2026 Trainees
Alejandra Johnson (Kuhn Lab)
Alejandra is a second year PULSe Ph.D. student through the Biological Sciences department. She graduated from Sonoma State University in 2025 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Mathematics. Alejandra investigates the biophysical comparisonof Parechovirus and Enterovirus particle dynamics. Her research focuses on understanding how capsid protein-protein and capsid protein-RNA interactions contribute to particle stability. Towards answering her research question, she utilizes structural, biophysical, and molecular biology-based techniques.
Sara Walis (Mydy Lab)
Sara Walis is a 2nd year graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Illinois State University in Normal, IL. Her research uses X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, a variety of spectroscopy methods, and other biophysical techniques to elucidate the structural and functional properties of a plant specific protein responsible for generating sidechain-to-sidechain cyclic peptides. These 4-8 residue cyclic peptides display notable bioactivities, including anticancer, antianxiety, and antihypertensive effects in vitro. Her long-term goal is to identify and characterize new cyclic peptides with promising therapeutic applications.
Grace Pearson (Lyon Lab)
Grace earned her B.S. in Biomedical Science with a minor in Chemistry from Southern Illinois University in 2024. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. as a second-year graduate student in the Department of Chemistry under Dr. Angeline Lyon. Grace’s research investigates the structural mechanism of activation between G-protein beta-gamma and phospholipase C epsilon (PLCe) in the context of pathologic cardiac hypertrophy. She is using biophysical and biochemical techniques including AlphaLISA, cell-based
fluorescent assays, and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to define the molecular interactions that drive cardiac disease signaling. As an MBTP trainee, she aims to strengthen her professional skills, broaden her expertise in modern biophysics, and build a strong foundation for her current research and future career.
Pranav Punuru (Kihara lab)
Pranav is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Biological Sciences with a background in genetics, structural biology, and AI. He earned his B.S. in Genetics and Bioinformatics from Purdue University, where he worked on AI-driven methods for biomolecular structure prediction, cryo-EM map interpretation, model validation, and agent-based systems for literature analysis. His research focuses on developing computational tools for protein, RNA, and macromolecular complex modeling, with an emphasis on cryo-EM structure determination and deep learning-based methods. Pranav hopes to develop foundation-model and agent-based systems that can uncover new biological insights from experimental data and automate structural biology workflows.