DANIELS LAB

Brian receives Provost Award for Faculty Excellence

Congratulations to Brian for receiving The Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching Innovations! This distinction follows his successful pilot of the Honors Immunology course, which focuses on interactive lectures and creative assignments using active learning strategies and a smaller group of advanced students.

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Explore Honors Immunology

Rayhan joins the Daniels Lab

Rayhan Ahmad has officially joined our team as an undergraduate researcher. He is a sophomore in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and plans on pursuing an MD or MD-PhD. Rayhan has naturally taken to the lab and we look forward to seeing his growth. Welcome, Rayhan!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to our family at Rutgers University, our friends & colleagues across the country, and all the current & aspiring scientists following these updates. Sending each of you warm wishes and good fortune in 2025!

Tracy defends her thesis

Congratulations to Tracy for successfully defending her doctoral thesis! Tracy has been a remarkable researcher and a selfless mentor who never hesitated to dedicate time to guide not only her fortunate student, Mickey, but every member of the lab. It is bittersweet to say goodbye as she moves on to the next stage of her career, but we wish her continued success and a smooth transition to the professional track!

Evan is awarded second prize

Congratulations to Evan for being awarded second prize for his presentation at the SCALE workshop! He is quickly proving himself to be a natural presenter, receiving two awards for his first two talks. Very impressive, Evan!

Evan attends SCALE workshop

Evan attended the five-day Single-Cell Analysis Learning Enrichment (SCALE) workshop hosted at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. We look forward to relying on him to perform all the single-cell analyses in our lab!

Brian delivers tenure seminar

Congratulations to Brian for successfully delivering his tenure seminar. His presentation showcased his contributions to the field of neuroimmunology, reflecting six years of diligent research and mentorship at Rutgers University. You've earned it, Brian!

Keya joins the Daniels Lab

Keya Thakkar has officially joined our team as an undergraduate researcher. She is a sophomore in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and plans on pursuing an MD-PhD. She is excited to start working with her mentor, Juan. Welcome, Keya!

Arpan joins the Daniels Lab

Arpan Sheth is the first of two new undergraduate researchers joining our team. He is a sophomore in Biomedical Engineering and plans on pursuing a master's degree. He is excited to start working with his mentor, Evan. Welcome, Arpan!

Irving defends his thesis

Congratulations to Irving for successfully defending his doctoral thesis! Irving has been a remarkable researcher and an enthusiastic colleague brimming with brilliant, novel ideas to contribute to every lab member's project. It is bittersweet to say goodbye as he moves on to the next stage of his career, but we know he will always excel no matter where he is!

Evan is awarded first prize

Congratulations to Evan for being awarded first prize for his presentation at the FASEB conference on Translational Neuroimmunology! An excellent talk on the long term neurological consequences of peripheral asymptomatic ZIKV infection.

Daniels Lab attends FASEB conference

The entire lab attended the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference on Translational Neuroimmunology hosted in Niagara Falls, NY. Irving and Evan presented talks regarding their current research. Tracy, Juan, and Eduard presented posters as well. A very successful lab trip!

Marissa defends her thesis

Congratulations to Marissa for successfully defending her doctoral thesis! Marissa has been a remarkable researcher, a diligent worker, and an uplifting presence to everyone in the lab. It is bittersweet to say goodbye as she moves on to the next stage of her career, but we wish her continued success as a postdoctoral researcher in Dartmouth College!

Marissa's paper is preprinted

Marissa's paper, "Astrocytic RIPK3 exerts protective anti-inflammatory activity during viral encephalitis via induction of serpin protease inhibitors", has been made publicly available on BioRxiv. Great work, Marissa!

 

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.05.21.595181v1

Irving's paper is preprinted

Irving's paper, "RIPK3 promotes neuronal survival by suppressing excitatory neurotransmission during CNS viral infection", has been made publicly available on BioRxiv. Well done, Irving!

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https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.26.591333v1

Ben and Mickey commit to graduate programs

Ben and Mickey have officially committed to their respective graduate programs. This marks an exciting new chapter in their academic journeys; we wish them both continued success in all of their endeavors.

