Meet the UAPA Members
Check out the bios below of the current members of the UAPA Executive Board and UAPA Committees.
Robert (Rob) Jackson, Ph.D.
UAPA Chair & Executive Board Member |
Rob received his PhD in Biotechnology at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada where he studied cancer-causing human papillomaviruses (HPVs). He is currently a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Koenraad Van Doorslaer at the School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences and BIO5 Institute. Rob’s basic science research incorporates three-dimensional human tissue culturing, high-throughput sequencing, and bioinformatics to better understand the interactions between host differentiation and HPV’s life cycle. Rob joined the UAPA Professional Development Committee to help our postdoc community recognize, strengthen, and showcase their skills.
Email: robjackson@arizona.edu |
Holly Andrews, Ph.D.
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Holly earned her Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at University of California, Riverside, CA, where her dissertation work focused on understanding patterns and mechanisms of trace gas emissions following soil re-wetting in dryland ecosystems. She is currently a NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology working with Dr. Laura Meredith in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and the BIO5 Institute. Integrating multi-omic and stable isotope techniques with trace gas and soil chemistry measurements, Holly is continuing to investigate metabolic pathways of nitrous oxide production in soils under fluctuating water availability. She is currently testing hypotheses in an experimental tropical rainforest (Biosphere 2) which experienced strong drought, as well as in a fertilized sorghum field (Maricopa Agricultural Center). Holly joined the UAPA Social Committee to continue to facilitate opportunities for postdocs to socialize outside of the university setting as well as to engage in informal peer mentoring during this transient and confusing career stage.
Email: hollyandrews@arizona.edu |
Daniel Nuyujukian, Ph.D.
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Daniel S. Nuyujukian, PhD, MPH, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UofA Dept of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Phoenix VA Health Care System. He arrived in Arizona in 2019, having received a PhD in Epidemiology from the UC Irvine School of Medicine the previous year. He also holds a BA from UCLA and MPH-Epidemiology from the Claremont Graduate University (CA). He serves on the UAPA Professional Development Committee and is interested in supporting development and success of fellow postdocs at UA and at UA-Phoenix. His current epidemiologic research project, funded by NHLBI/NIH, concerns the role of blood pressure variability in risk of heart failure (1F32HL156626). His research activities are directed by Drs. Peter Reaven (UA/Phoenix VA), Jin Zhou (UCLA/VA), and Juraj Koska (ASU/VA), and his recent work has been published in journals such as Diabetes Care and the Journal of Hypertension.
Email: nuyu@arizona.edu |
Nicole Jimenez, Ph.D.
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Nicole is currently a postdoc in Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz’s lab at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and has been using both her passion for advocacy work and science to assist with her research on the cervicovaginal microbiome. She is currently facilitating research investigating the cervicovaginal microbiome and its role in endometrial cancer and gynecologic conditions like endometriosis. Specifically, she is utilizing her skills in microbiome analysis, microbial genomics, computational biology to better understand potential oncogenic bacteria and beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and their contributions to the cervicovaginal microenvironment in health and disease. She is delighted to be part of Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz’s lab as they are currently using multi-omic approaches with immunoproteomics, metabolomics, and genomics in conjunction with the lab’s 3-D human cell models and large clinical studies to set the foundation for creation of innovative microbial biomarker diagnostics. In addition, her lab’s societal goals of expediting the research pipeline from bench to bedside try to focus on health disparities within gynecologic conditions in context to Arizona’s diverse populations with many studies focusing on the Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, Aging communities.
Email: nicolejimenez@arizona.edu |
Dallin Tavoian, Ph.D.
Executive Board Member & Head of Media Committee |
Dallin earned his PhD in Translational Neuromuscular Physiology from Ohio University in Athens, OH. His dissertation work focused on the effects of high-intensity interval training on neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and physical function in older adults. Currently, he is working in the Department of Physiology under Dr. E. Fiona Bailey to assess the underlying mechanisms driving reductions in blood pressure in response to inspiratory muscle strength training in adults with obstructive sleep apnea. Dallin joined the UAPA to help create collaborative and professional development opportunities for current and future postdocs. Email: tavoian@arizona.edu |
