Meet The Team

Dr. Bhattacharyya received her Ph.D. in Computational Biophysics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore where she used molecular dynamics simulations and graph theory to study allosteric communication in protein complexes. She made a transition into experimental biology during her postdoctoral studies at the University of California Berkeley. Here, she used structural biology and single-molecule microscopy to study the molecular mechanism of regulation in a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase that is critical for learning and memory. She started her lab at Yale University in the summer of 2020. Her focus is on understanding the molecular mechanism of signaling using an integrative approach.

Biosketch

​Dr. Kumar received his Ph.D. from the CSIR-IMTECH, India. He worked on redox regulation of glutathione biosynthesis and degradation using yeast as a model system. He then moved to the NIH-NIDDK to study chaperone-mediated stress response and protein degradation. Currently, his research focuses on understanding the regulation of Trk-family receptor tyrosine kinases and LRRK2, a kinase implicated in Parkinson’s disease etiology. In his spare time, he loves cooking and exploring nature.

Dr. Bhattacharjee completed his doctorate degree from NCBS-TIFR, India. In his Ph.D., he worked in the field of protein folding. He studied the folding and unfolding mechanisms of a sweet plant protein named double-chain monellin using hydrogen deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry. In this lab, he is trying to understand the structural basis of p75 receptors in the presence of different forms of neurotrophins that have been implicated in neuronal development, apoptosis and cell survival. He is using single molecule spectroscopy and cryo-EM to investigate them. In his free time, he loves to cook, watch and play different sports.

Gerard studied biology and biochemistry at Villanova University and conducted a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the NIH, where he studied protein and membrane trafficking events at the cellular level. Gerard now seeks to explore the molecular mechanism of the regulation of small GTPases at the membrane and their role in oncogenic signaling. Gerard is developing and using new technologies to answer these questions, hoping to decipher how the oily environment of the plasma membrane alters protein behavior. When he isn't in the lab, Gerard can be found trail running and fishing.

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​Rachel graduated with a bachelor’s in biochemistry from UCLA in 2020 and became a graduate student at Yale. In her undergrad lab, she worked on the mechanism of sortase, a bacterial pilin polymerase. Current projects include a joint mentorship between Dr. Bhattacharyya and Dr. Gupta to investigate the oligomerization of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BtK) on the membrane and optimize structural and functional assays in the context of the native membrane. Her free time is spent reading, playing tennis, or hiking around New Haven.

Harry received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from SUNY Stony Brook University in 2022. Under the supervision of Dr. Dongyan Tan, his undergraduate research aimed to understand the impact of histone variants on chromatin compaction and gene expression through various structural methods such as cryo-EM. In the Bhattacharyya lab, Harry is studying RTKs and the MAPK signaling pathway using cryo-EM and MD. Outside of lab, Harry enjoys working out, snowboarding, and bouldering!

Rhys studied bioengineering and materials science at UC Berkeley, graduating in 2023. During his time at Berkeley, he used photolithography techniques to fabricate biological sensing devices. Currently, Rhys is researching the causes of the differential effects of various Ras isoforms in human cancers and developing code to automate the lab's data processing needs. Outside of the lab, Rhys enjoys learning new recipes (and the science behind them) and reading, mostly fantasy.

Lukas is studying medicine at the LMU and TU Munich in Germany and is going to graduate in 2028 as a medical doctor. For his medical thesis he is doing structural and functional research on the transmembrane protein Wolframin and its alterations that lead to the Wolfram syndrome. In his freetime he loves lifting weights and running.