Kirk Lab - People

Jonathan A. Kirk, PhD, FAHA, FCVS
Associate Professor & Vice Chair
Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology
Program Director: Masters of Science in Clinical and Applied Proteomics (MSCAPS)
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Email: jkirk2@luc.edu, Office: 708-216-6348

Education: B.S. in Bioengineering at Washington State University, Ph.D. in Bioengineering at University of Pittsburgh, Post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Dr. Kirk also engages in consulting for biotech and pharma, contract research, and acting as an expert witness. Please email Dr. Kirk to inquire about these services.

Laura Sherer, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow
lsherer@luc.edu

Education: BA from the College of Wooster, MS and PhD from the University of Minnesota
Research Interests: The regulation of BAG3 in cardiomyocytes and how it changes in heart failure
Hobbies: Running, reading, traveling, failing miserably at learning Bengali
Fun fact: When Laura was growing up, she owned two goats named Padme and Anakin.

Henry Gong, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow
hgong@luc.edu

Education: BS from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, PhD from Illinois Institute of Technology
Research Interests: BAG3 and its role in protein quality control of the heart
Hobbies: Reading, cooking, and playing League of Legend
Fun fact: Henry is really bad at playing League of Legend

Christine Delligatti
Graduate Student (PhD)
cdelligatti@luc.ed

Education: B.S. in Biological Sciences from Webster University
Research Interests: Glycation PTM crosstalk and the functional consequences
Hobbies: Hiking and traveling, cooking, videogames and tabletop games, and reading.
Fun fact: Christine always restarts from her last save in Skyrim whenever her dog companion, Meeko, meets an untimely end.

Nitha Aima Muntu
Graduate Student (MS)
naimamuntu@luc.edu

Education: B.S. in Microbiology from Washington State University
Research Interests: A little bit of everything at the moment
Hobbies: Hiking, exploring new places, and cooking.
Fun fact: Nitha likes "experimenting" with cooking.

Michaela Door
Graduate Student (PhD)
mdoor@luc.edu

Education: B.S. in Biopsychology from University of California, Santa Barbara
Research Interests: Regulation of GSK-3beta activity at the sarcomere
Hobbies: Snowboarding, camping, and crochet.
Fun fact: Michaela has seen over 60 artists live in concert.

Micah Yoder
Graduate Student (PhD)
myoder1@luc.edu

Education: B.S. in Biochemistry from Mansfield University
Research Interests: Still discovering, but likes microscopy
Hobbies: Running, hiking, gardening, and traveling
Fun fact: Micah spent 41,290 minutes of 2023 listening to Taylor Swift.

Ahmed Zied, MS
Lab Manager
azied@luc.edu

Education: B.S. in Kinesiology & Health from Iowa State University and MS from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Research Interests: Human Bcl2-associated athanogene (BAG3) and its role in cardiac myofilament health for translational research
Hobbies: Cooking, watching soccer, hiking, travelling/road trips, watching documentaries
Fun fact: Ahmed once paid a guy to let him climb the first few steps of the Great Pyramid of Giza

Hana Pak
Research Technician
hpak1@luc.edu

Education: BA from New York University
Research Interests: Currently exploring my options and helping others in the lab on their projects!
Hobbies: Concerts, exploring the city, drawing, Wii games (the old one), and spending time with my pets
Fun fact: Hana has beaten anyone who has challenged her in the original Mario Kart on the Wii.

Seby Edassery, MS, MTech
Director of Mass Spectrometry
sedassery@luc.edu

Education: MS in Biochemistry (University of Calicut), MTech in Biotechnology (Anna University)
Research Interests: The application of advanced mass spectrometry techniques to address key questions in proteomics and bioinformatics.
Hobbies: Exploring diverse content on YouTube, ranging from educational videos to entertainment, to satisfy his curiosity and expand my knowledge base.
Fun fact: Seby tends to dedicate an extensive amount of time to exploring topics of interest

James Szczerkowski, PhD
Specialized Imaging Fellow (Co-Mentored with Dr. Beach)
jszczerkowski@luc.edu

Education: MS from Lancaster University, PhD from King's College London,
Research Interests: Microscopy and Image analysis – particularly focus on lysosome tracking and sarcomere proximity
Hobbies: Climbing, running, DnD and baking
Fun fact: Jamie once had to drive a minibus full of people home with a broken arm

Lab Alumni