The Team

Charles Bou-Nader, PhD

Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator

charles.bou.nader@emory.edu

Xia Liu

Research Technical Specialist

xliu01@emory.edu

Xia was born in Su Zhou, China and graduated with her BS in Biology from the East China Normal University in Shanghai. She has been in Georgia and a part of the Emory University system since 1994.

Joelle-Ann Joseph

Research Specialist

joelle-ann.joseph@emory.edu

Though born and raised in Haiti, Joelle-Ann has been living in Georgia for the past 13 years. Thus, it is fair to say that Georgia is home after all these years. She obtained her bachelor’s in chemistry from Georgia State University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she spent four years working at a long-term care pharmacy thinking she wanted to pursue pharmacy school before realizing this was not the path she wanted to take.

Alexandra Furney

Graduate Student, 2024, Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology (BCDB) program

alexandra.furney@emory.edu

Alexandra was born and raised in John’s Creek, Georgia. While studying biology and Spanish during her undergraduate career at Georgia College & State University, she found a passion for research investigating the role of regulatory mRNA structures in translation initiation.

Itxaso Santiago

Visiting Scholar, Aarhus University

miren.itxaso.santiago.vela@emory.edu

Itxaso Santiago is an international PhD student from the Basque Country (Bilbao). She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology, where she developed a strong interest in human physiology and genetics. She went on to complete a master’s degree in biomedical research, also in the Basque Country.

Taina Marcelin

Undergraduate Student, Biology and Psychology; 2024 SURE fellowship program at Emory

taina.marcelin@emory.edu

Taina is a sophomore undergraduate at Emory University. She was born in Haiti and spent two years in the Dominican Republic before moving to Florida at 3 years old. Taina is working towards a bachelor of science in biology and a bachelor of arts in psychology.

Duc Le

Undergraduate Student, Chemistry and Biology

duc.le@emory.edu

Duc is a first-generation undergraduate student at Emory University, double majoring in chemistry and biology. He was born in Vietnam and lived there before immigrating to the state of Georgia at the age of 6.