Division Staff Contacts

NIGMS Home > About NIGMS > Division Staff Contacts

Division Staff Contacts

Staff Contacts

Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences

To request more information or provide comments about NIGMS biophysics, biomedical technology, and computational biosciences programs, please contact the program staff below.

Paul Brazhnik, Ph.D.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Brazhnik oversees grants in the areas of computational modeling, mathematical biology, and biostatistics.

Judith Greenberg, Ph.D.
Acting Division Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Greenberg oversees the division's research programs in biomedical technology, bioinformatics and computational biology.

Dmitriy Krepkiy, Ph.D.
Biomedical Technology Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Krepkiy manages biomedical technology research resources and other technology development grants in spectroscopy and structural biology.

Peter Lyster, Ph.D.
Biophysics Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Lyster is currently on detail with the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program.

Peter Preusch, Ph.D.
Biophysics Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Preusch oversees grants on the biophysics of membranes and membrane proteins. He also serves as point of contact for the NIGMS Collaborative Project Grant for Multidisciplinary Team Science (RM1) and the NIGMS National and Regional Resources (R24) programs.

Veerasamy (Ravi) Ravichandran, Ph.D.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Ravichandran manages biomedical technology research resources and research and training grants in bioinformatics.

Michael Sakalian, Ph.D.
Biophysics Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Sakalian manages research grants in the biophysical studies of the viral life-cycle and in biophysical studies of nucleic acids and nucleoprotein complexes.

Paul Sammak, Ph.D.
Biomedical Technology Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Sammak manages biomedical technology research resources, technology development grants, and grants that develop cellular imaging technologies.

Mary Ann Wu, Ph.D.
Biomedical Technology Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Wu administers grant applications and awards for structural biology, in support of research resources and biomedical technology development.

Division of Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

To request more information or provide comments about NIGMS genetics and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology programs, please contact the program staff below.

Ronald Adkins, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Adkins oversees grants in the area of transcription mechanisms.

Alexandra Ainsztein, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Ainsztein oversees grants in the areas of protein processing and transport, membrane fusion, the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum, motor proteins, cytoskeletal filaments, and intracellular transport.

Michael Bender, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Bender oversees grants in the areas of RNA processing, mRNA metabolism and translational control, and regulatory RNAs. He also oversees predoctoral T32 training grants in Genetics.

Anissa J. Brown, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Brown oversees the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative, Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research and the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program and manages research grants in the area of protein synthesis.

Anthony Carter, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Carter is a program director in the NIGMS Division of Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with specialization in the areas of chromatin biology and epigenetics. He also oversees grants on mRNA metabolism and translational control.

Bob Coyne, Ph.D.
Developmental and Cellular Processes Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Coyne oversees grants in the areas of microbiome, biofilms, and quorum sensing.

Paula Flicker, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Flicker oversees grants in the areas of membrane biology and organelle biogenesis. She also administers grants in the Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biology dealing with cryo-electron microscopy and other approaches.

Shawn Drew Gaillard, Ph.D.
Developmental and Cellular Processes Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Gaillard oversees research grants focused on chromosome and nuclear structures, organismal response to environmental stressors, and microbiome, biofilms, and quorum sensing.

Kenneth Gibbs, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Gibbs oversees research grants in the areas of stem cell biology and regeneration.

Joseph Gindhart, Ph.D.
Cell Biology Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Gindhart oversees grants in the areas of the mechanics of mitosis and meiosis as well as in the area of chromosomal and genome stability.

Tanya Hoodbhoy, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Hoodbhoy oversees research grants in the area of developmental genetics and developmental signaling.

Daniel Janes, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Janes oversees grants in the areas of genetic variation, evolutionary genetics, and modeling for infectious diseases as well as in the area of chromosomal and genome stability.

Donna Krasnewich, M.D., Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Krasnewich oversees grants in the area of the genetic basis of human biology and manages the Predoctoral MD/PhD or Other Dual-Doctoral Degree Fellowships for Students at Institutions Without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (F30).

Stefan Maas, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Maas oversees grants in the areas of cell death, autophagy and homeostasis, endocytosis, lysosomes, and related organelles, as well as microbiome, biofilms, and quorum sensing.

Andre Phillips, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Phillips oversees grants on gene regulatory networks - genes, gene modifications or parts of genes, that interact in a coordinated manner with each other to control a specific cell function as well as grants on cellular protein folding and degradation.

Michael Reddy, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Reddy oversees grants in the areas of DNA Replication & Repair, and Protein Synthesis.

Desirée Salazar, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Salazar oversees research grants in the area of stem cell biology and regeneration.

Michael Sesma, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Sesma oversees research grants in the areas of the genetics of behavior and circadian biology, primarily in nonhuman research organisms, and K99 career development grants in the areas of genetics and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology.

Jianhua Xu, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Xu administers research grants on cell organization, mechanics, migration, and adhesion.

Dorit Zuk, Ph.D.
Division Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Zuk oversees grants for Training Modules to Enhance Data Reproducibility and grants on the Science of Science Policy in the biomedical research enterprise.

Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry

To request more information or provide comments about NIGMS pharmacology, physiology and biological chemistry programs, please contact the program staff below.

Vernon Anderson, Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Biorelated Chemistry Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Anderson oversees grants in the areas of metallobiology, trace metal homeostasis, bioenergetics, and redox reactions.

Oleg Barski, Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Biorelated Chemistry Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Barski oversees grants in the areas of enzyme catalysis and regulation, and intermediary metabolism. He also oversees postdoctoral fellowships.

Michelle Bond, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Bond oversees research grants covering glycoscience, carbohydrate chemistry, and natural products. She also manages postdoctoral fellowship awards.

Patrick Brown, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Brown manages the Bridges to the Doctorate program, Bridges to the Baccalaureate program and Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. He also manages predoctoral T32 grants in Biotechnology and research project grants in synthetic organic chemistry.

Sarah Dunsmore, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Dunsmore oversees research and small business grants in the areas of sepsis and septic shock. She also oversees career awards in sepsis.

Miles Fabian, Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Biorelated Chemistry Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Fabian oversees grants in the areas of chemical biology and molecular synthesis and design of chemical probes, and biotechnology and natural products. He also oversees predoctoral training grants at the Chemistry-Biology Interface.

Edgardo Falcón-Morales , Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Falcón-Morales oversees research grants in the areas of intracellular mediators of signal transduction and multi-organ physiology.

Martha Garcia, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Garcia oversees grants in the areas of drug biotransformation (including absorption, transport, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), as well as drug delivery strategies and determinants of drug kinetics. She also manages career and institutional postdoctoral awards in clinical pharmacology.

Zuzana Justinova, M.D., Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Justinova manages Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence and IDeA Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research grants. Additionally, she handles research grants and mentored career development awards in the areas of anesthesiology and peri-operative pain.

Sailaja Koduri, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Koduri oversees research grants in the areas of cell surface receptors and their interactions and intracellular mediators of signal transduction. She also manages predoctoral training grants in Pharmacological Sciences.

Rochelle M. Long, Ph.D.
Division Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Long oversees all research grants and activities in the Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry Division.

Zhongzhen Nie, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Nie oversees grants in the areas of calcium signaling, ion channels, and membrane components. He also oversees predoctoral training grants in Systems and Integrative Biology.

Jiong Yang, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Yang oversees grants in the area of synthetic organic chemistry. He also manages postdoctoral fellowships.

Xiaoli Zhao, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Zhao administers and oversees grants in the areas of systemic inflammation, hypermetabolism, and shock. She also oversees postdoctoral training grants and career awards in Injury and Critical Illness.

Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity

To request more information or provide comments about NIGMS training, workforce development and diversity programs, please contact the program staff below.

