People

Students that have completed a research-based M. S. thesis in the Whitten Lab:

  1. Erika Soria. Use of Xiphophorus reveals impact of host genetics on gut microbiota composition and genetic loci associated with human disease. Defense date: June 21, 2023. (Co-supervisor with Dr. Yuan Lu)
  2. Nathan P. Khaodeuanepheng. Polymer properties that predict protein structure class from the primary sequence. Defense date: November 7, 2022.
  3. Ayyam Y. Ibrahim. Intrinsic sequence-based properties that identify intrinsically disordered phase-separating protein regions. Defense date: July 6, 2022. (Co-supervisor with Dr. Karen Lewis)
  4. George R. Parra. Phosphoserine incorporation into the Intrinsically Disordered N-terminal Domain of the p53 Tumor Suppressor Protein. Defense date: November 5, 2019.
  5. Elisia Ariana Paiz. Using heat effects on coil hydrodynamic size to reveal the nature and energetics of denatured state conformational bias. Defense date: October 31, 2019.
  6. Benjamin Ricard. The effects of primary sequence perturbation on the structure of intrinsically disordered proteins. Defense date: July 18, 2017.
  7. Leona Martin. Investigating cold adaptation of intrinsically disordered proteins in p53 homologs. Defense date: November 4, 2016.
  8. Lance English. Electrostatic effects on the structure of intrinsically disordered proteins. Defense date: July 13, 2016.
  9. Erin Tilton. Cold adaption of intrinsically disordered structure studied in p53 homologs. Defense date: July 12, 2016.
  10. Shobha Gokul. Quantifying the ability of RF-amide neuropeptide analogs to promote amyloidosis of recombinant human prion protein. Defense date: October 15, 2015.
  11. James Campbell. Optimization of SDD-AGE as a method to study amyloid conversion of human recombinant prion protein. Defense date: July 2, 2014.
  12. Reagan Meredith. Quantitative characterization of peptide induced amyloidosis of recombinant human prion protein. Defense date: June 4, 2014.
  13. Ryan Maldonado. Testing the ability of RF-amide neuropeptides to promote amyloidosis of recombinant human prion protein. Defense date: February 27, 2014.
  14. Leasha Schaub. Quantifying the energetics of binding between p53 and DNA using electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Defense date: August 31, 2012.
  15. Melody Adam. Peptide-induced amyloidosis of recombinant human prion protein. Defense date: January 2, 2012.

Students that have completed a research-based Honor’s College thesis in the Whitten Lab:

  1. Micheal Jace Tarver. Testing the ability of standard molecular dynamic software force fields to accurately model the structural features of intrinsically disordered proteins. Spring 2015.
  2. Stephen Gates. Beta amyloid formation and its effect on Alzheimer’s Disease. Spring 2011.

Former students (from above lists) that went on to earn doctoral degrees:

  1. Stephen Gates, MD. University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio, 2015.
  2. James Campbell, PhD. Baylor College of Medicine, 2016.
  3. Benjamin Ricard, PhD. Dartmouth College, 2021.
  4. Reagan Meredith, PhD. University of Notre Dame, 2021.
  5. Micheal Jace Tarver, MD. Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, 2021.

Former students (from above lists) that are currently in doctoral programs:

  1. George R. Parra. PhD student at UT Health San Antonio (started Aug 2019).
  2. Elisia Ariana Paiz. PhD student at UT Southwestern Medical Center (started Aug 2020).
  3. Ayyam Y. Ibrahim. PhD student at Stanford University (started Aug 2022).
  4. Nathan P. Khaodeuanepheng. PharmD student at Texas Tech University (started Sep 2022).

Former students (from above lists) with academic faculty positions:

  1. Lance English. Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Temple College, 2021 – present.
  2. Erin Tilton. Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Temple College, 2021 – present.

Experimental and Computational Biophysics