Two New Researchers Join the Nanovaccine Institute

August 4, 2022 – Ames, Iowa – The Nanovaccine Institute is pleased to announce the addition of researchers Dr. Ratul Chowdhury and Dr. Molly Kozminsky to the Nanovaccine Institute.

Dr. Molly Kozminsky will join Iowa State University as an Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Kozminsky’s area of research focuses on nano and microtechnology for cancer research. Previous work has focused on high-throughput DNA-directed patterning in the tumor microenvironment. She was most recently a Postdoctoral Scholar in Chemical Engineering at the University of California – Berkeley.

Dr. Ratul Chowdhury will join Iowa State University as an Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Chowdhury’s area of research focuses on computational design of proteins for engineering, therapeutic, and point-of-care diagnostic use. Chowdhury’s previous work has focused on machine learning strategies for protein structure prediction from their amino acid sequences alone. He was most recently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Medical School Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology.

“Dr. Kozminsky and Dr. Chowdhury have made significant contributions in the areas of cancer nanotechnology and protein engineering, respectively, early in their careers,” says Dr. Balaji Narasimhan, Director of the Nanovaccine Institute. “We look forward to providing a welcoming and supportive environment within the Nanovaccine Institute that further enhances the impact of their research and advances nano-based therapies for public health and cancer.”

The Kozminsky Lab is seeking undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. Lab members will be investigating the role of the immune system in prostate cancer tumor cell dormancy and progression and developing novel strategies to fabricate 3D models of the tumor microenvironment. Interested candidates should contact Dr. Kozminsky at mollykoz@iastate.edu.

The Chowdhury Lab is seeking undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs interested in pursuing innovative ideas in biochemistry, biophysics, and computing. Interested candidates should contact Dr. Chowdhury at ratul@iastate.edu.

The Nanovaccine Institute is a consortium of 80 researchers at 24 universities, research institutes, national laboratories, and companies, founded and coordinated at Iowa State University. Our research is a transdisciplinary merger of expertise in immunology, nanotechnology, materials science, microbiology, neuroscience, cancer biology, gerontology, clinical science, and social science. Our vision is that nanovaccines and nanotherapeutics will revolutionize how we prevent and treat disease.