Highlights: 2024 New Faculty Research Forum

Published on: December 03, 2024 By: Staff Reports

New Faculty Research Forum group at UT Southwestern Medical School. — 2024 New Faculty Research Forum presenters include (back row, from left) Zhongzheng "Brooks" Fu, Ph.D., Xin Li, Ph.D., Kartik Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D., Srinivas Kota, Ph.D., Nikolaos Louros, Ph.D., Xiaofeng Qi, Ph.D., and (front row, from left) Jinfan Wang, Ph.D., Ashley Solmonson, Ph.D., Sean G. Young, Ph.D., Frankie Heyward, Ph.D., Liraz Galia, Ph.D., and Janko Gospocic, Ph.D. Not pictured are Xin Cai, M.D., Ph.D., and David Sanders, Ph.D.

With 14 new faculty speakers representing 11 departments and two schools participating, the 2024 UT Southwestern Medical School New Faculty Research Forum forged new connections among the institution’s researchers. Each fall, recently appointed Assistant Professors are introduced to the campus community at the event.

Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, shared insights on success and collaboration from his UTSW career to help our newest faculty members launch their careers in biomedical research. “Go deep,” said Dr. DeBerardinis, “not just in your research area, but in your relationships. A symbiotic exchange can build from meaningful professional connections.” The supportive atmosphere and cross-departmental participation helped generate exciting new ideas and potential research collaborations, enriching the intellectual fabric of the UT Southwestern community.

If you missed the Sept. 24 event, watch videos from speaker presentations and learn more about our new faculty and their areas of research expertise on the 2024 event website.

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2024 UT Southwestern Medical School New Faculty Research Forum presenters and leaders gather for a group photo.

Jinfan Wang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biochemistry (right), focuses on fellow presenters’ research at the event.

Joan Conaway, Ph.D., Vice Provost and Dean of Basic Research, opens the event by welcoming the UT Southwestern research community to another year’s New Faculty Research Forum at which 14 Assistant Professors presented their research.

Liraz Galia, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology, shares her research, which investigates the intricate roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs).

Xin Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology, talks about his work investigating how commensal fungi survive among their hosts’ immune systems.

Srinivas Kota, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, shares how he uses biomarkers to develop early detection tools for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in newborns.

Zhongzheng “Brooks” Fu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, speaks about various technologies he uses, including machine learning, to better understand cognitive control.

Carol Tamminga, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, introduces new faculty researcher Janko Gospocic, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and in the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences.

Audience members react to exciting research findings shared at this year’s forum.

Sean G. Young, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, offers a unique perspective on public health in which he uses geospatial analysis to understand the interactions between humans, the environment, and disease.

Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, shares insights from his experiences on values that drive a successful research career.