OUR TEAM
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OUR TEAM -
Matthew J. McBride, PhD
Principle Investigator
Born and raised here in New Jersey, Matt started as an assistant professor at Rutgers University in September, 2023. He performed his undergraduate studies in chemistry at Drexel University, received his PhD in Chemical Biology from Harvard University under the mentorship of Dr. Cigall Kadoch and completed his postdoctoral training at Princeton University in the lab of Dr. Joshua Rabinowitz. Outside the lab, Matt loves spending time with family, friends, coaching t-ball and cheering on Philadelphia sports teams (Go Birds!).
Shams G. Shams, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Shams followed her parents into the field of pharmacology and completed her Master’s and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry at Cairo University. As a pharmacist, her research journey took a significant turn with an EMSA grant, leading her to work in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine under Dr. Zack Abd Elmageed. Passionate about teaching and mentoring, Shams specializes in cancer biology, metabolism, nutrition, and nanomedicine. She also got accepted in an INSPIRE-NIH ARCADA grant program to support her postdoc research work. She aspires to revolutionize cancer treatment and lead a research team focused on innovative solutions to improve patient outcomes while nurturing the next generation of scientists.
Emily Hyde
PhD Student
Emily is a PhD student in the Cell and Molecular Pharmacology Graduate Program within Rutgers Molecular Biosciences. She joined Rutgers in September 2023 after earning her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Biology at Stevens Institute of Technology. Emily’s research goals include understanding metabolic changes that mediate treatment resistance and revealing targetable metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer cells. Outside of school and lab, Emily enjoys playing field hockey, reading, and routing for NJ sports teams (Go Devils!)
Md Salman Shakil
PhD Student
Md. Salman Shakil is a Graduate Fellow at the McBride Lab, Rutgers University. He earned his BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Jahangirnagar University, where he also completed his MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology under the mentorship of Professor Md. Ashraful Hasan. He pursued his research Master's in Pharmacology under the supervision of Professor Rhonda J. Rosengren at the University of Otago. Salman's research interests include pediatric cancer metabolism, drug development, and nanomedicine. Outside of his professional pursuits, he enjoys playing cricket, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Yanxiang Li
PhD Student
Yan is a PhD student in the Rutgers Molecular Biosciences program. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science from Fei Tian College Middletown in New York, NY.
Alejandro Layana
Masters Student
Alejandro is a MS student in the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology at Rutgers. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Rutgers University in 2023. Alejandro’s research interests include utilization of chromatography, spectroscopy, and isotope tracing for metabolomic profiling. Additionally, he is interested in examining potential therapeutic or toxicological effects of potential drug candidates. Outside of school, Alejandro enjoys writing, coding, and spending time with friends and family.
Maya Saez
Undergraduate Student
Maya is a rising junior at Rutgers University-New Brunswick working towards a Bachelor of the Arts in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology. This past summer, she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Shams, testing the effects of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) depletion on cell migration and colony formation in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Currently, she is working on examining the role of H3K9 methylation in radiation-induced DNA damage repair. Maya hopes to one day become a physician and is currently preparing to apply for medical schools in the next cycle.
Eric Luo
Undergraduate Student
Eric is an undergraduate student (PP1) in the Pharmacy program at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy of Rutgers University. Eric is eager to gain cancer-related research experience.