Our team
We are currently developing a team of scientists who share the vision of finding the root causes of blood cancers. We are seeking for enthusiastic, self-motivated individuals who will thrive in a fast-paced challenging start-up research environment and can interact well with others as a team. We invite you to contact us regarding a position.
Join our team! (Research Technician, Graduate Student and Post-doctoral fellowship available)
Satish Nandakumar, MBBS, PhD
Principal Investigator
Satish grew up in the coastal city of Madras in Southern India and completed his bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from Madras Medical College. He moved to the U.S. to pursue graduate research training. He did his Ph.D. work in the laboratory of Dr. Derek Persons at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He completed his postdoctoral training at Boston Children’s Hospital and Broad Institute in the laboratory of Dr. Vijay Sankaran. In his research, he investigated gene regulatory mechanisms affecting the formation of blood cells and blood disorders, often using insights from human genetic studies. Dr. Nandakumar is a recipient of ASH Scholar Award from the American Society of Hematology and the Charles Epstein Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Research.
Dr. Nandakumar cares deeply about mentoring and training the next generation of scientific leaders that will carry on the work. Outside of work, Dr. Nandakumar likes spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Aruna Shekhar Nannivala Chandra Shekhar, MSc
Research Trainee
When Aruna isn’t working, she enjoys cooking and she loves to turn visual curiosities into paintings.
Jessica Jeejan, MSc
Research Trainee
Jessica hails from Kerala, India, and resided in Surat, Gujarat. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology from Gujarat and furthered her academic pursuits with a Postgraduate Diploma in Bioinformatics and a Master of Science in Biotechnology from St. Xavier’s in Mumbai in May 2023. She completed her master’s dissertation from the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Mumbai
Jessica’s academic background primarily centers on structural biology, proteomics, and molecular dynamic simulations. Her current research focus is the investigation of germline CHIP variants through the application of MPRA (Massively Parallel Reporter Assays). Specifically, she is exploring whether these CHIP variants predispose individuals to clonal hematopoiesis. Additionally, Jessica is involved in the study of NFE2 mutations.
Beyond her academic and research endeavors, Jessica pursues photography as a hobby and enjoys spending her leisure time exploring the outdoors.
Sumit Sen, BA
Research Technician
I am currently studying RUNX1 splicing isoforms and their increased disposition towards oncogenesis in human stem cells. I also help manage the mouse colony and lab orders/inventory. I am from the Bronx and received an undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Northwestern University (Class of 2023). I am planning to eventually return to school to pursue a doctoral degree in genetics. I work to provide for my 2-year old cat, Whiskers.
Past members
Gowri Poigaialwar, MS
Research Trainee
Dominika Kwasniak, MS
Research Technician
Sanaya Kriplani, BS
Research Technician