Dr. Silvia Bigatti
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Campus location: Indianapolis
Research Area: Health Disparities
Research Link: https://fsph.iupui.edu/about/directory/bigatti-silvia.html
Research Area keywords: Biopsychosocial factors associated with disadvantage
Research Description: This summer the student will help with the summer program we run for Latinx youth: Your Life Your Story. It is a summer day camp experience focused on increasing resilience and bicultural identity for teenagers. If you are interested in mental health, health disparities and psychosocial factors, and full of energy, consider this opportunity.You can learn more at the link below and watching this short video: https://vimeo.com/100898873
Dr. L. Jean Camp
CS/Informatics / Security and Privacy
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: security and privacy
Research Link: https://www.usablesecurity.net/
Research Area keywords: human-centered, design for trust
Research Description: end to end user empowerment
Dr. Amar Flood
Chemistry
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Optical materials
Research Link: https://floodweb.sitehost.iu.edu/
Research Area keywords: chemistry, crystal growing, spectroscopy
Research Description: We have created the world's brightest fluorescent materials and need help designing the next generation of advanced optical materials using data-centric approaches
Dr. Sarath Chandra Janga
Biohealth Informatics / Bioinformatics
Campus location: Indianapolis
Research Area: Genomics, Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Programming, Biomedical Informatics
Research Link: https://jangalab.sitehost.iu.edu/
Research Area keywords: Genomics, Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Programming, Biomedical Informatics
Research Description: The Janga Lab of Genomics and Systems Biology develops computational approaches to mine complex and heterogeneous data sources publicly available in biomedical sciences, with the goal of understanding how the regulation, structure and dynamics of biological systems shape the phenotypic landscape of an organism and its relevance to disease conditions. To achieve this overarching goal we exploit diverse sources of data, resulting from the ever increasing number of high-throughput technologies, to convert it into knowledge.
Dr. Caroline Jarrold
Chemistry
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Physical Chemistry
Research Link: https://jarrold.lab.indiana.edu/
Research Area keywords: Atmospheric chemistry, catalysis
Research Description: Use of mass-selective spectroscopy to study complex reactions relevant in atmospheric processes.
Dr. Lei Jiang
Intelligent Systems Engineering / Intelligent Systems Engineering
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Machine Learning
Research Link: www.jianglei.org
Research Area keywords: neural network, privacy, big data
Research Description: building private neural networks on encrypted data
Dr. Jay Lennon
Biology / Evolution, Ecology, & Behavior; Microbiology
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Microbiology
Research Link: https://microbes.sitehost.iu.edu/
Research Area keywords: dormancy, viruses, bacteria, evolution, ecology
Research Description: Microorganisms are the most abundant and diverse life forms on Earth. They have fast reproductive rates and evolve rapidly to changes in their environment. Microbes also carry out processes that are critical for the stability of engineered, environmental, and host-associated ecosystems. From test tubes to the globe, we study the ecology and evolution of microbial communities. We are interested in the factors that generate and maintain microbial biodiversity. In turn, we seek to understand the implications of microbial diversity for ecosystem functioning. To address these questions, our team uses a combination of molecular biology, modeling, data mining and synthesis, laboratory experiments, and field surveys in a wide range of habitats.
Dr. Jing Liu
Physics / Biophysics
Campus location: Indianapolis
Research Area: Biophysics and Bioimaging
Research Link: https://science.iupui.edu/physics/research/faculty-labs/liu-lab/index.html
Research Area keywords: RNA imaging, DNA physics, live-cell imaging
Research Description: Developing imaging methods and analytic tools for fundamental understandings of DNA and RNA
Dr. Ehren Newman
Psychological and Brain Sciences / Neuroscience
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Neurobiology of memory and navigation
Research Link: https://memlab.sitehost.iu.edu/
Research Area keywords: Memory, Navigation, Cognition, Physiology, Animal models
Research Description: My lab studies how neural circuits and their physiology enable spatial memory. We use a wide variety of methods including behavioral analysis in rats, electrophysiology, optogenetics, pharmacology, and others.
