People

Seham Ebrahim

PI

Seham obtained an M.Sc.in Biotechnology at the Hamuburg Institute of Technology in Germany before pursuing a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. Her passion for understanding how cytoskeletal networks regulate cells and tissues in health and disease using high-resolution microscopy then led her across the pond to pursue Postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. Seham joined UVA as a Assistant Professor in early 2022.

Gaizun/Guyzuin Hu

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow

I am Chinese and got my graduate degrees in Japan. My research of interests are the physiological changes during chronic disease development. Before joining the Ebrahim Lab, I worked on hypertension/renal physiology. I have an enthusiasm in discovering new mechanisms underlying disease with the aim of improving health. Using In vivo imaging and live monitoring at macromolecular resolution to achieve this is now possible and a goal I would like to chase.

Yuta Ohno

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow

Yuta is a Research Associate at Asahi University in Japan and joined the Ebrahim lab as a Research Fellow in April 2023. He graduated from Gifu Pharmaceutical University in Japan in 2013 and worked as a pharmacist for several years. During that period, he worked on both basic and clinical research and earned his Ph.D. He started working on exocrine biology in 2018, and is now trying to elucidate the mechanism of exocrine hyposecretion using in vivo live imaging. His aims are to elucidate the mechanism that may lead to developing a drug that will alleviate dry eye/mouth.

Dominik Robak

Graduate Student

Dominik completed his B.Sc. in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics at Jagiellonian University and is currently finishing his M.Sc. in Bioinformatics at the same institution. His scientific interests lie in microscopy and the application of machine learning in microscopic image analysis. Additionally, Dominik is also engaged in genomic/omic data analysis and participates in various projects related to novel cancer therapies.

Sharon Zheng

Lab Associate

Sharon graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in biomedical engineering in May 2021. Before joining the Ebrahim Lab in April 2023, she has been working on imaging the release of neurotransmitters using genetically encoded fluorescent sensors. She is currently interested in studying the mechanism of how the cytoskeleton network regulates the vesicle release of secretory cells using in vivo imaging.

Alina Alfaro

Undergraduate Researcher

Alina is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia. She is pursuing a chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry and a minor in biology. She is a Research Assistant at the Ebrahim Lab. Alina is interested in cell biology, immunology, and pharmacology. In her free time, Alina enjoys Latin dance, exercising, and watching movies.

Fan Lin

Undergraduate Researcher

Fan is a third year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry with a specialization in Biochemistry and minors in Chinese and East Asian Studies. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2023 as an undergraduate research assistant. Her interests lie in the intersections between chemistry and biology in the human body. In her free time she enjoys art, propagating plants, and trying new foods.

Mahi Gudi

Undergraduate Researcher

Mahi is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia pursuing her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. She will be joining the lab in Fall 2022 as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. She is passionate about cellular and molecular biology, medical sciences, healthcare, and music. She hopes to one day work as a physician in the immunology field.

Neha Pai

Undergraduate Researcher

Neha is an undergraduate student at UVA studying biology. She is enthusiastic about learning high-resolution imaging and exploring the significance of the cytoskeleton in the Ebrahim Lab. In her leisure time, she enjoys working out, volunteering, and watching movies. She is passionate about the medical field and aspires to become an OB/GYN in the future