Outreach and Communications Committee

I come from The City of Joy, Kolkata, located in India. I have completed my PhD in Biotechnology from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology. During my PhD, I tried to figure out the intricacies of The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in MASLD and hepatic proteotoxic stress. At Columbia University, I work in the Tabas laboratory at the medical campus. My research here is focused on unravelling the connection between Atherosclerosis and MASH and to delineate the molecular players involved in this axis. As the co-chair of the Outreach and Communications committee of CUPS, my endeavour will be to make science and its very many fascinating facets easily accessible to one and all by representing some chosen concepts in a lucid manner. Outside of science, I am obsessed with my fitness regime, books, podcasts, and music. I inherently have an inquisitive mind and therefore, love to explore new places and make new friends.

I am a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics focusing on single-cell sequencing-based assessment of gastric and esophageal cancer development, working with RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and spatial transcriptomics data. Before joining IICD, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at New York University Langone Medical Center in the Department of Ophthalmology where I investigated the genetic mechanisms and biological pathways that lead to the pathogenesis of Keratoconus, a degenerative corneal disease.
I hold a PhD in Biological Sciences from Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom, but my academic journey started back in Brazil by getting my Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, where I worked for many years as an undergraduate research assistant in an animal pharmacology lab. It was my first real exposure to science and it showed me how impactful scientific discoveries can be.
I joined CUPS in 2025 and I serve as co-chair of the Outreach and Communications Committee, where I review and write blog posts about research papers from fellow Columbia postdocs. This is something I’m genuinely excited about because I love translating complex science into clear, engaging stories that can reach people beyond the academic bubble. I also really value being part of CUPS because it opens the door to meeting postdocs across different fields and interacting with scientists I wouldn’t normally work with. I find these exchanges genuinely inspiring, and they have helped me grow both as a researcher and as a science communicator.

Carlos is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Zuckerman Institute. After obtaining a PhD in Immunology from Cornell University, he joined the Polleux Lab to study the role of microglia in synaptic development. He is passionate about making scientific knowledge accessible to the general public, building trust in the scientific process and inspiring communities along the way. He currently serves as co-char of the Outreach & Communications Committee of CUPS.

I am a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the field of (Theoretical) Immunology and am affiliated with the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology. My research focuses on delineating the mechanisms underlying the generation and maintenance of memory T cells, and on identifying decisions that determine their fate.

As the co-chair of CUPS O&C committee, I hope to translate new pieces of current science for educational purposes and for entertainment. In CUPS, I strive to create a comfortable and cohesive social environment where postdocs can collaborate on creative and interesting (amusing or absurd) projects.