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Postdoctoral Associates
Natasha Duggan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Scripps
Natasha earned her MSPH with a focus in Tropical Medicine from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in 2014. She then earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Virology from the University of Miami where her work focused on isolating anti-HIV neutralizing antibodies. Currently she is conducting her post-doctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute where she is investigating HIV latency reversal agents. Natasha wants to establish an academic career that focuses on diagnosing and treating viral diseases in underrepresented populations. In her free time Natasha enjoys watching movies, painting, travelling, and being outdoors.
Vedita Anand Singh, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Scripps
Vedita earned her Ph.D. in virology from Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee (IIT-R) India, where she extensively studied chimeric alphavirus virus-like particles (VLPs) for various biomedical applications, such as diagnostics, drug discovery and immunization. During her doctoral studies she has gained valuable training in fundamental virology as a visiting scholar at Purdue University, USA through OVDF 2019 fellowship program sponsored by SERB-DST, India. Vedita is passionate about exploring the uncharted virology territory, seeking functional solutions. At Chanda lab, her research focuses on host-pathogen responses with a focus on identifying cellular antiviral responses and molecular signatures linked to severe disease. Beyond research, Vedita finds solace in meditation, culinary adventures, and connecting with new acquaintances.
Daniel Fuentes, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Scripps
Daniel received a Master’s in Genetics and Cellular Biology followed by a Ph.D. in Molecular Virology at the National Center of Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC). He enjoys learning new things related to science and the universe. Daniel sets ambitious goals and pushes himself to achieve them. Joining the Chanda Lab offers him the opportunity to solve problems in virology. In his free time, he enjoys sports, including handball, football, swimming, running, cycling and paddle tennis. Afterwards, the best recovery is having a drink and spending quality time with my friends.
Romel Rosalez Ramirez, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Calibr
Romel received his PhD in Infectomics and Molecular Pathology from Center for Research and Advanced Studies-IPN in Mexico City. During his studies, he has worked on virus-host interactions on dengue virus. He did his postdoctoral training with Professor Adolfo Garcia-Sastre on antiviral research on SARS-Cov2 at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He joined Chanda Lab in 2024. He is a proud cat father of two and loves to spend time with his family. Romel enjoys cooking and watching sci-fi movies.
Huan He, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Scripps
​Huan, earned her master's degree, specializing in lentiviral-vector-based gene therapy in Virology, at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. She then pursued a Ph.D. in the realm of protein trafficking between cell membranes in Microbiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. In the Chanda Lab, her work focused on the exploration of new regulators in the innate and adaptive immune responses through the application of CRISPR-CAS9 whole genome screening. During her leisure moments, she treasures the simple pleasures of life, finding joy in the company of her friends.
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Saikat De, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Calibr
Saikat accomplished his Ph.D. degree at DBT-Institute of Lifesciences, Bhubaneswar, India. He worked with the molecular virology team, primarily involved in determining the mode of action of several novel or pre-existing compounds against different viruses (CHIKV, HSV1, JEV, and SARS-CoV-2). He also has experience in host-virus interaction, drug discovery and animal handling, especially Chikungunya-animal model development. Saikat is interested in the identification of novel pro and antiviral host factors in different viral infections. He joined Chanda Lab to pursue his aims in the virology field and to a greater extent. He enjoys playing outdoor games like cricket and several activities like acting, thereupon spending quality time with friends and family is the best repossession.
