Principal Investigator
Dr. Viviana Monje
Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - University at Buffalo (SUNY)
BS, Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Maryland-College Park, 2012
PhD, Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Maryland-College Park, 2017
Postdoctoral Scholar, Univ. of Chicago, 2017-2020
Dr Monje-Galvan is originally from La Paz - Bolivia. Her research is centered on cell membrane modeling and biomolecular interactions in mechanisms of disease. She is passionate about science and working with students to contribute in the fields of computational biophysics and engineering. She is proud of her latino origins and values the richness of diversity in research, both in cultural background and academic discipline. She is committed to develop an inclusive research program and promote the participation of women and minorities in science and engineering.
Oluwatoyin Campbell
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, UB (2020)
Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Toyin came to the US to pursue her undergraduate education at UB. She is currently studying transmembrane protein dynamics from HCV to understand how viral proteins affect lipid-lipid interactions. She enjoys mentoring students, and is actively involved in professional development initiatives. She plans to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry as an R&D scientist. She is a recipient of the Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship Program and will be mentoring a sponsored undergraduate in research in Spring 2024
To pass time, she enjoys reading novels, watching movies in theaters, and spending time with family.
Jinhui Li
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen Univ. (2017)
M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen Univ. (2020)
Jinhui joined the lab in January 2021 from China, he is actively studying interactions of small molecules with model bilayers for their potential medical applications. He is specifically studying aggregation patterns and insertion mechanisms for small drugs and various saponin molecules. He is actively working on methods for systematic selection of smart reaction coordinates in enhanced sampling simulations. He plans to pursue a career in academia.
In his free time, he enjoys to cultivate his culinary skills.
Ricardo Ramirez
B.S. in Physics, Escuela Politecnica Nacional, Quito (2020)
Ricardo joined the lab in October 2021 from Quito, Ecuador. He is pursuing his graduate studies in Chemical Engineering at UB. He is currently simulating protein-lipid interactions and their signature on cell membrane models in the context of necroptosis and membrane permeabilization. Aditionally, he studies other biomolecules and their signature on the lipid bilayer upon adsorption. He is interested in a career in research, machine learning approaches, and understanding the complex behavior of multi-particle systems.
In his free time, he enjoys playing the guitar and watching movies.
Dina Dahhan
BMS Undergraduate (Class of 2025)
Dina joined the lab in January 2024 as an undergraduate researcher sponsored by the Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship Program. She works under the mentorship of Toyin Campbell, recipient of the fellowship. Dina enjoys learning more about and observing biological interactions from a computational standpoint. She is currently analyzing trajectories of representative endoplasmic reticular membrane models to aid in the study of the effect of viral proteins on the distribution of membrane lipids during HCV infection. In her free time, she enjoys playing chess and baking new things.
Collaborations
Atila Lab, mechanisms of disease, lipid-lipid interactions.
Leal Research Group, biophysical properties of lipid monolayers.
Guzman Research, RNA-lipid interactions
Sierra Lab, thermodynamics of small-molecule drugs & lipid bilayers.
Bak Lab, plan biochemistry & molecular evolution of specialized metabolism.
Leal Research Group, biophysical properties of lipid monolayers.
Guzman Research, RNA-lipid interactions
Sierra Lab, thermodynamics of small-molecule drugs & lipid bilayers.
Bak Lab, plan biochemistry & molecular evolution of specialized metabolism.
Group photo - Spring 2023 final presentations
Proud team shot - MD protocol is published!
Production of our MD protocol publication w/JoVE
Graduate Symposium UB CBE - Fall 2022
Fall 2023 - CCR visit
Fall semester coffee hour
First in-person meeting @UB-2021
Spring 2021 training
junior members :)
Summer group meeting
student presentations
1st guest speaker
LSAMP scholars symposium
Fall 2021 invited speaker
Fall 2021 Invited Speaker
Fall 2022 Invited Speaker
Spring 2023 Invited Speaker
Former Members
Laura Sweezy
B.S. in Biological Sciences, UB (2019)
M.E. in Chemical Engineering, UB (Dec 2021)
Current: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Laura's background in Biology led to her interest in joining in the Monje Group to pursue computational studies on membrane systems during her graduate studies. She developed model membranes to mimmic the plasma membrane of cancerous cells to be used in protein-membrane studies to understand specific interactions in the last stages of necroptosis. She wants encourage the participation of girls and women in STEM as part of her professional development and outreach.
Seth Thomson
CBE Undergraduate (Class of 2025)
Seth joined the lab as an alternative to his undergraduate technical elective in the CBE program. He interested in learning more about MD simulation techniques and the interactions of small molecules with membrane models. He is currently analyzing several trajectories to determine the effect of size on complex lipid membrane mixtures. In his free time I enjoy rock climbing, observing and tracking local weather patterns, and playing chess.
Angela Aguirre
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, UB (2024)
LSAMP Undergraduate Scholar
LSAMP Undergraduate Scholar
Current: Graduate Student at Purdue University
Angela is a senior undergrad in chemical engineering at University at Buffalo. Her research interests are molecular dynamics and computational catalysis. Her research focus in the lab was on the effect of bilayer size when modeling complex lipid mixtures and their biophysical properties. She previously performed research on metal oxide catalysts to decrease methane emissions from exhaust fuel. She will pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering to engage in research for water decontamination & solar energy harvesting.
Shane Varner
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, UB (2024)
LSAMP Undergraduate Scholar
LSAMP Undergraduate Scholar
Shane joined the lab for a summer research experience, during which he run membrane-only simulations in preparation to study the insertion of p7 monomers from HCV into model bilayers. He joined the lab permanently to study the role of glycolipids on membrane properties. He is interested in thermodynamics, molecular dynamics simulations, and nuclear chemistry. He is currently a senior undergraduate in Chemical Engineering and looks forward to working in the industry sector.
