Team

Principal Investigator

Pavan Kakumani, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Post-Doc: CRCHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Canada.

Ph.D.: International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) New Delhi.

B.Tech.: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, India.

Email: pavan.kakumani@mun.ca

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8755-860X

Current Members

Sushmitha Ramakrishna

PhD Student, E-mail: sushmithar@mun.ca


I am from Mysore, a beautiful city in the southern part of India. I completed my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Mysore. After my Master’s, I started my PhD journey in Dr. Kakumani’s lab in 2022. In our lab, I am trying to uncover the mysteries surrounding how siRNAs regulate AGO2-mediated gene silencing in mouse embryonic stem cells. 

Outside of my research, I like hiking, movies, and music. 

It could be you...!!!

MSc Student

Claire Hynes

Summer Trainee - NSERC Science Undergraduate Research Award


I am an undergraduate Biochemistry student in the final year of my degree. I joined Kakumani Lab group in 2022 and where I have been studying the role of CSDE1 missense variants and the miRNA pathway in the development of autism spectrum disorders.

When not in the lab, I enjoy swimming, skiing, and hiking.

Maria Dodgson

B.Sc.(Hons.) Biochemistry

Former Members

Claire Hynes, SRIP/MUCEP Trainee - Fall 2022 & Winter 2023

Connor Milks, MUCEP Student -  Fall 2022 & Winter 2023

Amina Khaled, MUCEP Student -  Fall 2022 

Maria (Mia) Dodgson, MUCEP Student - Spring & Fall 2022

Kangwa Napanje, MUCEP Student - Spring 2022

Emma Layman, MUCEP Student - Winter 2022

Lily Bertolo, MUCEP Student - Winter 2022

Esosa (Naomi) Ighodaro, MUCEP Student -  Winter 2022

Grace Christopher, Research Assistant, November 2021 - March 2022

Yaneesh Jerath, MUCEP Student - Fall 2021