Meet the Research Team.
Prof. Mazin Magzoub
Prior to joining NYUAD, Mazin was a Postdoctoral Associate in the laboratory of Prof. Alan Verkman at the University of California, San Francisco, where he developed novel biophysical methods for measurement of macromolecule diffusion deep in tissues such as tumors and brain. Subsequently, as an Associate Research Scientist in Prof. Andrew Miranker’s laboratory at Yale University, he worked on elucidating the mechanism of islet amyloid polypeptide cytotoxicity in type 2 diabetes.
Mazin received his B.Sc. in Physics from Imperial College London, and his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Stockholm University, where he studied the biophysical properties of cell-penetrating peptides in the laboratory of Prof. Astrid Gräslund.
His NYUAD profile can be found here.
Dr. Lognathan Palanikumar
Palani received his M.Sc. in Ecobiotechnology from Bharathidasan University, India, where he won the Best Student Project award of 2007. Palani then completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Science in 2011 at the School of Energy, Energy Environment and Natural Resources, Madurai Kamaraj University, India. Subsequently, Palani became a Senior Research Fellow and Research Associate in the laboratory of Prof. S. Ramasamy at Anna University, Chennai, India.
In 2013, Palani took up a Postdoctoral Associate position at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Korea, where he developed shell cross-linked polymer gated mesoporous nanoparticles to improve the poor drug encapsulation stability and delivery efficacy of nanocarriers. During this time, he completed two research projects funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea.
Palani joined the Magzoub lab in February 2018, where he is developing nanomaterials coated with light-sensitive caps for the targeted delivery and controlled release of chemotherapeutics.
Sumaya Al Hossani
Sumaya received her B.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from UAE University in 2010. She then joined Masdar Institute for Science and Technology as a Graduate Research Assistant. Sumaya continued at Masdar to complete her M.Sc. in Water and Environmental Engineering, during which she studied mechanisms of microorganism adaptation to harsh environments by applying whole cell transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq).
Sumaya joined the Magzoub lab in October 2016 to investigate physiological and transcriptome responses of cancer cells to novel chemotherapeutics.
Ibrahim Chehade
Ibrahim completed his M.Sc. in Integrative Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, specializing in the field of Environmental Toxicology and Endocrinology. Joining NYUAD in 2012, he has served as an Assistant Laboratory Instructor for the Foundations of Science Labs and courses in the Experimental Discovery in the Natural World track of the core curriculum.
Currently, Ibrahim is an Instructor of Biology, continuing his contribution and commitment to help build the excellence in teaching that is the hallmark of NYUAD.
Ibrahim joined the Magzoub lab in 2017, where is developing and testing novel small molecule inhibitors of amyloid proteins and peptides.
Mona Kalmouni
Mona received her B.Sc. with Honors in Molecular Biology from the University of Toronto, Canada. During her undergraduate studies, she was actively involved in research and worked part-time as a Health Information Specialist at a medical insurance company. After graduating, she became a Teaching Assistant for the Molecular Biology and Genetics course at the University of Toronto.
She then pursued her M.Sc. in Biotechnology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she worked on assessing the effects of gold nanoparticles on glioblastoma cell viability and autophagy.
She also received her M.Ed. from the Institute of Education at University College London, UK, while running an education center and carrying out various teaching duties. Her M.Ed. project investigated how well prepared first-year biology students are to study entry-level cell biology.
Due to her passion for teaching and science, she joined NYU Abu Dhabi in 2016 as an Associate Instructor of Biology for the Foundations of Science courses. Mona also recently joined the Magzoub lab where she will be focusing on developing cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as a potential cancer therapeutic strategy.
Laura Karpauskaite (left)
Laura is a Biology major and a minor in Art History at NYU Abu Dhabi. She is interested in the medicinal aspect of biology research, especially the novel approaches to drug delivery and therapeutics for amyloid diseases, which is why she joined Magzoub lab in Spring 2018.
When she isn't studying, Laura can be found with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in another. However, when the weather allows, she enjoys exploring Abu Dhabi by taking walks in different parts of the city.
Madeline Howarth
Spike the Cactus
The cactus originally joined the Magzoub Lab as a temporary guest when its roommate couldn’t store it in the student summer storage. Since then, it’s grown too tall to go anywhere without being a total prick. Now it shares Prof. Magzoub's office space, not contributing at all to our research, yet remains an undeniable presence and a good ear.
During its free time, the cactus enjoys sunbathing, conducting impressive biochemical reactions of its own (with no intention of publishing their mechanisms, mind you), and threatening people into watering it by shedding its needles mercilessly.
Our Alumni
Many students have contributed significantly to the Magzoub lab research. They are pursuing their ambitions out in the world! They are (left to right):
Daniel Obaji
Erna Kapetancic
Natalie Launder
Maria Vogel
Hadi Saleh