Tomar Lab

Year 2023

12/18/2023: New member: Vidyarashmi Hanehalli, a Master’s student from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Thiruvananthapuram, India, joined the lab as a “Visiting Research Scholar”.

12/02/2023: Lab participated in the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) Annual Meeting in Boston. Ashlesha presented a poster and delivered a minisymposium talk on the role of CLPB in mitochondria.

12/01/2022: Dhanendra co-chaired a session on Cardiac Arrhythmia & Ion Homeostasis at Global Talents in Science 5th international symposium on “Research Advancements for Enabling Precision Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease”, USA.

11/09/2023: Lab participated in WFUSOM’s Center for Redox Biology and Medicine (CRBM)-Annual Retreat; Shiridhar presented his research on the role of TRIM25 in Alzheimer’s disease.

11/06/2023: New member: Shanikumar Goyani, a PhD student from the MS University, India, joined the lab as a “Visiting Research Scholar”.

10/11/2023: Lab participated in Southeastern Neurodegenerative Disease Conference (SENDCon) in Atlanta; Shiridhar presented his research on the role of TRIM25 in Alzheimer’s disease.

09/20/2023: New Trainee Award: Ashlesha received a travel grant by the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) to attend the ASCB Annual Meeting in Boston.

09/15/2023: New member: Ajay Roy, an undergraduate student from Wake Forest University, joined the lab through the ENGAGED Program.

08/03/2023: Publication alert: Our review article on Post-translational modifications and protein quality control of mitochondrial channels and transporters has been published in the journal Front Cell Dev Biol.

07/31/2023: Dhanendra selected a Chair of the Early Career Committee and Member of the Executive Committee, Society for South Asian Heart Research (SAHR), USA.

07/28/2023: Lab participated in WFUSOM’s ENGAGED and EICS Summer Research Symposium; Ivy and Leilani presented their summer research work.

07/27/2023: Lab participated in WFUSOM’s CPM Summer Research Symposium; Matt and Bhanuka presented their summer research work.

07/20/2023: New research grant: The lab has received a significant research grant from Alzheimer's Association to study the mitochondrial protein quality control and calcium flux in Alzheimer's disease.

06/22/2023: New Award: Dhanendra selected as a finalist for the 2024 BBA Molecular Cell Research Rising Star award.

06/13/2023: New member: Bhanuka Ariyawansa, from Middle College at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, joined the lab as a “High-School Draelos Scholar” through the “Center for Precision Medicine Summer Intern Program”.

06/01/2023: New member: Leilani Whyte, an undergrad from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, joined the lab through the “Excellence in Cardiovascular Sciences (EICS) Summer Programs”.

05/30/2023: New member: Matt Walker, a rising senior at Wake Forest University, joined the lab through the “Center for Precision Medicine Summer Intern Program”.

05/05/2023: Our exceptional Undergraduate Research Intern, Ivy Greene selected for the “Enhancing Undergraduate Education and Research in Aging to Eliminate Health Disparities (ENGAGED)- Summer Research Program” to continue her research in the lab.

05/15/2023: New member: The lab is excited to welcome Dr. Shiridhar, as a Postdoctoral Fellow.

04/25/2023: Publication alert: Our research on MICU1-mediated regulation of mitochondria ultrastructure has been published in the journal Science Signaling.

04/21/2023: New research grant: Exciting news for the lab as it secures additional funding to expand the research program in new direction. The lab has received a significant administrative supplement on its ongoing NIH-R00 grant. This funding boost will further the lab's studies on mitochondrial structural homeostasis in Alzheimer's disease, fueling the pursuit of new insights and potential breakthroughs in combating this debilitating condition.

04/19/2023: Publication alert: Our collaborative research on molecular chaperone BAG3 and its role in heart mitochondria and inflammasome has been published in the journal JACC: Basic to Translational Science. 

04/06/2023: We organized and participated in the first Wake Mitochondrial Research Symposium. 

02/28/2023: Publication alert: Our collaborative research on mitochondrial sodium-calcium exchanger, NCLX’s role in age-associated cognitive decline has been published in the journal iScience. 

Year 2022

12/14/2022: First trainee grant: Ashlesha received a postdoctoral fellowship grant from the American Heart Association.

12/06/2022: Dhanendra co-chaired the minisymposium “Mitochondria in health and disease” at Cell Bio 2022, a joint annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in Washington, DC.

11/14/2022: First research grant: Laboratory received a research grant from the Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Awards Program for Coronary Heart Disease Research. 

11/08/2022: Dhanendra was selected to serve as an Associate Member of the American Society for Cell Biology's- International Affairs Committee (IAC).
08/08/2022: New member: Dr. Kannan BN joined as a Postdoctoral Fellow.

07/29/2022: Brianna Thompson presented poster at the EICS/ENGAGED Summer Research Symposium.

06/01/2022: New members: Undergrads Ivy Greene and Brianna Thompson joined the lab.

03/07/2022: First Trainee: Dr. Ashlesha Kadam joined as first Postdoctoral Fellow in Tomar lab.

01/03/2022: Tomar lab opened in Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

We are actively hiring trainees at all levels (undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows). If you are interested, please send your CV and a brief statement of research interest to Dr. Dhanendra Tomar (dtomar@wakehealth.edu).

Postdoctoral fellows in the area of mitochondria, calcium signaling, and protein-quality-control in cardiovascular physiology 

Postdoctoral positions starting July 2022 are available in the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC under Dr. Dhanendra Tomar. We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a research background in cell biology, biochemistry, cardiovascular physiology, or a related field.  The laboratory is well funded by the National Institutes of Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. We have exciting research projects focusing on but not limited to mitochondria, protein-quality control, and calcium signaling in cardiac physiology. The laboratory uses a broad range of scientific methods, including protein biochemistry, calcium imaging, metabolism and bioenergetics, confocal and super-resolution microscopy, mouse genetics, and physiology, which offers an excellent opportunity for training in multiple disciplines. 

Requirements 

Candidates should have excellent research background with at least one first-author research article in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal, self-motivated to dive into new research areas with excellent written and oral communication skills. The ideal candidate with research experience in mitochondria biology, protein biochemistry, mouse genetics, and calcium signaling is preferred but not mandatory. 

To apply for this position, please email a cover letter describing research interests and experience, curriculum vitae, and 2-3 letters of reference in a single PDF to Dr. Dhanendra Tomar (dtomar@wakehealth.edu).