Albert L. Gonzales, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Albert L. Gonzales is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. After graduating from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a degree in Biology, he obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado with Professor Scott Earley, Ph.D. He completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont under the mentorship of Mark. T. Nelson, the Chair and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmacology. In 2020, Dr. Gonzales joined the faculty of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Dr. Gonzales’ laboratory is focused on understanding the active role capillary networks play in sensing and responding to the metabolic needs of the tissue and the mechanisms ensuring the point-to-point delivery of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of metabolic waste. Dr. Gonzales’ laboratory employs a broad range of modern experimental approaches and techniques, including ex vivo pressurized vasculature tissue preparations; high-speed high-resolution Ca2+ imaging, and patch clamp electrophysiology.
Vidya Murthy, Ph.D.
Post Doctorate
Vidya is a dedicated and highly motivated professional with a strong background in computational modeling, data analysis, and biomedical engineering. During her graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), under the mentorship of Dr. Josh Baker, she developed a computational model for thermodynamics of muscle contraction. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from UNR, and earned a Master of Technology in Biomedical Signal Processing and Instrumentation and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of interdisciplinary approaches to research. She is passionate about advancing scientific knowledge and is excited to continue her journey in the realm of biomedical engineering with the Gonzales Lab where she will be working on pericyte contractility using both wet lab and computational biology.
Alex Aupetit, Ph.D.
Post Doctorate
Alex obtained both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Science from the University of Poitiers in France, where he specialized in electrophysiology and vascular physiology. He went on to earn his PhD in Physiology and Medicine from the University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier, France, with a focus on the metabolic function of the adipose tissue microvasculature in the context of obesity. Joining the Gonzales lab in 2024, Alex is dedicated to investigating the active role of capillary networks in sensing and responding to metabolic cues.
Cristian Franco
Ph.D. Candidate
Cristian received his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at California State University Fullerton in 2020. His undergraduate thesis was on the Carbon Dioxide Reduction to Sodium Formate on Tin Plated Zinc for Fuel Cell. Currently, he is working towards his PhD in the Biochemistry program at the University of Nevada Reno. Within the Gonzales lab, he is working on the role of pericytes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and the development of novel laboratory procedures.
Shipra Goswami
Masters Student
Shipra earned her Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from the University of Burdwan in West Bengal, India in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Jharkhand, India. Her graduate thesis was titled "Survey of Short Sequence Repeats Markers on Drought Quantitative Trait Locus 12.1 in Oryza Sativa (rice)," and she earned a master's degree in Environmental Sciences from the Central University of Gujarat, India, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India. Her master's thesis focused on the preliminary phytochemical extraction of lipids in green algae and the antioxidant properties of the algae. She worked as a junior research fellow at the Indian Institute of Technology-Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India. She is currently a graduate student in Gonzales' lab, where she is developing novel methods for defining tissue pericytes.
Most Murshida Begum
Graduate Student
Murshida Begum completed her Bachelor’s (B. Pharm) in Pharmacy from Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. She did her Master’s (M. Pharm) in Pharmacy from the same university in thesis track. Her Pharm Thesis was in Phytopharmacology titling “Isolation,
characterization and biological activity of the bioactive principles from the leaf of Piper betle." After completing my M. Pharm, She has joined Primeasia University, Bangladesh as a Lecturer in Pharmacy and worked there for 3 years. She did her second Master’s in Nutrition from Nutrition Department at University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). In Master’s, her thesis title was “A systematic review on online resources on dietary management of hyperphosphatemia in people with chronic kidney disease.” She has started her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology department at UNR School of Medicine from Fall 2023
Shaun Suranowitz
MD-PhD Student
Shaun obtained his Bachelor's degree in neuroscience from the University of Washington. Shaun is interested in the role of the microvasculature in glioblastomas.
Patrick Voss
Lab Technician
Patrick graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2023 with a BS in biology. He worked as a medical assistant for a year before joining the lab. Patrick hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Past Members
Ahmed Eltanahy, MD
Priscilla Jeyaraj
Audrey Marcelyn
Elena Franco
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