Mickey defends his senior thesis

Congratulations to Mickey for successfully defending his senior thesis! His remarkable research presentation was truly reflective of his effort and dedication to the lab. Our lab has been privileged to host two excellent defenses consecutively.

Ben defends his senior thesis

Congratulations to Ben for successfully defending his senior thesis! This major milestone was met with an exceptionally eloquent presentation of his research.

Eduard joins the Daniels Lab

Eduard Marmut has officially joined the team. He is a Cell Biology & Neuroscience graduate who has returned to Rutgers University as a post-baccalaureate scholar. He will be working with the lab as researcher and lab technician. Welcome, Eduard!

Daniels Lab hits 10,000 mice

Our 10,000th mouse has been born in the vivarium! Thank you, mice, for your invaluable contributions to science and healthcare. Your essential role in advancing research in our lab and across the globe never goes unappreciated.

Marissa's paper is published

Marissa's paper, "RIPK3 promotes brain region-specific interferon signaling and restriction of tick-borne flavivirus infection", has been officially published in PLOS Pathogens. Congratulations Marissa!

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011813

Evan joins the Daniels Lab

Evan has officially joined the lab as our newest PhD student. He is currently a rising second year student in the Neuroscience Program. Welcome Evan!

Summer Fellowships

Congrats to Ben and Diego for receiving summer fellowships to support their research! Ben received the DLS-SURF Award, while Diego received a fellowship from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program. 

Nick and Juan accept PhD program offers

After receiving nearly 20 interviews combined, Nick and Juan have officially accepted offers! Nick will be joining the PhD program in Immunology at the University of Washington, while Juan has chosen to stick with us at Rutgers and pursue a PhD in Neuroscience. We are incredibly proud of both!

Juan receives NSF GRFP Fellowship

We were thrilled to learn that Juan was selected for the NSF GRFP Fellowship! Congrats to Juan!

Juan's Literature Review Published

Juan's review paper, "Paradoxical roles for programmed cell death signaling during viral infection of the central nervous system", is published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology. Congratulations Juan!

Diego Alzate joins the Daniels Lab

Diego joins the team and is excited to get started working with Juan! Diego is a sophomore in Cell Biology & Neuroscience looking to pursue a PhD and/or MD. Welcome Diego!

Irving advances to PhD candidacy

Irving passes his thesis proposal and advances to PhD candidacy. Congrats to Irving!

Brian, Nydia, and Marissa give presentations at FASEB

Brian gave a talk at the 2022 FASEB Translational Neuroimmunology Conference. In addition, Nydia gave an oral presentation on her work and Marissa gave a poster presentation. 

Irving, Tracy, and Juan give presentations at ASV

The lab embarked on a journey to the American Society of Virology in Madison, Wisconsin. Irving earned a travel award and gave an oral presentation on his work. Tracy and Juan gave poster presentations on their work as well. A great lab trip!

Nydia receives F31 Grant

Nydia received an F31 grant which will support her for two years. Congratulations Nydia!

Mickey joins the Daniels Lab

Micheal (Mickey) McCourt joins us this summer. He is excited to get started with his work with Tracy and to undertake his own research in schizophrenia. Mickey is a junior in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and plans on attaining a PhD in neuroscience to further his work in schizophrenia research. Welcome Mickey!

Nydia, Tracy, and Marissa receive Leathem Fellowships

Nydia, Tracy, and Marissa all received summer fellowships to supplement their research this year. Congrats!

Nick and Ben receive SURF Grants

Nick and Ben were both awarded the DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for 2022. Congratulations to both!

Po's Paper is Published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation!

Po's paper, "Zika virus-induced TNF-α signaling dysregulates expression of neurologic genes associated with psychiatric disorders", is officially published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. This is Po's first first-author publication and a huge achievement in his early academic career. Congratulations Po!

Tracy, Irving, and Juan give presentations at ASN

Irving and Tracy gave oral presentations at the American Society for Neurochemistry meeting in Roanoke, Virginia. Juan also gave a poster presentation. Tracy was also awarded the Young Investigator Educational Enhancement Travel Award!. 

Marissa awarded the Trainee Abstract Travel Award for AAI

Marissa is awarded the Trainee Abstract Travel Award for the American Association of Immunologists conference in Washington, DC. Congratulations Marissa!

