Meet the Lab!
David W. Sanders (PI)
David Sanders is a tenure-track assistant professor at UT Southwestern . Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University (advisor: Cliff Brangwynne), where he studied the regulation and (dys)function of protein-RNA networks in cellular organization and RNA homeostasis. Before this, he was a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis (advisor: Marc Diamond). In his PhD work, he determined that different tau protein aggregate structures stably replicate to cause distinct neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of lab, he enjoys EXTREME METAL, EXTREME WEATHER, cuddling with his EXTREME Yorkie (and new addition to family: his papillon), running (not extreme), creative writing (often extreme), drinking champagne with his EXTREMEly patient life partner (hi Mel!), and trying her patience by continually making up excuses to go back to lab at unreasonable times during the night/weekend/holidays (sorry Mel!). He was born and raised in Kansas City and received a Neurobiology BS from the University of Kansas. He values transparency and clear communication. Hopefully, you do too.
Grigorii Sultanakhmetov (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Grisha is broadly interested in the biophysics of disease-associated proteins in biomolecular condensation. He was educated in Russia, earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physics from Lomonosov Moscow State University. He completed his Ph.D. in Molecular Neuroscience at Tokyo Metropolitan University, where he drew new insights into the regulation of tau phosphorylation. Raised in a city of factories, Izhevsk, but in a family with roots in the countryside, he loves landscapes, farmer work, and wild nature. When not in lab, he enjoys hiking, running, futsal, movies, books, and chess.
Michael Jimenez
(Research Scientist)
Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2019. A native of the Oak Cliff area in Dallas, Texas, Michael discovered his fascination for cells thriving in extreme conditions within the human body after completing his electrical engineering degree. He aspires to unravel how molecules respond to diseases and aging. The enthralling realm of quantum biology, defined by its unpredictable interactions within dynamic cellular systems, continues to deepen his scientific curiosity. Michael's objective is to bridge his community to medical science, establish outreach programs for minorities, and continuously learn from accomplished mentors. Outside the lab, Michael is an avid runner. His diverse interests include biking, yoga, soccer, and spending quality time with his three cats and dog, as well as immersing himself in compelling scientific literature during moments of leisure.
Vaibhav Bommareddy (Rotation Student, MSTP)
Vaibhav is a first year MSTP student at UT Southwestern. He was born and raised in Houston, TX, and completed a BS in Neuroscience at UT Dallas in 2020. He is broadly interested in longevity research, with a specific focus in the dysregulation of the genome and protein-protein interactions, and how metabolites and RNA play a role in these age related disease states. During his rotation in the Sanders Lab, he is pushing the lab’s proteomic technologies forward toward discovery of ligands that toggle oligomerization domain network switches. David hopes he chooses to join as a full time member!
Yasmeen Khan
(Postdoctoral Fellow)
Yasmeen is broadly interested in the role of RNA-protein interactions in the formation of biomoecular condensates. She was educated in Delhi, India, receiving her Bachelor's and Master's in Biochemistry from Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia, then earning a PhD from CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. At CSIR, she characterized the biophysical mechanism by which nucleolin’s individual RNA-binding domains cooperatively recognize G-quadruplex structures in nucleic acids. As a postdoc in the Sanders Lab, Yasmeen will be expand her RNA biology expertise from in vitro systems to living systems. Outside of lab, one can find her trying new food, exploring new places, and playing badminton.
Rupam Khan
(Postdoctoral Fellow)
Rupam is the future!
YOU?!?
The Sanders Lab continues to recruit passionate graduate students from UT Southwestern, as well as undergraduates and high school interns in the local area. We have already recruited two young scientists for summer research positions! If you are passionate about curiosity-based research at the interface of health and disease, please reach out to David by e-mail and include a paragraph about why you are excited about potentially joining our group!
UNFORTUNATELY, the Sanders Lab is not able to consider additional postdoctoral fellows, senior scientists, or research technicians at this time. However, we would gladly consider outstanding scientists who are fully funded by external fellowships. We hope to have more senior positions available soon!
ALUMNI
GIVE US TIME! WE JUST STARTED!