Francesca Vallese, Ph.D

Assistant professor

CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, Structural Biology Initiative

City College of New York, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Francesca Vallese completed her studies at the University of Padova, Italy. During her PhD, she focused on studying the structure and interactions of proteins involved in hydrogen production. Her initial postdoctoral research was conducted in the laboratory of Prof. Giuseppe Zanotti, where she acquired expertise in purifying membrane proteins and X-ray crystallography. During her postdoc, she was a visiting student in Dr. Baumeister's lab at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and collaborated with Novartis (Basel) and BioGUNE (Bilbao). As an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University in Oliver Clarke's lab, she has become an expert in single-particle cryo-EM.

Francesca loves new adventures, and she is always ready for new challenges. In her free time she loves hiking and snorkeling and spend time in the nature.

Sebastiano Nigris, Ph.D

Research Assistant

Sebastiano graduated in Biotechnology and earned his PhD in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Padova (Italy), where he studied plant-microbe interactions with a focus on the effects of beneficial bacteria on root structure. After his PhD, he moved to the Botanical Garden of Padova to investigate the molecular pathways involved in ovule and seed development in Ginkgo and other gymnosperms, gaining considerable experience in plant cell biology and evolutionary developmental biology studies. He also explored the molecular effects of plant microbiota on root development to create biofertilization strategies for more sustainable agriculture. His research philosophy is, “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution”.

Sebastiano loves plants and flowers and enjoys traveling and reading good books.

Dayangi Perera

Dayangi obtained her Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2023. Before moving to New York, she worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Colombo. She joined the Biochemistry PhD program at CUNY Graduate Center in Fall 2024. As the first graduate student of the Vallese Lab, she is excited to contribute to meaningful discoveries that advance our understanding of membrane protein complexes.

She loves cats and enjoys cooking and spending time in nature during her free time.

Graduate Student

Biochemistry PhD program at CUNY GC

Undergrad Student

Dorothy Jorgji

Honor - ORCA Summer Student

The City College of New York, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Undergraduate majoring in Chemistry

Dorothy Jorgji is an undergraduate student majoring in chemistry and minoring in psychology at The City College of New York. Dorothy has always been interested in the sciences from an early age, and attended Bronx High School of Science, which contributed to her major in science. She has developed an interest in structural biology research because she is fascinated by complex systems at the molecular scale and how they can contribute to advancements in medicine. Dorothy's career goal is to become a dentist who understands how protein complexes and their functions within their environment influence the condition of tissues in the oral cavity across various communities. Her experience in dental assisting, combined with wet-lab skills, has reinforced her desire to connect scientific research with clinical dentistry.

Aria Hossain

Aria Hossain is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry at the City College of New York. Aria is fascinated by structural biology and by how scientists uncover biochemical structures through high-throughput methods. Therefore, she wants to contribute to this line of work by a mix of computational and wet-lab techniques. As a peer-led recitation leader, Aria is also inspired by the students she teaches in general chemistry, further solidifying her interest in becoming a professor in the future.

In her spare time, Aria loves watching anime, making art, and spending time with with loved ones.

Honor Study