DBBS mentors and educators are key to our training mission. Those who serve as primary mentors are DBBS Program Members, and others who participate in the educational mission are General Members. Learn about DBBS Faculty Membership »
To provide a supportive learning environment for our trainees, many DBBS-affiliated faculty have completed eight or more hours of CIMER-based mentorship training with a trained facilitator, as indicated below with a profile badge.
Find faculty of interest by entering a name, program or expertise keyword in the search bar; selecting a PhD program from the drop-down menu; or selecting the last name initial from the A-Z filter.
Joel Perlmutter, MD
Professor
- Email: perlmutterjoel@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Research summary
Pharmacology, physiology and pathophysiology of basal ganglia and movement disorders
Key words
pathogenesis, neuroimaging, physiology, neurobiology, movement disorders, Parkinson disease, dystonia
Steven Petersen, PhD
Professor Emeritus
- Email: sep@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
General
Research summary
Behavioral and fMRI studies of attention and cognitive development
Key words
attention, language, development, behavior, imaging
Christine Pham, MD
G & EM Magness Professor
- Email: cpham@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Immunology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Research summary
Immunity and autoimmunity in inflammatory diseases; nanotherapy in the treatment of inflammatory diseases
Key words
autoimmunity, inflammation, innate immunity, nanotechnology, protease
Benjamin Philip, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: bphilip@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Research summary
The interaction between hand dominance, brain lateralization, and rehabilitation following unilateral impairment such as stroke, amputation, or nerve injury
Key words
Jennifer Philips, MD, PhD
Theodore and Bertha Bryan Professor
- Email: philips.j.a@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Immunology
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Immune Evasion by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Key words
tuberculosis, host-pathogen interactions, innate immunity, autophagy, lipid metabolism, phagosome maturation, antigen presentation, macrophage
Marco Pignatelli, MD
Assistant Professor
- Email: marco.pignatelli@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Understanding the synaptic mechanisms by which emotional experiences lead to maladaptive plasticity and the impact of neurotherapeutic drugs on those maladaptive synaptic neuroadaptations
Key words
synaptic plasticity, Optogenetics, cell-type specific pharmacology, patch clamp electrophysiology, rapid-acting antidepressants, motivated behavior, drug addiction and affective disorders
Linda Pike, PhD
Professor
- Email: pike@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
EGF receptor-mediated cell signaling and the control of cell growth
Key words
signal transduction, cell signaling, cancer, EGF receptor
David Piston, PhD
Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Professor and Head of the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology
- Email: piston@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Computational and Systems Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Research summary
Studies of the Molecular Pathways of Islet Hormone Secretion
Key words
Diabetes, Biophysics, Systems Biology, Computational Biology, Hyperspectral Imaging, Glucagon
Anya Plutynski, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: aplutyns@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
General
Research summary
History and philosophy of biology & medicine, general philosophy of science, biomedical ethics
Key words
cancer, genetics, evolution, risk, modeling
Mary Politi, PhD
Professor
- Email: mpoliti@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Human and Statistical Genetics
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Research summary
Develop and implement effective health communication and decision making interventions in community and clinical settings
Key words
Elizabeth Ann Pollina, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: pollina@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Neurosciences
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Molecular Mechanisms of Nervous System Longevity and Rejuvenation
Key words
epigenetics, nervous system, DNA repair, aging, rejuvenation
Jay Ponder, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: ponder@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Computational and Systems Biology
Research summary
Computational chemistry, protein engineering, theoretical protein structure and folding
Key words
molecular modeling, protein structure, computational chemistry, molecular dynamics simulation, protein engineering
Cyril Pottier, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: cpottier@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
General
Research summary
Key words
Sumanth Prabhu, MD
Tobias & Hortense Lewin Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Disease
- Email: prabhu@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Immunology
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Key words
Amynah Pradhan, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: amynah@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
My lab studies the molecular mechanisms of migraine chronicity, with an emphasis on opioid receptors
Key words
Opioids, pain, migraine, mouse models, neuroplasticity, addiction
Michael Province, PhD
Professor
- Email: mprovince@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Human and Statistical Genetics
Computational and Systems Biology
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Research summary
Mathematical development of new statistical genetics methodology for complex traits
Key words
biostatistics, genetic epidemiology, human genetics, mathematical modeling, statistical genetics, systems biology
John Pruett, Jr., MD, PhD
Professor
- Email: pruettj@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Research summary
The neuroscience of ASD, social cognition and comparative cognition
Key words
fcMRI, fMRI, infant, autism, face perception, visual attention, psychophysics, social cognition, comparative cognition
Sidharth Puram, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: sidpuram@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Cancer Biology
Computational and Systems Biology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Research summary
Understanding the role of tumor heterogeneity in cancer biology, including its contributions to cancer development, growth, metastasis, and treatment resistance mechanisms, in order to translate these insights into new diagnostics and novel therapeutics
Key words
tumor heterogeneity; single cell; spatial transcriptomics; head and neck cancer; signaling
David Queller, PhD
Spencer T. Olin Professor
- Email: queller@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Plant and Microbial Biosciences
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Research summary
The evolution of sociality, cooperation, and cheating in a eukaryotic microbe, using experimental evolution, genomics, and other approaches
Key words
social interactions, evolution, microbiology, social amoebae, kin selection, moleuclar evolution, multicellularity, development, genomics
Muhammad Rai, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: rai.m@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Understanding the early molecular mechanisms that orchestrate changes in knee joint after injury and lead to the development of osteoarthritis.
Key words