Irving gives oral presentation at Rutgers MBGSO Symposium

Irving is selected to give an oral presentation at Rutgers Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Organization (MBGSO) Symposium. He earned a top three spot for his presentation! Congratulations Irving!

Irving receives NINDS Diversity Supplement

Irving was awarded a 3-year grant to support his thesis work studying interactions between innate immunity and neurotransmission. Congrats to Irving!

Tracy passes her qualifying exam

A huge congratulations to Tracy for passing her qualifying exam and advancing to candidacy. Excellent job!

Ben and Sarah join the lab

Ben is a sophomore majoring in CBN and philosophy and is joining the lab as an undergraduate intern. Sarah is a sophomore CBN major joining the lab through the Aresty Research Assistants program. Welcome aboard!

The lab's first paper is out

We are excited to share the lab's first research article, "Fibrillar α-synuclein induces neurotoxic astrocyte activation via RIP kinase signaling and NF-κB," now out in Cell Death and Disease. Tracy and Nydia led the project, with contributions from almost everyone!

Nick, Marissa, and Po present at virtual ASV 2021 conference

Nick, Marissa, and Po were selected to give oral presentations at the virtual American Society of Virology 221 Conference. All three did an outstanding job! Well done!

Joanne joins the lab

Joanne joins the lab as a much-needed administrative assistant. She is also working with the Abriara lab. Welcome!

Nydia wins the Young Investigator Educational Enhancement Award

Nydia was selected for the prestigious YIEE Award from the American Society for Neurochemistry. Congrats to Nydia!

Graduate Summer Fellowship Awards

Congrats to both Tracy and Marissa for being awarded summer fellowship awards from the Rutgers Division of Life Sciences. 

New grant from NIMH

We have been awarded an R21 from the National Institute of Mental Health! This grant will fund our efforts to investigate maternal Zika Virus (ZIKV) infection as an environmental risk factor for mental illness, in collaboration with Dr. Alex Kusnecov in the Department of Psychology. 

Marissa passes her qualifying exam

A huge congratulations to Marissa for passing her qualifying exam and advancing to candidacy. We are so proud of you!

Winnie and Medha successfully defend their senior theses

Winnie and Medha successfully passed their senior thesis defenses and will graduate from the Cell Biology & Neuroscience (CBN) major. Both Winnie and Medha have done an outstanding job and are headed to exciting new ventures (Winnie to dental school at the University at Buffalo, Medha to the NIH IRTA Postbac program). 

Undergraduate Fellowship Awards

We've had another great year for UG fellowships! New awards include:

Nick Panzera: DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Po-Lun Kung: DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Irving joins the lab

Irving has officially joined the lab! Irving is currently a first year student pursuing a PhD in the Neuroscience program. Welcome!

Nydia passes her qualifying exam

A huge congratulations to Nydia for passing her qualifying exam and advancing to candidacy. Nydia is our first PhD candidate in lab history!

Notice of Award for R01

The lab has officially received an R01 from NINDS! This grant is a huge milestone for our lab and we are excited to continue our research studying RIPK3 signaling and its roles in inflammatory astrocyte activation.

Juan joins the lab

Juan is an undergraduate CBN senior who will be working with the lab as a research technician following graduation. Welcome!

Nick joins the lab

Nick is an undergraduate student joining the lab through the Aresty Research Assistants program. Welcome aboard!

Updates coming!

We are working on updating the backend of our news page! Check back soon to catch up on the past year of news (a lot has happened!)

Summer Conference Presentations

Both Colm and Marissa were chosen for oral presentations at (virtual) conferences this summer. Colm gave a short talk at an online workshop for the American Society of Virology, while Marissa spoke at the FASEB Translational Neuroimmunology Meeting. Congrats to both! 

Aisha Patel named Henry Rutgers Scholar

Aisha successfully defending her honors thesis and was recognized as a Henry Rutgers Scholar, an honor awarded to graduating seniors with the very best thesis work across the entire Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences. Congrats to Aisha!

Undergraduate Fellowship Awards

We've had a great year for UG fellowships! New awards include:

Medha Krishnagiri: Parkinson's Foundation Summer Student Fellowship

Po-Lun Kung: DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Winnie Wong: DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Aresty Undergraduate Research Fellowship