Advisor: Benjamin Alman, M.D.

Date/time: June 5, 2025; 3:00 p.m. 

Location: LSRC B035

Dissertation Title: Macrophage Regulation of Mesenchymal Subpopulations During Healing

Advisor: Matthias Gromeir, M.D.

Date/time: June 3, 2025; 12:00 p.m. 

Location: Nanaline #147

Dissertation Title: Lymphotropic Virotherapy Engages High Endothelial Venule and Dendritic Cell Inflammation in Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes to Mediate Cancer in Situ Vaccination

Advisor: Bruce Sullenger, Ph.D.

Date/time: May 23, 2025; 8:30 a.m. 

Location: MSRBIII #1125

Dissertation Title: Directed Evolution and High Throughput Evaluation of the CRISPR sgRNA

"The most important lesson I’ve learned at Duke is how profoundly the training environment shapes your scientific mindset and productivity."

"I hope to advance scientific discovery and innovation by promoting clear, accessible scientific communication. Strong science matters and so does how we share it."

Advisor: Kris C. Wood, Ph.D.

Date/Time:  Friday, May 16, 2025 at 3pm

Location: Bryan Research Building, Auditorium 103

Dissertation Title: FANCM is Required for the PAX3::FOXO1-Driven Oncogenic Program in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Zoom Details: 

Jude Raj, a graduate student in the lab of Kris Wood, PhD, received the Paul and Lauren Ghaffari Graduate Fellowship, which provides support to doctoral students pursuing oncology-related research.

Running from September 2024 to January 2025, the fellowship provided a stiped of $5,000.

The student awardees were selected for their publication record, influence on the research direction of their laboratory, and noteworthy and distinctive contributions to the scientific and academic community.

Two PhD students in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology have been awarded 2025 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowships. 

Ko was awarded the fellowship for his research studying how low levels of androgens facilitate activation of a specific protein, resulting in increased tumor growth. He hopes to develop drugs that exploit this protein signaling process to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth.