{"id":13,"date":"2019-04-26T15:12:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-26T19:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/mok-lab\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2026-03-27T20:58:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T00:58:31","slug":"our-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/mok-lab\/our-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Team<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

PI<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Wendy<\/div>

Wendy W. K. Mok, Ph.D.<\/strong>
\nPrincipal Investigator<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2013-2018
\n<\/strong>Postdoc\u00a0(Revson Postdoctoral Fellow\u00a02016-2018)
\nPrinceton University, Princeton, NJ
\nDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering
\nAdvisor: Professor Mark Brynildsen<\/p>\n

2007-2012
\n<\/strong>Ph.D.\u00a0(NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Scholar)
\nMcMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
\nDepartment of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences
\nAdvisor: Professor Yingfu Li<\/p>\n

View Faculty Bio<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Graduate Students<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Angela<\/div>

Angela D. Power, B.Eng.<\/strong>
\nPh.D. Program Student<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2016-2020
\n<\/strong>B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering, Wentworth Institute of Technology<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Travis<\/div>

Travis\u00a0LaGree, BSc.<\/strong>
\nPh.D. Program Student<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2016-2020
\n<\/strong>BSc. in Biology and Forensic Science, University of New Haven<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"J.P.<\/div>

Jipeng \"J.P.\" Yue, BA\u00a0<\/strong>
\nMD-Ph.D. Student<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2016-2020
\n<\/strong>BA in Chemistry (highest honors), Emory University<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Ariana<\/div>

Ariana Fantasia-Davis, BSc.<\/strong>
\nMD Capstone Student<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2018-2022
\n<\/strong>BSc. in IDEAS - Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts, and Sciences, Lehigh University<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Nathaniel<\/div>

Nathaniel Rodney, BSc.<\/strong>
\nYoung Innovative Investigator Program (YIIP) Scholar<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2021-2025
\n<\/strong>BSc. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Postdoctoral Researcher<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Jonathan<\/div>

Jonathan Batchelder, PhD<\/strong>
\nPostdoctoral researcher<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2017-2021
\n<\/strong>BSc. in Cell Biology, Bob Jones University<\/p>\n

2021-2025<\/strong>
\nPhD in Molecular Biology & Biophysics, UConn Health<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Nisha<\/div>

Nisha Mahey, Ph.D.<\/span><\/strong>
\nPostdoctoral researcher<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2012-2015
\n<\/strong>B.Sc., Medical (Botany, Zoology, Chemistry), Panjab University<\/span><\/p>\n

2015-2017
\n<\/strong>MSc., Zoology, Punjabi University<\/span><\/p>\n

2018-2023
\n<\/strong>Ph.D., Microbiology, <\/span>CSIR \u2013 Institute of Microbial Technology
\nAdvisor: Dr. Hemraj Nandanwar<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Anna<\/div>

Anna Truong, Ph.D.<\/span><\/strong>
\nPostdoctoral researcher<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2015-2019
\n<\/strong>B.Sc., Chemistry, BA Spanish, Rice University<\/span><\/p>\n

2019-2025
\n<\/strong>Ph.D., Chemistry, Duke University<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Advisor: Dr. Emily Derbyshire<\/p>\n

2022-2023
\n<\/strong>Fulbright Fellow, University of Melbourne (Dept. of Biochemistry & Pharmacology)<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Advisor: Dr. Stuart A. Ralph<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Ranjuna<\/div>

Ranjuna Weerasekera, Ph.D.<\/span><\/strong>
\nPostdoctoral researcher<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Education and Training<\/h3>\n

2004
\n<\/strong>B.Sc., Cell\/Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin<\/span><\/p>\n

2009
\n<\/strong>MSc., Biological Sciences, Marquette University<\/span><\/p>\n

2025
\n<\/strong>Ph.D., Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, <\/span>Wesleyan University
\nAdvisor: Dr. Rich Olson<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Undergraduate Student<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Former Members<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Patricia Hare, PhD<\/strong> (April 2020-November 2025) DMD-Ph.D. student, currently in dental school at UConn Health<\/p>\n

Juliet Gonzalez<\/strong> (June 2023-June 2025) Post-baccalaureate researcher, currently in Marshall B. Ketchum University's optometry doctoral program<\/p>\n

Jonah Haber, MD<\/strong> (June 2022-April 2025) MD capstone student, currently an anesthesiology resident at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital<\/span><\/p>\n

Sophie Bizink<\/strong> (September 2024-December 2024) Ph.D. program rotation student<\/p>\n

Nathaniel Rodney<\/strong> (June 2024-August 2024) UConn HCOP summer student, currently in Uconn Health's YIIP graduate program<\/p>\n

Shelene Mitchell<\/strong> (September 2023-December 2023) Ph.D. program rotation student, currently in Kim Lab at UConn Health Immunology<\/p>\n

Andrew Taylor<\/strong> (June 2023-August 2023, June 2021-August 2021) High school\/undergraduate researcher, Biomedical Engineering major at Boston University<\/p>\n

Ryan Quelle, BSc.<\/strong> (July 2022-June 2023) Post-baccalaureate researcher, currently entering Tufts University School of Dental Medicine<\/p>\n

Stephanie Schofield, BSc. <\/strong>(May 2021-May 2023) Undergraduate researcher\/thesis student, Fulbright Student Scholar at University of Heidelberg (Fall, 2023)<\/p>\n

Brandon Byrd, Ph.D.<\/strong>\u00a0(August 2019-April 2022) MD-Ph.D. student (Ph.D. received April 2022), currently School of Medicine at UConn Health<\/p>\n

Mishil Nana, BSc.<\/strong>\u00a0(June 2021-May 2022) Dental research student, currently School of Dental Medicine Student at UConn Health<\/p>\n

Ryan Higgins, BSc.<\/strong>\u00a0(June 2021-May 2022) Dental research student, currently School of Dental Medicine Student at UConn Health<\/p>\n

Maria Rocha Granados, Ph.D.<\/strong>\u00a0(April 2019-February 2022) Post-doctoral researcher, currently at Yale-New Haven Hospital<\/p>\n

Hanna Englander, BSc.<\/strong> (May 2019-May 2021) Undergraduate researcher\/thesis student, currently at UMass Chan Medical School<\/p>\n

Blesing Zenick, BSc.\u00a0<\/strong>(May 2019-November 2020) Post-baccalaureate researcher, currently in medical school (American University of Antigua)<\/p>\n

Isabella Gregor\u00a0<\/strong>(August 2020-October 2020) Remote high school student<\/p>\n

Alyssa Matz, BSc. <\/strong>(June 2019-August 2019) Ph.D. program rotation student, currently in Zhou Lab at UConn Health Immunology<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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