Careers in the Lab

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  César Carrasco-López

  Postdoctoral Associate / Email

  Dr. César Carrasco-López received his B.Sc. in Biology from University of The Andes (Venezuela, 2007) where he was trained in Biochemistry and Enzymology of neglected diseases as Chagas and Leishmaniasis. In 2008 he joined the Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology at the Institute of Physical-Chemistry “Rocasolano” (IQFR) in Madrid, as a graduate student. In 2009 he obtained his M.Sc. in Structure and Function of Proteins from the University of Zaragoza (2009), working on the crystallographic studies of novel enzybiotics. He completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain, 2012), while working at the IQFR. During this time, his work was focused on the structural characterization of several enzymes involved in the recycling and remodeling of the bacterial cell wall, key metabolic pathways related to antibiotic resistance of several human pathogens.
  He joined NYU Abu Dhabi as a postdoctoral associate in January 2014 where he is working on the structural and functional characterization of bioluminescent enzymes. He is also actively involved in setting up a protein crystallography core in the labs of Dr. Wael Rabeh and Dr. Pance Naumov. Publications
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  Khalid Ahmed Abdulla

  Visiting Scholar / Email

  Khalid, an Abu Dhabi native, received his B.S. in Neuroscience from the Ohio State University in 2014. During the course of his undergraduate career and under the mentorship of Dr. Derick Lindquist, Khalid assisted in investigating the deleterious effects of neonatal alcohol exposure on the developing central nervous system (CNS) in a rat model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. In particular, Khalid’s research interest was to delineate ethanol-induced alterations in synaptic and extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit composition in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex—brain regions critical for associative learning. Khalid joined Dr. Rabeh’s lab in summer 2015 to further his knowledge about protein structure and function in disease models and putative experimental pharmacotherapeutics, and is presently assisting Dr. Carrasco-López in characterizing bioluminescent proteins using fluorescent spectrometry. Ultimately, Khalid hopes to pursue a doctoral program in either the biomedical sciences or neuroscience to study neurodegenerative diseases and cancer of the CNS. For fun, Khalid enjoys traveling, playing the cello, and cooking.
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  Khairunnisa (Nisa) M Semesta

  Student / Email

  Nisa is a sophomore at NYU Abu Dhabi, pursuing a bachelor degree with a double major in chemistry and biology and a minor in Public Health. As a part of her Foundations of Science final project, she investigated the effect of sodium dodecyl sulcate addition on lysozyme protein micro crystals and various inorganic salt macro crystals. The combination of this research experience and her growing interest in biochemistry led her to work in the Structural Biology and Biophysical Chemistry. She is eager to explore the field of protein chemistry and drug discovery. Her passion in both science and policy making intersected in public health, especially drug policies, which led her to an internship with Pfizer Africa Middle East in Dubai, UAE, in summer of 2015.