Dr. Heather O'Hagan
Medical and Molecular Genetics / Medical Sciences
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Cancer epigenetics
Research Link: https://ohaganlab-iu.mystrikingly.com/
Research Area keywords: epigenetics, signaling, differentiation, DNA damage
Research Description: The overall focus of the O'Hagan lab is to determine how epigenetic factors contribute to cancer initiation, progression and therapy response. We study how the acute chromatin response to inflammation and/or DNA damage results in heritable epigenetic changes during carcinogenesis. We are also interested in how altered epigenetic states promote cancer.
Dr. Hanxiang Peng
Mathematical Sciences / Statistics/Bio-statistitics
Campus location: Indianapolis
Research Area: Big data statistical analysis, high dimensional statistical inference
Research Link: https://math.iupui.edu/~hanxpeng/
Research Area keywords: Big data, high dimension, semi-parametric regression
Research Description: Statistical inference for big data high dimensional models
Dr. Randall Roper
Biology / Genetics
Campus location: Indianapolis
Research Area: Down syndrome
Research Link: https://science.iupui.edu/people-directory/people/roper-randall.html
Research Area keywords: Genetics; trisomy; gene expression; development; bone
Research Description: Our experiments strive to understand how three copies of genes associated with Trisomy 21 cause skeletal and neurobehavioral abnormalities associated with Down syndrome
Dr. Selma Sabanovic
Informatics / Cognitive Science
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Human-robot interaction, social robotics, social studies of technology
Research Link: https://news.iu.edu/iu-experts/profile/m/912/sabanovic-selma
Research Area keywords: socially assistive robots, participatory design, cross-cultural studies, user studies
Research Description: Dr. Selma studies the design, use and consequences of social robots in various contexts, including homes, schools, assistive and therapeutic applications, and interpersonal communication. She directs the R-House Laboratory for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research at IUB, where faculty and students come together to study the principles of human-robot interaction, and to design and evaluate robots for various applications. Dr. Selma and her collaborators also often work with members of the community, including older adults, caregivers, students and teachers, to identify promising uses and designs for robotic technologies that can benefit users. There are several ongoing projects in the lab. One project involves the design of communication and interaction capabilities for a new robot prototype, Haru (https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/honda-research-institute-haru-social-robot), developed by Honda Research Institute in Japan. We are working with Honda to design how the robot might talk to and help people in their homes, how it can be used as a remote presence platform, as well as how it can support intergenerational interaction between adults and children. A second ongoing study involves patients and clinicians working together with researchers to design a socially assistive robot to provide support for, and as an intervention to alleviate the symptoms of, depression. For this project we focus on developing adaptive and personalizable interaction capabilities for Therabot (https://mytherabot.com), an animal type companion robot. The project will allow both patients and clinicians to customize the capabilities and behaviors of the robot in order to improve patient health and well-being. A third project involves develop the QTrobot to assist older adults to reflect on, develop, and maintain their sense of purpose and meaning and life as they age. In this project, we explore how robots can engage older adults in conversations and interactions, develop computer vision and dialogue systems that allow the robots to understand people's feelings and attitudes, and construct models of interaction that help the robots make appropriate suggestions to older adults. Research activities for students on these projects include learning how to work with, program and control robots, recruiting and scheduling participants, running participants for studies in and outside the lab, going to relevant field sites with robots to observe human-robot interaction, collecting and managing textual, audio, and video data, discussing study design, results, and implications, attending regular lab meetings, and working closely with other faculty and students engaged in the project. If you are interested in such topics, we invite you to join us in our studies.
Dr. Babak Seradjeh
Physics
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Quantum Matter
Research Link: https://qdyn.physics.indiana.edu
Research Area keywords: Macroscopic quantum phenomena
Research Description: The biggest mysteries of the universe are not hiding only in faraway galaxies or among subatomic particles. Instead, they may be in your hand, literally, as you hold a pencil. When you use that pencil to draw a line on a sheet of paper, you are creating your own sample of "graphene," which has been hailed as a wonder material and garnered its discoverers the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics. For example, electrons in graphene move as if they have no mass, just like light. In recent years, graphene and many other materials have been shown to host many other exotic physics previously thought to only exist either in the large-scale fabric of cosmos or in the subatomic space between elementary particles. This is an exciting era in the science that studies such physics in everyday materials, known as condensed matter physics. My research is focused on the theoretical study and understanding of stable exotic phases that are realized when electrons are subjected to external periodic forces, such as strong lasers. This is a bit like playing ping pong with light to form novel arrangements. I am also interested in demonstrating novel uses of these materials that could lead to breakthrough technologies and solve substantial computational, economic, or social problems.
