People

Principal Investigator

Joshua Alper, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Biological Sciences
Faculty Scholar, Eukaryotic Pathogen Innovation Center
Clemson University
Curriculum Vitae
Contact

Office: 302B Kinard Laboratory
Office Phone: (864) 656-2502
Lab: G-03 Jordan Hall
Lab Phone: (864) 656-2623
Fax: (864) 656-0805
Email: alper@clemson.edu

Education

PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MEng, Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University

BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 2017 - present

Faculty Scholar, Eukaryotic Pathogen Innovation Center, Clemson University, 2017 - present

Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, 2015 - present

Postdoc, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 2013 - 2015

Postdoc, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany, 2010 - 2013

Graduate Research Assistant, Departments of Mechanical and Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004 - 2010

Mechanical Engineer, Teradyne Inc., Boston, MA, 1999 - 2004

Professional Memberships

Biophysical Society
American Society for Cell Biology
American Physcial Society
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Postdocs

Ashok Pabbathi
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University
Contact

Lab: G-03 Jordan Hall
Lab Phone: (864) 656-2623
Fax: (864) 656-0805
eMail: apabbat@clemson.edu

Education

PhD, Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

MS, Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

BS, Nizam College, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India

Research

Ashok is working on making single molecule measurements of dynein.

Graduate Students

Subash Godar
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University
Contact

Lab: G-03 Jordan Hall
Lab Phone: (864) 656-2623
Fax: (864) 656-0805
Email: sgodar@g.clemson.edu

Education

MS, Physics, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

Research

Subash is generally interested in experimental biophysics. He is currently investigating the role of electrostatic interactions in the processivity of axonemal dyneins and the role of Mg ions in the TPP riboswitch.

Katherine Wentworth
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University
Contact

Lab: G-03 Jordan Hall
Lab Phone: (864) 656-2623
Fax: (864) 656-0805
Email: kwentwo@g.clemson.edu

Education

BS, Microbiology, Clemson University

Research

Katherine is studying the effects of tubulin post translational modifications on axonemal dynein-driven motility in trypanosomes.

Aiyyna Tobokhova
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University
Contact

Lab: G-03 Jordan Hall
Lab Phone: (864) 656-2623
Fax: (864) 656-0805
Email: atobokh@g.clemson.edu

Education

MS, Applied Physics and Mathematics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

BS, Applied Physics and Mathematics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Research

Aiyyna is performing analysis of the motility of trypanosomes cells in the lab.

Vincent Clankzy II
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University
Contact

Lab: G-03 Jordan Hall
Lab Phone: (864) 656-2623
Fax: (864) 656-0805
Email: vclanzy@g.clemson.edu

Education

BS, Physics, University of Tampa

Research

Vincent is working on quantifying the effect of specific gene expressions on the motility of trypanosomes using high speed, high resolution microscopy.

Undergraduate Students

Madison Ragland Info
Majors: Biology
Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: mraglan@g.clemson.edu
Research
Madison is working on the CRISPR-Cas9 modifications of LC2 homologs in T. brucei
Alexis Taylor Info
Majors: Biochemistry
Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: akt2@g.clemson.edu
Research
Alexis is using the optical tweezer and microelectrode arrays to study the effect of lasers on dendrite growth.
Pauline Bisaccio Info
Major: Biochemsitry
Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email:
Research
Pauline is working on the motility of axonemal dynein with Ashok.
Ethan Lopez Info
Major: Genetics
Department of Genetics and Biochemsitry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: eclopez@g.clemson.edu
Research
Ethan is working on quantifying relative gene expression in knockouts of trypanosome flagellar proteins.
Megan Keech Info
Major: Bioengineering
Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: mkeech@g.clemson.edu
Research
Megan is working on using motor proteins to develop and investigate active materials.
Jerry Enverso Info
Major: Microbiology
Department: Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: genvers@g.clemson.edu
Research
Jerry is scaling up the growth of trypanosome cells (growing A LOT of cells).
George Grow Info
Major: Bioengineering
Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: ggrow@g.clemson.edu
Research
George is working with the optical tweezers and microelectrode array to study the effect of lasers on dendrite growth.
Lucy Fischer Info
Major: Biochemistry
Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: lafisch@g.clemson.edu
Research
Lucy is working on the motility of trypanosome cells project.
Maureen Buckley Info
Major: Bioengineering
Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: mebuckl@g.clemson.edu
Research
Maureen is developing an optical tweezer computational model to investigate axonemal dynein-based active matter.
Nathan Edwards Info
Major: Bioengineering
Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: ncedwar@g.clemson.edu
Research
Nathan is measuring neuronal action potentials to compare to our computational model.
Yugantar Gera Info
Major: Physics
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: ygera@g.clemson.edu
Research
Yugantar is working on making a biologically accurate computational model of a neuron.



Aman Garlapati
Info
Major: Mathematics
Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Email: agarlap@g.clemson.edu
Research
Performing optical tweezer research and data analysis on dynein proteins.

Alper Lab is a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Clemson University.

Alper Lab is also a member of EPIC, the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center at Clemson University.

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Contact Us

118 Kinard Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Phone: (864) 656 2502
Fax: (864) 656 0805
Email: alper@clemson.edu

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