Team
Nick
(He/him)
Nicholas Kalogriopoulos, PhD
PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Background: Nick earned his BS in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he conducted preclinical studies of novel immunotherapies for neuroblastoma in Dr. Paul Sondel’s lab. He completed his PhD in Biomedical Science at the University of California San Diego with Dr. Pradipta Ghosh, where he elucidated the structural basis of non-canonical G-protein activation by the GEM family of exchange modulators. As a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Alice Ting at Stanford, he developed PAGER, a new system for programmable, user-controlled cellular behaviors.
Research Interests: Protein engineering, synthetic biology, chemical biology, pharmacology, GPCRs, immunology, cancer, technology development, and therapeutics.
Hobbies: Movies, board games, sports, homemade pizza
Graduate Students
Brandon
(He/him)
Brandon Mar
PhD Student, Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD Program
Joined the lab Spring 2026
Background: Brandon earned his B.S. in biological engineering from Purdue University, where he conducted research in drug discovery and bacteriophage interactions. In Dr. Philip Low’s lab, he worked on preclinical development of targeted radio therapies and a later immune cell targeting platform. His work also included exploring homology between bacteriophage and human histidine triad proteins with Dr. Kari Clase. Further, Brandon has interned at both Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Research Interests: Synthetic biology, immunotherapy, cancer, pharmacology, GPCRs, cell therapy, protein engineering.
Hobbies: Fashion, electronic music, leather-craft, cooking, movies.
Contacts: Email
Liya
(She/her)
Liya Mooradian
PhD Student, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology PhD Program
Joined the lab Spring 2026
Background: Liya earned her BS in Genetics from Iowa State University of Science and Technology, graduating summa cum laude in the Honors Program and completing a certificate in Science Communication. Liya conducted undergraduate research in Dr. Donald Sakaguchi’s lab at ISU, where she studied retinal progenitor cell biology and neural stem cell differentiation in engineered environments. Alongside this work, she pursued summer research experiences, including translational studies of Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) in the Liming Pei lab at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Liya also trained at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Dr. Eric Lander’s lab, applying a base editing approach for expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) validation.
Research Interests: Precision medicine, pharmacology, immunology, cancer, and therapeutic development.
Hobbies: Rock climbing (indoor & outdoor), thrifting, cooking/baking, drumming, TV shows, and mixed-media art.
Contacts: Email
Undergraduate Students
Matt
(He/him)
Matthew Manghera
Undergraduate Student, College of Letters and Science
Joined the lab Spring 2026
Background: Matthew is currently an undergraduate student earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a pre-med student planning to apply to medical school in the spring of 2026, with the goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Research Interests: Chemical biology, synthetic biology, immunology, drug development.
Hobbies: Hockey, music, board games, golf.
Contacts: Email
Ethan
(He/him)
Ethan Hanson
Undergraduate Student, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Joined the lab Spring 2026
Background: Ethan is currently an undergraduate student earning his degree in Biochemistry and a certificate in Global Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a pre-med student planning to apply to medical school in the summer of 2027, with the goal of becoming an anesthesiologist or cardiothoracic surgeon.
Research Interests: Cancer, immunology, microbiology, protein engineering, neurobiology, stem cells, chemical biology.
Hobbies: Lifting, sports, board games, biking.
Contacts: Email