Dive in, Discover and co-Create the Next Wonders in Holford Lab of Chemical & Biological Diversity

Mandë Holford is a Professor in Chemistry at CUNY-Hunter College and Graduate Center, with scientific appointments at the American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medical College. Her appointments reflect her traditional training in synthetic peptide chemistry and her subsequent interest in evolution of venomous marine organisms and characterization of venom peptides. Dr. Holford’s research is at the forefront of Chemical and Biological Diversity – pioneering an evolutionarily integrated approach to the discovery of novel venom peptides for therapeutic development in pain and cancer. 

Bobby Habig is an Assistant Professor at Mercy College and a research collaborator at the

American Museum of Natural History and the Research Foundation of the City University of

New York (Hunter College). His integrative research program encompasses evolutionary

biology, urban ecology, biological anthropology, and science education. As a research associate at

Hunter College, Dr. Habig is collaborating with Mandë Holford on an Innovative Technology

Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) grant from the National Science Foundation.

Saurabh is a dedicated Postdoctoral Researcher who earned his doctoral degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University, India (2014-2019). His research journey began with a focus on assessing the anticancer potential of toxins derived from Indian spectacled cobra venom. Driven by a fascination for venomics, he continued to pursue his passion at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), where he served as a Postdoctoral fellow (2019-2022). During this tenure, his efforts were dedicated to mitigating snakebite-induced morbidity and mortality in both India and Sub-Saharan Africa. His pioneering work involved the development of advanced snakebite therapies that were not only effective and safe but also accessible and affordable. Dr. Attarde's research interests seamlessly merge with his broader curiosity in venom therapeutics, signifying his relentless pursuit of knowledge and innovation in the realms of toxinology and medical science.

Franny Geller is a PhD candidate in evolutionary biology and animal behavior at the CUNY Graduate Center, as well as a professional ensemble singer, who has discovered the perfect marriage of her interests in the biology of bird song. While plugging away at her dissertation on avian cultural evolution, Franny is also working with Drs. Habig and Holford as a research assistant on their ITEST grant.

Praveena is a PhD student in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology Program. She received a BSc in Biomedical Science from Imperial College London in 2019 with a specialisation in infection and immunity. She then graduated with an MPhil from the University of Cambridge in 2020 studying placental macrophages across species. She spent the last year working in an RNA therapeutics lab at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology at A*Star in Singapore, cloning plasmid constructs to validate splice-shifting oligonucleotide therapies. 

Afeeda is an undergraduate junior majoring in Human Biology at Hunter College. She became a member of Holford lab in Summer 2023. Her future goal is to pursue a doctorate degree in the field of medicine after completing her undergraduate studies.

Nusrat is an undergraduate junior majoring in Biology and BA/MA in Psychology at City College of New York. She joined the Holford Lab in Summer 2021. After graduating, she hopes to pursue an MD-PhD degree and aims to do further research on psychoneuroimmunology related to glioblastoma.

Brandon is an undergraduate junior majoring in Chemistry, Computer Science, and Statistics at Hunter College. He joined the Holford Lab in the Summer of 2022. After graduating, Brandon hopes to pursue a Phd degree.