Current Members
Principal Investigator
Jinwoo Lee
Dr. Jinwoo Lee was born in Seoul, Korea. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hanyang University in 2006. After receiving his B.S. degree, he moved to the United States and started graduate research under the supervision of Prof. K. J. Glover at Lehigh University. His thesis research involved solving the membrane protein structure called Caveolin using the technique of solution NMR. In 2013, after receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry, he joined the lab of Prof. Lukas K. Tamm at the University of Virginia. He began working on the investigation of protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions in the Ebola Virus entry mechanism. In 2018, he joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland – College Park as an assistant professor.
Graduate Students
Hallie Pennington (2020 Spring – )
Hallie was born in Harrisonburg, VA, but moved to Hagerstown, MD in 2010. In 2017, she received an A.S. in Biology from Hagerstown Community College. She then obtained her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry from Shippensburg University in 2019. During her undergraduate career, Hallie worked as a pharmacy technician where she fell in love with the drug development field. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Dr. Lee’s lab, where she studies the structure and function of the Lassa virus fusion domain. In collaboration with Dr. William Snell (UMD), Hallie also has a side project focused on HAP2, a protein responsible for membrane fusion in Chlamydomonas.
Shane Collins (2021 Spring – )
Shane was born and raised in West Springfield, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelors in biology and chemistry from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. During undergrad, he worked with Dr. Marcia Marston to catalog marine viruses in Mt. Hope Bay. He then spent a year at Bristol Myers Squibb in their MS&T department analyzing biopharmaceuticals. Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Maryland, where he studies the structure and function of the Lassa virus stable signal peptide in the Lee lab.
Nicholas Schifano (2022 Spring – )
Nicholas Schifano is originally from the small town Keansburg NJ. He obtained his BS in Chemistry and MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences both from Rowan University. He started out his research career investigating structure activity relationships of antimicrobial peptides and peptide engineering. Upon completion of his MS degree, he has accomplished 2 publications and is now in pursuit of his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland. Currently, his topic of study is the membrane interacting domains of the LASV Glycoprotein GP2. His main goal is to understand the synergetic nature between host membranes, viral membranes, and GP2 that allow for an efficient viral lifecycle. All whilst exploring non-traditional approaches to NMR.
Idowu Moses Falomo (2024 Spring – )
Idowu was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, where he worked under Dr. J.K. Akintunde. He chose to further his education in the U.S. by pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, where he is currently investigating the TM domain of the LASV GP2 plus the structure and function of its SSP in Dr. Lee’s lab.
Kiruthika Arulmoly (2024 Spring- )
Kiruthika is from Sri Lanka. She received her B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from Eastern University, Sri Lanka. During her undergrad, she worked on the nutritional evaluation of green leafy vegetables. Soon after graduation, she served as a chemistry demonstrator for a year and as assistant lecturer the following year at her alma mater. During that time, she worked with synthesizing simple coumarins and studied their antioxidant activities. In 2020, she moved to the US for her higher studies and joined the protein engineering lab of Dr. James Horn at Northern Illinois University, where she studied pH-dependent binding of engineered VHH antibodies and graduated with an M.S. in Biochemistry. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Biochemistry
at Dr. Lee’s lab, University of Maryland.
Undergraduate Students
Quinn Mulvihill (2023 Spring – )
Quinn was born and raised in Calvert County, MD. She is a Biochemistry major here at UMD and researching the Lassa virus fusion domain. In her free time, Quinn likes to work out, hang out with friends, and read.
Forensic Chemistry Lab 2024 Summer Intern
Lucian Cook (2023 Summer – )
Lucian was born and raised in Sandy Spring, MD. He is majoring in Biochemistry and researching the Lassa virus glycoprotein 2. In his free time, Lucian enjoys running, playing sports, spending time with his family, and stargazing.
AstraZeneca Summer Intern – 2024 Summer
Sungjai Shin (2023 Summer – )
NSF REU UW 2024 Summer – UW Dr. David Baker Lab
Owen Willoughby (2024 Summer – )
Madoc Watson (2024 Fall – )
Madoc was born and raised in Towson, MD. He is majoring in Biology and researching the SARS-CoV-2 fusion domain. In his free time, Madoc enjoys watching movies, reading books, sports, and spending time with friends and family.
Natalie Shin (2024 Fall – )
Natalie was born and raised in Baltimore, MD before moving to Montgomery County. She is pursuing a dual degree in chemistry and public health science on the pre-med track and is researching the SARS-CoV-2 fusion domain. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, enjoying nature, and seeing live music.
Risa Verma (2024 Fall – )
Risa is from Greenbelt, MD. She is majoring in biochemistry with a minor in humanities, health, and medicine at UMD. Her research is focused on the SARS-CoV-2 fusion domain. Risa enjoys spending time with her friends and family, playing badminton, and baking.
Ishika Jain (2024 Fall – )
Ishika was born and raised in Hanover, MD. She is majoring in Biology with a concentration in Physiology and Neurobiology, and is part of the undergraduate team working on studying the COVID-19 fusion domain. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, reading books, and spending time with friends and family.
Amara Ruiperez Gabriel (2024 Fall – )
Amara was born in Puerto Rico, and she is a junior pursuing a double major in Biology and Chemistry. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, traveling and tutoring for Organic Chemistry. She is currently working in the lab with the objective of contributing to the development of effective COVID vaccines, while actively pursuing her pre-physician assistant track studies.
