineering, and imaging.     

Jing Hong Wang, MD, PhD
Professor

Wang’s research focuses on understanding how the immune system behaves within the microenvironment of a tumor in head and neck cancer and B cell lymphoma. She also studies how changes in the DNA of B cells alter how the body produces antibodies that are used to fight pathogens and cancer cells. Her research will shed light on how cancer cells evade detection by the immune system, findings that will help develop new immunotherapies and improve existing treatments.

Zhou Wang, PhD
Professor

His research is focused on androgen action in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.  The Wang lab is actively pursuing following research directions: (a) the roles of androgen-responsive genes in prostate carcinogenesis, particularly the mechanisms of tumor suppression by ELL-associated factor 2 (EAF2), which is encoded by up-regulated androgen-responsive gene U19, (b) improvement of intermittent androgen deprivation therapy of prostate cancer based on differential action of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), (c) the mechanisms regulating androgen receptor (AR) intracellular trafficking, level and activity, and (d) developing novel small molecule inhibitors targeting AR signaling for the treatment of prostate cancer that are resistant to current anti-androgens

Leila Wehbe

I use machine learning and brain imaging to study the brain representations underlying language comprehension and other high-level functions.

Sally Wenzel MD
Professor

Focuses on asthma phenotypes and the molecular mechanisms, particularly in the airway epithelium that control them 

John Williams MD
Professor

the cell entry, immunity, and pathogenesis of human metapneumovirus (HMPV)

George Wittenberg, MD, PhD
Professor

The Laboratory for Research on Arm Function and Therapy (RAFT) studies upper extremity motor function in healthy and disease states and particularly focuses on methods to improve recovery of motor function after stroke, using non-invasive brain activity-recording and stimulation techniques, robots, and wearables.

Yijen L. Wu, Ph.D.
Director, Rangos Research Center Animal Imaging Core

MuSIC 4 MIND: Multi-Systems Imaging Characterization for Mitochondrial Involvement in Neurological Diseases:

Leveraging novel systems imaging to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, fetal alcohol syndrome, in utero exposure, congenital heart disease, mitochondrial disorders, childhood-onset epileptic encephalopathy and developmental origin of adult-onset diseases.  

Zongqi Xia, MD, PhD
Zongqi Xia MD, PhD
Assistant Professor

Dr. Xia’s research addresses clinically relevant questions: (1) how does multiple sclerosis start and how to prevent this chronic neurological disease, (2) what contributes to individual variation among people with multiple sclerosis and how to bring precision medicine to multiple sclerosis. He leads an interdisciplinary research team to harness multi-dimensional, longitudinal, patient-derived data and deploy integrative quantitative science approaches. The long-term goal of his research program is to gain insights into the underlying disease and translates these findings into the clinical arena to improve individualized risk prediction, prevention, and management in multiple sclerosis and other related disorders.

Jianhua Xing PhD
Associate Professor

My lab currently focuses on Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transiton (EMT). EMT is defined as the conversion of epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells, characterized by loss of cell-cell adhesion and increased cell motility.          

Vijay Yechoor, MD
Vijay K. Yechoor MD
Professor

My lab focuses on developing targeted therapies that target beta cell mass and function in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Currently funded projects include 1) the role of the circadian clock in beta cell metabolic flexibility, 2) Interventions and mechanisms addressing the role of circadian clock disruptions in diabetes, atherovascular, and Alzheimer's' diseases 3) the role of Tead1 and the Hippo pathway in the transcriptional regulation of quiescence and proliferation of beta cells. We are also interested in how these pathways affect obesity, adipose biology, and cardiac biology.

Eric Yttri
Assistant Professor
Huaiying Zhang
Assistant Professor
Yongxin (Leon) Zhao PhD
Assistant Professor