People
CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE WEAKE LAB
Dr. Mohd Saleem Dar
Dr. Saleem Dar began his studies with a masters in Biochemistry from the University of Kashmir, Srinagar. After qualifying in the Indian National Level Test (CSIR-NET/JRF), he joined the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India in 2011, and secured a fellowship for his entire PhD. He obtained his PhD in Sciences through the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India in 2019. His PhD studies focused on Wnt/ β-catenin signaling and understanding the role of terminal regions of β-catenin in its nuclear translocation and transcriptional regulation. After moving to Purdue University, he began working in Dr. Humaira Gowher's lab on the role of a lncRNA, Dnmt3bas, inthe regulation of the Dnmt3b gene in mESCs during early development. Saleem then joined the Weake lab in June 2022, and has been exploring the role of the Chiffon protein in development using Drosophila as a model system. Saleem has received multiple awards; state level talent scholarship test, CSIR-NET/JRF award for the grant of the fellowship for his PhD, travel awards during his PhD and Postdoctoral research for presenting the work in the scientific meetings, best poster awards. His research publications are available via Google Scholar.
Sarah Stanhope
Sarah McGovern
Anik Paul
Anik Paul received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2014 and Master of Science in 2015 in same major from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. After 6 months working as a research officer in International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) he joined as lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka in 2016. Then he moved to Purdue University in the fall of 2021 for a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and joined Dr. Weake's lab in March 2022. Anik’s current research focuses on understanding the role of the Chiffon protein in Drosophila embryogenesis. He is a member of the Biochemistry graduate program. Anik's publications are available through Google Scholar and ORCID.
Gaoya (Grace) Meng
Gaoya (Grace) Meng received a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from Zhejiang University in 2020. Grace joined Purdue’s biochemistry PhD program in 2021 and has been working in the Weake lab since March 2022. Grace’s research focuses on understanding how changes in histone methylation affect the expression of circadian clock genes in the Drosophila eye.
Undergraduate Researchers
Dr. Vikki Weake
Dr. Vikki Weake received a Bachelor of Science with first class honors in Biochemistry and Plant Biology in 2002 and Ph.D. in Genetics from Massey University, New Zealand in 2006. After a postdoc with Dr. Jerry Workman at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri, she joined the Biochemistry department in 2012. Dr. Weake is a member of the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research and the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience. Dr. Weake's publications are available through Google Scholar