TWD Staff

Sydella Blatch, Ph.D.
Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Sydella Blatch, Ph.D. is a program director in the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD). She manages the Bridges to the Doctorate program, the Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (G-RISE), the Diversity Program Consortium’s Sponsored Programs Administration Development (SPAD), and co-manages the Bridges to the Baccalaureate and Maximizing Access to Research Careers programs.

Patrick Brown, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Anissa J. Brown, Ph.D.
Undergraduate and Predoctoral Training Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Edgardo Falcón-Morales, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Training Branch

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Falcón-Morales oversees grants in the Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT), NIH Diversity Program Consortium Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), and National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) portfolios.

Alison E. Gammie, Ph.D.
Division Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Gammie oversees the Division's Research Training, Career Development and Diversity Programs.

Kenneth Gibbs, Ph.D.
Undergraduate and Predoctoral Training Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Gibbs handles the MOSAIC K99/R00 and UE5 program and the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). He also oversees the predoctoral T32 grants in Biostatistics.

Desirée Salazar, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Training Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Salazar administers the Diversity Supplement Program, and the Re-entry Supplement Program and oversees predoctoral T32 Cellular, Biochemical and Molecular Sciences grants. She is also a program officer for the Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training, Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA) awards, and the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative.

Michael Sesma, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Training Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Sesma oversees postdoctoral programs for Research Training, Postdoctoral Fellowship and Career Development Programs, as well as the Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT), workforce modeling programs and the Coordination and Evaluation Center of the NIH Common Fund Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce initiative.

Shiva Singh, Ph.D.
Undergraduate and Predoctoral Training Branch
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Singh oversees predoctoral T32 Training Programs in basic biomedical sciences as well as the integrated medical and graduate research training through the Medical Scientist Training Program, predoctoral F30 and F31 Fellowships, and a broad array of undergraduate and graduate student development programs.

Training Program Staff

The following staff manage programs in TWD but are assigned organizationally to other NIGMS divisions.

Michael Bender, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Bender manages the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) and oversees predoctoral T32 grants in Genetics and postdoctoral T32 grants in Medical Genetics.

Paula Flicker, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Flicker oversees predoctoral T32 Molecular Biophysics grants, postdoctoral fellowships and K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Awards in Cell Biology and Biophysics.

Joseph Gindhart, Ph.D.
Branch Chief

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Gindhart oversees predoctoral T32 Cellular, Biochemical and Molecular Sciences grants.

Daniel Janes, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Janes oversees K99 awards.

Stefan Maas, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Maas directs the NIGMS predocT32 Medical Scientist Training Program and manages postdoctoral fellowships in Genetics and Developmental Biology.

Veerasamy (Ravi) Ravichandran, Ph.D.
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Ravichandran oversees predoctoral F31 and postdoctoral F32 fellowships in Biomedical Technology, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and manages the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program.

Michael Sakalian, Ph.D.
Biophysics Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Sakalian manages F32 awards in Cell Biology.

Dorit Zuk, Ph.D.
Division Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Zuk manages the R25 grants for Training Modules to Enhance Data Reproducibility.

Division for Research Capacity Building

To request more information or provide comments about NIGMS capacity-building programs, please contact the program staff below.

Krishan Arora, Ph.D.
Networks and Development Programs Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Arora manages the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) component of the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program.

L. Tony Beck, Ph.D.
Networks and Development Programs Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Beck manages the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program, the Serious STEM Interactive Digital Media SBIR and the NIH Curriculum Supplement Series.

Federico Bernal, Ph.D.
Research Advancement Programs Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Bernal manages the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) co-funding program as well as the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) and Regional Technology Transfer Accelerator Hubs for IDeA states initiatives. Additionally, he handles grants from the Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) program.

Sheila A. Caldwell, Ph.D.
Networks and Development Programs Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Caldwell manages the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program as well as components of the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program.

Behrous Davani, Ph.D.
Networks and Development Programs Branch
Program Director

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Davani manages the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase II initiatives, the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program, and the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program.