earned my Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tehran, Iran. Following this, I completed my first postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology, where I focused on lung mechanics and ventilation-induced lung injury. In 2024, I joined Columbia University as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Physiology at the Irving Medical Campus. My current research focuses on developing gene delivery systems for skin, aiming to advance therapeutic strategies with localized and targeted effects.
I am deeply passionate about my research and thrive in Columbia’s collaborative and dynamic environment. Beyond the lab, I am driven by a desire to connect with others, contribute to the scientific community, and make a meaningful impact. Motivated by this, I joined CUPS to engage with fellow researchers, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and help organize events that strengthen our postdoc community.
Tuhin Roy graduated from North Carolina State University (NCSU) with an M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics and a Ph.D. degree in Structural Engineering & Mechanics in 2021. Upon completion of his graduation, he continued as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Dr. Murthy Guddati’s group at NCSU working on guided wave inversion for the estimation of arterial stiffness from Shear Wave Elastography. In January 2023, Tuhin joined Dr. Elisa Konofagou’s laboratory at Columbia University as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist. He is engaged in research focusing on two main areas: Harmonic Shear Wave Elastography, aimed at characterizing tissue stiffness for breast cancer detection, and Pulse Wave Inverse Problems, targeted at characterizing vascular walls to identify cardiovascular diseases. His research interests include acoustics, signal processing, finite element analysis, and optimization for biomedical applications.
Tuhin joined the Columbia University Postdoctoral Society (CUPS) in 2023 and currently serves as the Chair of the Research and Professional Development (RPD) Committee for the 2024-2025 cycle. The RPD Committee plays a vital role in supporting the postdoc community by providing resources to enhance their current roles and preparing them for future career transitions. The committee organizes a variety of events, including exploring diverse career options, networking opportunities with professionals, panel discussions on women in science, immigration info sessions, talks promoting mental health and many more.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dept Microbiology & Immunology
Sandra has a PhD in Neuroscience from UAB (Barcelona). She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University. Her research is focused on understanding the role of mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum interactions in the pathophysiology of muscular dystrophy.
Sandra is the Co-Founder of the Outreach & Communications Committee (created Jan 1, 2019) and currently its Chair.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Ophthalmology
Obtained BS (2008) and MA (2010) from the University at Buffalo and PhD (2015) from University of Florida.
Currently Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Dept of Pathology&Cell Biology.
The Columbia University Postdoctoral Senator - the Columbia postdoctoral community is welcome to contact by email with any issues related to their professional experience. Any communications are confidential.
I received my PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). In January 2023, I joined Columbia University as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Researcher. I am based at the Zuckerman Institute, where I study the neural and genetic mechanisms underlying socio-sexual behaviour in Betta fish.
I am passionate about research outreach and social communication, which is why I joined CUPS very soon after I arrived in the big apple! And to have a good start, I became the new Secretary of CUPS. Since September 2024, I am Co-President of CUPS for Manhattanville.
Apart from my research goals, I hope I will be able to run the (half) marathon after some time in the city.
Marie holds a PhD in Neuroscience from ETH Zurich (Switzerland). She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University in the Department of Psychiatry. In her work she uses in vivo methods and genetic tools to understand the neural circuits that regulate motor function.
Marie is also the Co-Founder and former member (& Chair; 2019) of the Outreach & Communications Committee (created Jan 1, 2019). She was the Founder and Editorial Manager of the CUPS Blog now run by the Outreach&Comms Committee. During her time in the O&C Committee, her top goal was to develop & expand some of its sections: Meet our Postdocs, Science Stories and Event Highlights as well as to engage in Outreach activities across NYC.
After completing my PhD at Sorbonne University in Paris, France, I joined Columbia University Medical Center as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. My research focuses on DNA modifications and epigenetic regulation in the ciliate Oxytricha trifallax. During my PhD, I studied RNA modifications, specifically tRNA methylation and its roles in small RNA silencing, neurodevelopmental disorders, and lifespan regulation. Since 2022 I am a contributor to the CUPS blog. My passion about science communication inspired me to become Chair of the Outreach and Communication Committee of CUPS. In this role, I aim to bridge the gap between complex research and broader audiences, showcasing the beauty and impact of discovery. Outside the lab, I enjoy exploring new places, swimming, and biking.
After finishing her PhD in the Netherlands, Maaike Schilperoort joined the Tabas laboratory at the Department of Medicine of CUMC as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist. Her research focuses on mitochondrial dynamics and metabolic regulation of macrophages in the context of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Aside from being in the lab, she enjoys sports (fitness training, hiking, and biking), eating breakfast, and listening to podcasts.
As co-chair of the Outreach and Communication Committee of CUPS, Maaike aspires to build bridges between scientists of various disciplines and facilitate their engagement with the general public.
After completing my PhD in Neuroscience, I began my postdoctoral journey at Columbia University in June 2023 as a Research Scientist in the Department of Neurology. My research focuses on investigating cognitive impairments, particularly language deficits, in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis. This work aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms and improve understanding of how these impairments affect patients' daily lives.
