People
Gloria Sheynkmanemail
Position: Primary investigator
Academic training:
B.S. Biochemistry, Notre Dame
PhD Chemistry, Wisconsin
Postdoc, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
About me: Dr. Sheynkman received her BS in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame. She has industry experience from working at Gilead Sciences in the Analytical Development department. She then received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she developed integrative proteogenomics methods to discover human proteomic variation. Dr. Sheynkman was a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, where she developed high-throughput functional proteomics approaches to characterize normal and disease protein isoforms. She came to the University of Virginia in the summer of 2020 as an Assistant Professor with a primary appointment in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics (MPBP) within the School of Medicine. In addition to her primary appointment in MPBP she has a secondary appointment within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, the UVA Comprehenive Cancer Center, and is on the advisory board for Quantum-Si. She has received numerous honors including the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Emerging Investigator distinction and the Tomas A. Hirschfeld Award from the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACS).
Erin Jefferyemail
Position: Senior Research Scientist
Academic training:
B.S., Biochemistry, Hartwick College
PhD, Chemistry, University of Virginia
About me: Since hailing from Dr. Don Hunt’s laboratory, Dr. Jeffery has extensive experience using mass spectrometry applications to facilitate proteomics and answer key research questions. In the Sheynkman lab, we use mass spec for direct detection of novel proteins and peptides that arise from genetic events related to human disease.
Hobbies/Interests: Learning to crochet, reading (biographies, mysteries, women in history and science), French and Italian language and culture, spending time with my family and parenting a teenager!
Vasilii Pavelko email
Position: Data Analyst
Academic Training: Vasilii Pavelko graduated from the University of Vlodimir in 2011 and gained experience in molecular biology methods while working at the Federal Centre for Animal Health. He studied bacterial pathogenicity factors and developed diagnostic methods for bacterial and viral diseases. From 2016 to 2022, he worked as a research scientist at a biotechnology company, Generium, where he was interested in the analytical methods of therapeutic protein production and characterization, including proteoforms. Currently, he is discovering new promising protein isoform-specific targets for therapy using high-throughput biological methods.
Hobbies: board games, apline skiing, trekking
Megan Schertzeremail
Position: Senior Data Scientist
Academic Training: B.S., Biochemistry, Lee University
PhD, Genetics and Molecular Biology, UNC Chapel Hill
Postdoc, New York Genome Center
About Me: Megan officially joined the Sheynkman lab 2025, after several years of collaboration. Her interest in transcriptomic complexity began in Mauro Calabrese’s lab, where she studied lncRNA mechanisms. She continued during her postdoc with David Knowles, leading the development of experimental and computational tools to identify isoform-specific functions. In the Sheynkman lab, she is excited to integrate isoform-level genomics and proteomics data to prioritize and validate functional isoform diversity across cell types and disease states.
Hobbies: Anything outside! Running, swimming, biking, hiking. And…eating new and delicious food!
Leon Sheynkman email
Position: Lab Tech/Lab manager/Problem solver extraordinaire
About me: I’ve done a little bit of everything and always interested in learning more.
Shay Iyer email
Position: Grad Student (co-mentoring with Miller lab)
Academic training: B,A, Statistical Data Sciences and Biological Sciences, Smith College (class of 2023)
Research interests: Bioinformatics, Devlopmental Biology, Proteogenomics, Systems Biology
Hobbies: Indian classical music, animation and art, marine biology
Jennifer Korchak email
Position: PhD Candidate
Academic Training: Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry, University of North Florida
About me: Jennifer received her Bachelor’s degrees in May of 2019. While an undergraduate, she used biochemistry, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry techniques to investigate clinically relevant bacterial natural products. Following graduation, Jennifer worked at the Mayo Clinic in Florida in the Center for Regenerative Medicine as a research technologist from 2019 to 2022. While there, she conducted translational research, manufactured clinical-grade cell products, and developed new regenerative therapeutics. Jennifer is excited to join Dr. Sheynkman’s lab to investigate disease-relevant protein isoforms with an interdisciplinary, systems biology approach.
Micah Lehe email
Position: PhD Candidate
Academic training: B.S. Biochemistry, Purdue University
About me:
Micah graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2022. During undergrad, he joined a proteomics lab and conducted research on PTM enrichment and detection with mass spectrometry. He joined the Sheynkman lab in 2023, with an interest in leveraging mass spec and other biophysical techniques to study disease-causing protein isoforms.
Hobbies: baking desserts, hiking, reading, and gaming
Natchanon Sittipongpittaya email
Position: PhD Candidate
Academic training: B.S. Chemistry, University of Virginia
About me:
Bond graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2022. He is a first year graduate student in the Biophysics department. He plans to dive into the technology development arm of Sheynkman Lab, to advance our ability to clone, synthesize, and screen isoforms using the latest technology.
Raghad Almofeezemail
Position: Graduate Student
About me:
Raghad Graduated with her bachelor’s and master’s in biology from George Mason University in 2021. For her thesis, she investigated pathogen-derived peptides in patients with Chagas Disease using Nanoparticle-enhanced mass spectrometry. After graduating, she worked in a biotech company developing monoclonal antibodies against cancer-relevant antigens. In 2023, she worked as a flow cytometrist at NCI’s core facility before joining UVA’s BIMS program. She is exciting to join the Sheynkman lab and continue her passion of using advanced mass spectrometry methods in discovery of cancer-specific proteoforms.
Hobbies: Oil painting, hiking, and baking.
Katelyn Beasleyemail
Position: Graduate Student
About me: Katelyn graduated from William & Mary with her bachelor’s degree in 2024. While in undergrad, She worked in a molecular biology lab studying the intracellular localization of thyroid hormone receptors. She is joining the Sheynkman lab in 2025, co-mentored by Dr. Garrett-Bakelman, to use a multiomics approach to study acutemyeloid leukemia.
Hobbies: Hiking, Baking, Gaming, Spending time with family and friends!
Former lab members
Dr. Madison Mehlferber – Currently a Sales Development Representative at 10x Genomics
Dr. Emily Watts-Whitehead – Currently a Product Biologist at Signature Science, LLC
Ben Jordan (Bioinformatician) – Currently a Senior Bioinformatician at the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research
Jamie Saquing (Post-Bac Researcher) – Currently a BIMS graduate student in Dr. Jeff Saucerman’s lab
Saikat Bandyopadhyay (Senior Data Analyst) – Currently a Senior Data Analyst in Dr. Charles Farber’s lab
Dr. David Cooper – Currently a scientist at the CryoEM core Facility
Mayank Murali – Currently a data analyst at the Broad Institute
Jerryd Meade – Currently Lab Specialist in the Wang Lab
Thalles Lacerda
William Kim