Meet The Team
Matthew Tegtmeyer, PhD
Principal Investigator
Hometown: Germantown, Ohio USA
Favorite color: Purple
Matt started his group at Purdue in Jan of 2024. For more information about his and the research focus of the group, please see the home, about, and publications pages.
Autumn Bandy
Senior Research Technician
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
Favorite color: Sage green
Autumn graduated with a bachelors in biology and is now a senior lab technician. She is interested in the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in the development of psychiatric disorders. In her spare time, Autumn enjoys reading and spending time outdoors.
Zahra Paylahki, Phd
Post-doctoral Fellow
Hometown: Mashhad, Iran
Favorite color: Pink and Purple
Zahra is currently a Postdoc in the field of Computational Biology. Her research interests focus on using machine learning and deep learning approaches to understand how genetic risk factors influence biological functions. Her current project centers on using neural network (NN) models to integrate multi-omic datasets and uncover complex relationships across diverse data modalities. In her spare time, Zahra enjoys spending time with friends.
Saranya Arirangan
Post-doctoral Fellow
Hometown: Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Favorite color: Green
Saranya is currently working as a post-doctoral research associate in the department of Sociology. Her research interest is predictive modeling, analyzing the complex data sources to discover the unusual patterns, and Image analytics. Her current research work is integration of multiple high dimensional data sources and analyzing the biological and genetic features across plants and human. She enjoys exploring the new places, trekking on trails, and spending time with family.
Md Nazmul Hasan
Graduate Student
Hometown: Cumilla, Bangladesh
Favorite color: Green
Nazmul is currently a first-year PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences. He completed B.Sc. and MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Chittagong. His research area of interest is Translational Neurogenetics to improve human and animal health. His current project focuses on in-vitro cellular model systems to study genetic contributions to environmental/heat stress resilience across species. Nazmul really likes cycling, enjoys reading history, and often strolling in countryside serenity.
Basil Nnaemeka Obodo
Graduate Student
Hometown: Enugu, Nigeria
Favorite color: White and Blue
Basil is a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences. His research interests center on elucidating the neuro-pathophysiological mechanisms underlying rare genetic disorders. He is currently focusing on understanding the cellular and molecular underpinnings of chromosome 8p disorders using high-content imaging. In his spare time, Basil is a professional guitarist and enjoys mentoring young minds.
Ayomide Unuigbokhai
Graduate Student
Hometown: Abuja, Nigeria
Favorite color: Black
Ayomide is a doctoral student in the Department of Biological Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the process of genetic mutations in risk genes associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Outside the lab, Ayomide enjoys watching movies, listening to podcasts, and exploring international cuisine.
Xiang Luo
Graduate Student
Hometown: Hunan, China
Favorite color: Blue
Xiang is currently a first-year PhD student in the department of biological sciences. He joined Dr. Tegtmeyer’s Lab at 2024 Summer. Xiang completed his undergraduate degree in clinical medicine from Central South University in China. His research interest lies in employing CRISPR-Cas9 and computational techniques to screen genetic risks for neuropsychiatric disorders. His current project is investigating rare loss-of-function mutations linked to psychiatric outcomes. In his free time, Xiang enjoys cooking, working out and photography
Hailey Pangburn
Graduate Student
Hometown: Crown Point, IN
Favorite color: Pink
Hailey is a first year PhD student in the Bioscience Department. Her research interests lie in the neurophysiological underpinnings of suicidality, depression, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Her aims are to potentially one day find better pharmacological solutions to varying conditions with a heavy emphasis on suicide prevention.
Zhiyuan (Jerry) Chen
Undergraduate Researcher
Hometown: West Windsor, NJ USA
Favorite color: Blue and Orange
Zhiyuan is an undergraduate student studying biological engineering and biochemistry. He is interested in learning new bioinformatics techniques and understanding the underlying connections between genetics and human disorders. In his free time, Zhiyuan likes designing PCBs, 3D printing, and exploring the outdoors.
Maddie Isley
Undergraduate Researcher
Hometown:
Favorite color:
Taylor Vicente
Undergraduate Researcher
Joshua Villasol
Undergraduate Researcher
Marley Cox
Undergraduate Researcher