After settling into this vibrant city, I sought opportunities to connect with others and expand my professional network. I began attending events organized by CUPS as a way to meet like-minded individuals and foster new relationships. These enriching experiences inspired me to take a more active role within the organization, and I soon joined the team as the Social Media Manager. In this capacity, I collaborate with colleagues to enhance community engagement and promote the society’s initiatives to support postdoctoral scholars at Columbia.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry
Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
After obtaining the PhD in pharmacology at the University Clinic of Bonn (Germany), I joined Columbia University in January 2021 to study neuronal mechanisms of food intake in the Institute of Human Nutrition. Here I met other amazing postdocs actively involved in CUPS, so I decided to join this great team as secretary.
In my free time I love to play board games, pen-and-paper RPG, and videogames, knit, complain about NY pizza, and volunteer for a cat rescue association.
Dhru obtained a PhD in Cancer Biology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, TX. Currently he is an Associate Research Scientist at the Department of Biomedical Engineering where he studies the effect of bacterial toxins on lung cancer.
Within CUPS, Dhru serves as the chair of Research and Professional Development committee and as the section manager for the Art & Humanities on CUPS blog as part of the Outreach and Communication committee.I'm working in neuroendocrinology at CUMC. During the day, I study eating disorders in mice. Being a postdoc often feels lonely, so after some time just talking to my mice, I decided to be part of some more human community and joined CUPS. I got to meet great people with fascinating life experience and supportive advice. I am pleased to take the lead of our society for the next year, and cannot wait to welcome all your eccentric and brilliant ideas to build a friendly and rich environment in Columbia. Looking forward to meeting you soon.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Dept of Pathology&Cell Biology
Carlos B. Rueda Diez holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and a M.Sc. in Molecular Biomedicine from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain). He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University, New York.
His research is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms of Glut1 deficiency, a pediatric neurodegenerative disease. His research interests are mitochondria, neurobiology and metabolism. Carlos is involved in STEM teaching and volunteers for educative purposes and is also interested in scientific divulgation, in order to bring research advances to public awareness.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology
Anderson SH Chu (HK) serves as a Principal Investigator (PI) at Columbia University. He got approved several grants and leads funded projects as the PI at Columbia University, centering on the physio-chemical-mechanical design, scaling-up production, functional design and practical applications of sustainable materials and resilient structures.
Chu earned his Ph.D. degree in Structural Engineering from The University of Hong Kong (HK), and received training from the University of Cambridge (UK) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) before joining Columbia University. According to Stanford University, he has been ranked into world’s top 2% scientists (world’s top 0.2% in Civil Engineering in 2022) since 2021. With a H-index of 28 and Scopus citation of 2000 (as of 2023), his original research findings have been disseminated in renowned journals, such as ACI Mater. J., Cem. Concr. Res., Cem. Concr. Compos., Eng. Struct., Compos. Struct., Addit. Manufact., Constr. Build. Mater., and Desalination.
Chu’s research interests in cement and concrete science revolve around: low carbon materials, resilient structures and functional design. He focuses on recovering low carbon cement from oceanic and waste resources, using it for carbon capture, utilization and storage, and ultimately data-driven design of functional composite materials. Based on physio-chemical-mechanical approaches, he engages in the development of bio-inspired concrete and infilled cementitious composites, in the realm of fiber reinforced concrete clusters, and incorporating functions such as microbial self-healing and underwater 3D printability. He employs an interdisciplinary combination of experimental and analytical techniques to facilitate interaction and knowledge transfer between academia and industry, with an eye on both basic and applied research. He has been involved in several practical projects and holds intellectual property rights for core technologies, all of which align with specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Chu’s commitment to advancing science is coupled by his active community services. He serves an editor for several journals, including an academic editor for Advances in Civil Engineering, and a research topic editor in Frontiers in Materials. He is a dedicated reviewer for a number of esteemed journals and delivered hundreds of high quality reviews. Regarding teaching, he has been a lead teaching assistant for Mechanics and Materials course, and a co-instructor for civil engineering courses. More importantly, he mentored over 60 undergraduate students, master students and Ph.D. students (co-mentored) across the US, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong, many of whom are playing critical roles in universities, government, and the industries worldwide. Over the past decade, he established robust and extensive domestic and international collaborations with some of the most excellent researchers within the field and across different disciplines, including geotechnical engineering, material science, and environmental science. He is an Associate Member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a member of American Concrete Institute (ACI) with an involvement in Committees 239 and 544.
Beyond research, Chu participates in university governance and community leadership. He serves as the President (main campus) of Columbia University CUPS, where he chairs Advocacy since 2022. He has been appointed as a Columbia University Senate Member from 2023 onwards. Prior to it, he was elected as the President (Deputy) of the university-wide student association at The University of Hong Kong for a row of two years.
More information: Google Scholar, Columbia hub, Website
Alban was trained as medical geneticist in France with a special interest in birth defect, hereditary hearing loss, autism spectrum disorder and exome sequencing. His research experience focused on monogenic diseases but also include oligogenic inheritance. He is a research associate in the Chung lab. He works on characterizing the natural history of several rare genetic disorders.