Dr. Patricia Silveyra
Environmental and Occupational Health / Environmental Health
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Lung disease, air pollution
Research Link: http://silveyralab.com/
Research Area keywords: mouse models, asthma, sex differences, sex hormones, ozone, vaping
Research Description: My laboratory investigates mechanisms mediating sex differences in lung inflammation and lung disease.
Dr. Sara Skrabalak
Chemistry
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Materials Chemistry/Inorganic Chemistry/Nanoscience
Research Link: https://skrablab.sitehost.iu.edu/index.shtml
Research Area keywords: Nanoparticles, Catalysis, Synthesis, Energy, Security
Research Description: You will learn to synthesize nanoparticles and characterize their properties for use in critical applications
Dr. Haixu Tang
Computer Science / Computer Science & Data Science
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Bioinformatics
Research Link:
Research Area keywords: Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Mass Spectrometry, Peptides
Research Description: We aim to develop deep learning algorithms for predicting tandem mass spectra of peptides. We will explore the applications of predicted spectra to improving peptide identification in proteomics. We will also develop transfer learning approach to exploit the model for predicting other properties of peptides.
Dr. Zoran Tiganj
Computer Science / Data Science, Cognitive Science
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Artificial Intelligence
Research Link: https://homes.luddy.indiana.edu/ztiganj/
Research Area keywords: Brain-inspired Artificial Intelligence
Research Description: My research aims to build artificial systems that can mimic the human ability to learn and reason. To achieve that we use data from cognitive science and neuroscience coupled with computational tools from artificial intelligence. Domains of application include reinforcement learning, spatial navigation, natural language processing and computer vision.
Dr. Claire Walczak
Medical Sciences / Cell Molecular and Cancer Biology
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Control of Genome Stability
Research Link: https://walczaklab-iu.mystrikingly.com/
Research Area keywords: cancer cell biology, chromosome segregation, aneuploidy
Research Description: Our lab studies the mechanisms that cells utilize to accurately segregate chromosomes during mitosis. We take an interdisciplinary approach using biochemistry, cell biology, imaging and analysis to probe protein function in mitosis. Our work helps identify new targets for drug development to treat cancer and proliferative diseases.
Dr. Jian Xie
Mechanical and Energy Engineering / Mechanical and Energy
Campus location: Indianapolis
Research Area: Energy
Research Link: http://et.engr.iupui.edu/~jianxie/index.htm
Research Area keywords: fuel cells, battery, nanomaterials
Research Description: catalyst, electrode materials, electrolyte, membrane
Dr. Xingchen Ye
Chemistry / Materials Chemistry
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Nanoscience
Research Link: https://ye.lab.indiana.edu/
Research Area keywords: materials chemistry, electron microscopy, polymers
Research Description:
Dr. Joshua Ziarek
Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry / Biochemistry
Campus location: Bloomington
Research Area: Membrane protein biophysical chemistry
Research Link: ziareklab.com
Research Area keywords: structure/function, conformational dynamics, allostery, drug discovery, NMR
Research Description: Proteins are the workhorses of life. The paradigms that i) protein structure equals function and that ii) protein-protein interactions replicate locks and keys are vast oversimplifications of the natural world. In reality, their structures dynamically fluctuate through an ensemble of conformations across the picosecond-second timescale. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the only experimental technique capable of quantifying motions over this entire time period. Our lab applies a combined NMR, biochemical, and cell-based approach to study the structural dynamics of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their associated signaling partners. This protein superfamily comprises 4% of the human genome – directly responsible for recognizing numerous everyday chemical such as caffeine, nicotine, antihistamines as well as most illicit drugs (marijuana, amphetamines, opiates). By understanding how GPCRs move in time, we aim to develop therapeutics for a wide range of ailments from drug abuse and cancer to cardiovascular, neurological and autoimmune diseases.
