Gupta lab members
Manish Kumar Gupta PhD
Education and Training
- Instructor: Center for Translational Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Postdoctoral Fellow: Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Ph.D: Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, India
- MSc: The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India
Graduate Students
Gbenga Ogundipe
Biomedical Science PhD student
December 2023- Present
Hobby:
Research Interests: I am dedicated to the exploration of distinctive early diagnostic markers that signify an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Esther Nakhungu
Biomedical Science PhD student
December 2024- Present
Hobby: Hiking, board games, running, making bead crafts
Research Interests: I am interested in studying how HIV viral proteins contribute to cellular and organelle dysfunctions.
Nishit Tailor
Biotechnology M.S. Student
August 2025- Present
Hobby: I find joy in listening to retro Bollywood music, dancing to Garba, Theater and cooking.
Research Interests: My focus lies in leveraging CRISPR technology to explore innovative approaches for addressing cardiovascular diseases, to advance precision medicine and therapeutic interventions in these critical health domains.
Medical FIRE Students
Melody Hershman
U.C.F College of Medicine Student
November 2024- Present
Hobby: I enjoy hiking, camping, reading, playing volleyball, and most recently started jiu jitsu
Research Interests: My research investigates the impacts of HIV on cardiovascular diseases.
Emily Freer
U.C.F College of Medicine Student
November 2024- Present
Hobby:I enjoy hiking, cooking, various arts & crafts, and overanalyzing shows/movies in my free time.
Research Interests: My research focuses on understanding and mitigating cardiovascular disease risk in people living with HIV, with an emphasis on aging-related vulnerabilities and molecular interventions that target disease pathways.
Emily Hung
U.C.F College of Medicine Student
November 2024- Present
Hobby: In my free time, I enjoy cooking, hiking, gaming, playing the violin, and watching Hell’s Kitchen.
Research Interests: My research aims to find microbiome-targeted strategies to prevent aging-related cardiovascular disease.
Undergraduate Students
Anvita Gadiraju
Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track
August 2024 – Present
Hobby: Singing, traveling, and hiking
Research Interests: My research aims to explore mice growth patterns and body composition changes associated with complex diseases like obesity, aging, and other metabolic diseases.
Artemis Zi
College of Health Professions and Sciences- Health Science B.S track
April 2025 – Present
Hobby: I enjoy playing sports (volleyball), baking desserts, spending time with family and travelling.
Research Interests: My research aims to investigate sex-based differences in cardiac fibrosis and how these variations may influence cardiovascular disease outcomes.
Rithvik Rajakumar
Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track
August 2023- Present
Hobby: Playing video games, studying.
Research Interests: Exploring natural products to find new treatment for cardiovascular disease.
Jaycee Do
Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track
January 2025- Present
Hobby:
Research Interests:
Volunteers
Yuka Kimura
College of Health Professions and Sciences- Health Science B.S track
August 2022- Present
Hobby: Watching K-drama, K-Pop concerts
Research Interests: My primary research interest centers around addressing and overcoming gender bias in cardiovascular research, particularly through the utilization of mouse models. I am committed to investigating how gender-specific differences influence cardiovascular outcomes and how these differences can be better incorporated into experimental designs. By developing more inclusive approaches, I aim to enhance the reliability and applicability of cardiovascular research findings across diverse populations. Through this work, I seek to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of cardiovascular health and advance gender-sensitive strategies in the field.
Sarah Nguyen
Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track
May 2024 – Present
Hobby: Baking, beaches, karaoke.
Research Interests: I aim to examine the proteome-wide PTMs (post-translational modifications) involved in ischemic cardiac cells and the consequences of PTMs on protein stability and activity. I hope to apply these discoveries to identify new targets that could contribute to developing more effective gene therapies.
Sumaya Yusuf
College of Sciences- Biology track B.S.
April 2023 – Present
Hobby: Reading and writing with a passion for exploring new places.
Research Interests: Focus on identifying solutions to address the challenges posed by HIV and chronic heart disease. My research goal is to contribute practical advancements that enhance the management and treatment of these complex health issues.
Aya Alkousa
Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track
August 2023- Present
Hobby: I enjoy staying active with hobbies like swimming and badminton.
Research Interests: Targeting membrane receptors for the development of new drugs against metabolic disease.
Adya Gulati
Pennsylvania Undergraduate visiting Student
September 2025 – Present
Hobby: Indian Classical Dances, Nail Art, Unicycle.
Research Interests:
Alumni
Avni Mukker
Deepti Gupta
Maryam Rabbani
Vraj Amin
Sameep Gawaskar
Isabela de Lima
Puneet Kaur Randhawa
Pierce Ciccone
Nikhil Patel
Shiridhar Kashyap
Aishwarya Rajakumar
Raj Patel
Olena Kondrachuk
Nicole Ford
Ethan Lopez-Nowak
Jorgo Zi
Kim Hong