Santhalakshmi Ranganathan

Coimbatore, India

Biography:

Santha is a Post-Doctoral Associate with Master’s in Biotechnology from
Bharathidhasan University, India and PhD in Cancer biology from University of
Madras, India. She has been passionate about cancer research. Santha’s research interest focuses on the molecular mechanism of chemotherapeutic resistance in breast cancer and potential therapeutic approaches to overcome resistance.

Haleigh Parker

Austin, Texas

Biography:

Haleigh is a doctoral student with a BSc in Neurobiology from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Health from Lamar University. While obtaining her master’s degree, Haleigh worked with Myriad Genetics manufacturing and standardizing multiplex assays for rapid, multiple protein identification and quantification. Haleigh’s research interests focus on potential novel treatments for metastatic breast cancer.

Charli Worth

Walnut, California

Biography:

Charli is a doctoral student with a BA in Biochemistry from the University of San Diego. She worked at the Microarray Core and Next Generation Sequencing Core at The Scripps Research Institute optimizing library creation protocols and manufacturing and testing glycan microarrays. Charli’s research interests focus on EMT and metastasis.

Kayla Haberman

Waco, Texas

Biography:

Kayla is a doctoral student with a BS in Biology & Psychology from Ouachita Baptist University and an MS in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of Arkansas. Her master’s work focused on targeting transport mechanisms for a novel anti-fungal peptide in Candida glabrata utilizing CRISPR. Kayla’s research interests focus on epigenetic regulation and EMT.

Tolulope Ojo

Ekiti, Nigeria

Biography:

Jacob Bailey (’25)

Decatur, Illinois

Biography:

Jacob is a biochemistry major on the pre-med track with aspirations to be a physician-scientist. He is interested in the role of epigenetics on EMT and cancer cell metastasis. Jacob currently works on the KDM6A project.

Maya Cappellino (’25)

Ladera Ranch, California 

Biography:

Maya is a biology major with a cell and molecular concentration and a minor in biochemistry. She plans to pursue a career in medical research with a focus on genetics, where she hopes to aid in the development of medications and treatments.

Adhwaitha Nambiar (’25)

Saginaw, Michigan

Biography:

Adhwaitha is a biology major with a minor in anthropology on the pre-med track. She is interested in genomics research with cancer biology applications. Adhwaitha currently works on the KDM6A project and has had previous research experience at Michigan State University.

Juli Watkins (’25)

Fort Worth, Texas

Biography:

Juli is a Cell & Molecular Biology major with a minor in Child and Family studies on the pre-medical track. She is an aspiring pediatric physician and scientist. She is interested in researching OMVs and their effect on colon cancer. Juli currently works on the OMV project.

Emily York (’25)

Houston, Texas

Biography:

Emily is a Cell and Molecular Biology major on the Pre-Med track. She has a passion for translational cancer research and aspires to work as an oncologist. She has previous experience in ovarian cancer research and is continuing work in the Taube Lab looking at metabolic contributions to breast cancer metastasis. 

Lydia Allabaugh (’26)

Climax, Michigan

Biography:

My name is Lydia Allabaugh and I’m a class of 2026 Science Research Fellow concentrating in Biochemistry. Following graduation, I plan to pursue an MD/PhD in Immunology. I’m from Climax, Michigan, and enjoy watching football, traveling and competing with the Triathlon Club team, and volunteering with foster kids. I love gardening and cooking and some of my favorite restaurants in Waco are Slow Rise, Mamaka, and Baris. 

Hannah Lilley (’26)

Roswell, New Mexico

Biography:

Hannah is a cell and molecular biology major with minors in biochemistry and business administration. She is on the pre-med track and hopes to pursue a career as a physician and medical researcher. She is currently working on the KDM6A project.

Dhruv Patrick (’27)

Austin, Texas

Biography:

Dedicated biology major on the pre-med track, is a student researcher at the Taube Lab. With a deep-seated passion for medical research and an aspiration to become a physician, Dhruv is currently engaged in the groundbreaking cloning project within the lab. His work focuses on innovative techniques to understand and potentially treat cancer more effectively. Dhruv’s commitment to his studies and his research exemplifies his determination to contribute meaningfully to the field of medicine and patient care in the future.

Abhinav Rajkumar (’27)

Frisco, Texas

Biography:

Abhinav is currently a University Scholars major concentrating in Biology and Political Science. Furthermore, he is also enrolled in the Honors program and Pre-Medical program. He is an aspiring healthcare professional seeking to engineer solutions to empower rural communities to lead healthier and more stable lives. He has previous research experience through BCM’s DeBakey department of surgery and is seeking to continue his research efforts through the Taube lab.