Research Assistants and High School Students
Aneesh Puranam (2024 Fall – 2025 Spring)
– Howard County Biotechnology Academy Program
Past Members
Graduate Students
#1 Patrick Keating (2019 Spring – 2024 Spring)
– Postdoc at IBBR (Dr. Jaekyun Jeon)
Patrick was born in Fort Hood, TX, but raised in Herndon, VA. He received his B.A. in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University. During his undergraduate education, Patrick worked in Dr. Bertrand Garcia-Moreno’s lab engineering protein pH switches using charged residues. Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Dr. Lee’s lab, where he studies the transmembrane domain of the Lassa virus glycoprotein 2.
#2 Daniel Birtles (2020 Spring – 2024 Summer)
– Postdoc at the University of Leeds (Dr. Sheena Radford)
Dan was born and raised in Dyserth, North Wales. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Liverpool John Moores University, before gaining an M.Res. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Chester where he worked under Dr. Frank Michelangeli. Following this, he chose to further his education in the U.S. by pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, where he is currently investigating the fusion domain of SARS-CoV-2 in Dr. Lee’s lab. Additionally, Dan has a side project centered around podocin.
Undergraduate Students
Jason Peng (2019 – 2020) – Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Josh Rich (2019 – 2022) – NIH Postbac Program – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Amogh Arun (2019 – 2020) – New York Medical College
Michael Jacobsen (2020)
Samira Mudd (2021 – 2022) – Master of Public Policy
Anna Oh (2021 Summer – 2022 Spring)
– Publication Protein Science
– Poster Presentation
Andrew Phillips (2022 Summer – 2023 Spring ) – Glyco T Therapeutics
Xinrui Wei (2022 Fall – 2023 Spring ) – Georgetown University Postbac
Zoe Shi (2021 Summer – 2023 Spring )
– Poster Presentation
– Publication ACS Omega
Wafa Abbas (2022 Summer – 2023 Fall )
Wafa was born in Pakistan but grew up in Rockville, MD. She is majoring in Chemistry. Her research is focused on the fusion domain of SARS-CoV-2. Wafa enjoys spending time with her friends and family, traveling, playing tennis, and watching re-runs of Friends.
– Poster Presentation
– Publication JPC-B and JBC
Matthew Kong (2022 Summer – 2023 Fall )
Matthew was born and raised in Olney, MD. He is majoring in Microbiology and researching the Lassa virus glycoprotein 2. In his free time, Matthew enjoys going out with his family, playing volleyball, working out, and walking his dogs.
– Publication BBA Biomembranes
Lora Abuobaid (2022 Fall – 2023 Fall)
Lora is from Rockville, MD, and is majoring in Chemistry. Her research is centered on the transmembrane domain of the Lassa virus glycoprotein 2. Outside of school, she likes to go hiking, read, bake, and hang out with friends and family.
Lijon Guiyab (2023 Spring – 2024 Spring)
Lijon is a biochemistry major and Asian American studies minor at UMD. Originally from Baltimore, MD, she enjoys baking, finding good cafes, and spending time with family and friends. She primarily researches podocin.
– FCBIS Poster Presentation
– Publication JBC
David Roh (2023 Summer – 2024 Spring) -UIUC Grad School Biophysics Ph.D. program
Addis Hiwot Belayneh (2023 Summer – 2024 Summer )
Addis is a Biochemistry major here at UMD. She was born in Ethiopia but I grew up in Olney, MD. She enjoys working out, reading, and spending time with family and friends. In the lab, she is research the stable signal peptide of Lassa virus.
Research Assistants
Shayan Sadegh (Postbac, Summer 2022 ) – GW Medical School
Born and raised in Potomac, MD. He graduated from UMD in 2020 with a B.S. in biochemistry and psychology. He then completed an M.S. in Physiology from Georgetown in 2021.
High School Students
Joshua Young (High School, 2021 Summer) – Yale University
Haley Kim (High School, Summer 2022) – University of Maryland College Park, Biology
Geon Ko (High School, 2023 Summer)
Jinsol Park (High School, 2024 Summer)
Honorary Members
Bomi
Jinwoo’s puppy. She may not be the best guard dog as she loves being around people and gets excited to see strangers. She loves to chew on everything, with her dad’s fingers being her favorite target.
Frankie
Shane’s puppy from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. He spends his downtime chewing on his favorite toys, including his parents. He loves playing with other dogs at the dog park, watching the city from his window perch, and snoozing the day away.
Liz
Dan’s puppy. Her favorite toy is a cookie. She has a severe case of FOMO and trouble holding her pee when she’s excited. If she isn’t sleeping or begging for belly rubs, then you can find her digging some holes or walking her parents!
Luna
Hallie’s cat from the Humane Society of Washington County. Her favorite toy is a hedgehog, which her mom calls “Hedgie.” Luna is a sweet, but sassy girl that loves people and cuddling with her parents. If she had it her way, then her food bowl would always be filled with fresh food.
Ophelia
Hallie’s cat from the Humane Rescue Alliance. She loves to terrorize her sister, eat her tail, scream, and run through her tunnel. Ophelia doesn’t let only having three legs slow her down and frequently runs out the front door when her parents get home.