Ridhdhi Desai

Assistant Professor

Ridi began her interest in scientific research during her undergraduate study at University of Toronto, where she used yeast cells to identify non-essential genes that increase the frequency of spontaneous direct-repeat recombination. During her graduate research in the lab of Dr. Ulrich Tepass, she became fascinated with epithelial biology where she used Drosophila genetics to discover a role for how alpha-catenin mediates connections between cell adhesion molecules and actin cytoskeleton during morphogenesis. After her PhD at University of Toronto, she transitioned to mammalian biology with a focus on epithelial-derived cancers. During her postdoc in the lab of Dr. Senthil Muthuswamy (BIDMC, Harvard Medical School), using human stem cell derived organoid models of pancreatic ductal and acini cells, she identified a cell-type specific role for oncogene activity in precancerous lesions of pancreatic cancer.

Favorite Quote: “Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought” – Albert Szent-Györgyi

View Ridi's profile.

Hannah Shippas

Research Assistant II

Scientific interests: Mostly epigenetics, genetics, really anything cell-sized and smaller.

Non-scientific interests: Indie roguelike video games, writing in almost all genres (speculative, literary, and poetry), watching cartoons, reading good sci-fi or fantasy, playing with cats, and going into the city for a good bite to eat.

Favorite quote: “Honesty without compassion is cruelty.” - Bruce Kasanoff

David Crowell

PhD Student

Scientific interests: Cancer biology, epigenetics, molecular mechanisms of aging, but EVERYTHING science truly interests me, from quantum mechanics to ecology.

Non-scientific interests: Enjoying the outdoors, being physically active, going to the beach, reading good books, certified plant dad and Harry Potter adult. I also love animals (I will have a pet snake one day). Music is also a very large part of my life; I really enjoy both listening to and making music.

Favorite quote: “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” - Albert Einstein

Erik Schubert

Master’s Student

Scientific interests: Though I still maintain a strong passion for basic science, I am particularly interested in contributing to the realm of translational research. More specifically, I hope to someday assist in elucidating the complex molecular mechanisms that underlie disease etiology and pathogenesis.

Non-scientific interests: Reading, video games, running, motorcycle rides on backroads and hiking.

Prajanya Prabakaran

Star Scholar Student, Drexel University, Class of 2028

Scientific interests: Learning about biology and the social sciences. My areas of interest include cells, genetic diseases and siphonophores.

Non-scientific interests: I look forward to completing daily crosswords and sketching botany.

Favorite quote: “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” - Arthur C. Clarke

Matthew Uppani

Star Scholar Student, Drexel University, Class of 2028

Scientific interests: Immunology, oncology, physiology and anatomy.

Non-scientific interests: Playing tennis, traveling around the country, watching movies and reading mystery novels.

Favorite quote: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein.

Kate McCourt

Medical Student, Drexel University, Class of 2027

Scientific interests: Investigating genetic and molecular basis for diseases, disorders and cancers; and development of gene therapies for chronic diseases, genetic diseases and cancer

Non-scientific interests: Reading, Exploring new restaurants in the city, hanging out with my friends, puzzles, baking and spin classes.

Favorite quote: "Hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it." - Taylor Swift.