I was born in Leningrad, U.S.S.R. but grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. I graduated from Saint Petersburg State University with an M.S. in Chemistry, followed by a Ph.D. in Photochemistry earned from Bowling Green State University, Ohio.  In addition to my doctoral degree, received in 2008, I also obtained a Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics, Proteomics/Genomics from a joint program between Bowling Green State University, Medical University of Ohio, and University of Toledo, Ohio.  In the following three years, I completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemistry and Biochemistry in Luc Jaeger’s lab at the University of California Santa Barbara.  In 2011, I was invited as a Research Fellow to join the group of Bruce Shapiro at the National Cancer Institute, NIH where I established and managed an experimental branch within the Computational RNA Structure Group. I started my tenure-track appointment as an Assistant Professor at UNC Charlotte in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019 and to Professor in 2021.

Starting with my doctoral research, under the supervision of Neocles Leontis, I focused my efforts on studying RNA biology and nanotechnology with potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications to biomedicine. My interdisciplinary research experience includes extensive use of both computational and experimental techniques for modeling, prediction, engineering, and characterization in vitro and in vivo of natural and artificial nucleic acid-based structures.

Postdoctoral ORISE Fellow | U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biology | Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic)

M.S., Molecular Biology and Genetics | P.J. Safarik University (Kosice, Slovak Republic)

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Molecular Pharmacology | UNC Chapel Hill

Ph.D., Neuroscience | Washington State University

B.S., Biology and Chemical Science | California State University, Chico

My name is Anh Ha, and I am from Vietnam. I came to the US in 2010 and have lived in Charlotte since then. I earned my B.S. in Biology with Cell Biology/ Physiology concentration at UNC Charlotte in 2018, followed by an M.S. in Biology together with Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics Applications in 2020. 

My name is Oleg Shevchenko. I was born in Artemovsk in the former USSR, but now it is Bakhmut in Ukraine. My family moved to the US and has lived in the Charlotte area since 2001, a place I can call home. I earned a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Chemistry with a Minor in Mathematics, and now I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Chemistry at UNC Charlotte while studying RNA nanotechnology. I also have an interest in genetic genealogy.

Hello, my name is Yelixza. I am from the El Paso, TX area and graduated from Sul Ross State University where I double majored in Biology and Chemistry. Currently, I am a Nanoscale Science Ph.D. Candidate investigating the use of different delivery vehicles for nucleic acid nanotechnologies and characterizing the resulting immunological responses. 

I am Yasmine Radwan. I’m from Cairo, Egypt where I received my B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, with a concentration in Drug Design and Development, and a minor in Nanomedicine, from Zewail City for Science and Technology. I am currently a Nanoscale Science Ph.D. Student at UNC Charlotte, studying nucleic acid nanotechnology and drug delivery.

My name is Leyla and I am currently a first-year PhD student in the Afonin lab researching RNA nanotechnology and nucleic acid nanoparticles. I received my B.S. at UNCC in biology, along with a minor in political science. My current research involves the investigations of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters and the selective activation of RIG-I, an important cytosolic immune receptor.

Hello, I am Sabina Fardous. I earned a BS and a Masters degree major in Pharmaceutical Science from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Then I was positioned as a quality control (QC) officer in a pharmaceutical company for around three years before coming to the USA. Now, I have started my Ph.D. in Dr. Afonin's lab here at UNC Charlotte.

Hello! My name is Elizabeth Skelly. I earned a BS in Nanoscale Chemistry with a minor in Calculus-based Math from Northwest Missouri State University. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I gained experience in R&D and QA at Vi-Jon, Inc. in St. Louis, MO, and I spent a summer conducting research at the University of South Dakota. I am now a Ph.D. student in the Nanoscale Science Program. 

Hi! My name is Laura Rebolledo. I am originally from Colombia and my family came to the U.S. about 11 years ago. I am a Biology major and will be pursuing a master's degree after my undergraduate studies before continuing to medical school. I joined Dr. Afonin’s lab because of my growing interest in research and found his work on RNA nanoparticles fascinating. I am thrilled to learn more about RNA nanotechnology and its therapeutic applications to biomedicine and I am thankful to be part of such an amazing team.   

Hello! My name is Liz Brennan. I am originally from Charlotte, and I received my B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Studio Art from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. During my time as a student and after graduating, I participated in bioinformatic research at Atrium Health and assisted in the regulation of clinical trials at Monroe Biomedical Research. As a first year student in the Nanoscale Science program, I am eager to learn more about the potential that nucleic acids have in the development of targeted therapies.  

Hi! My name is Mia Collins and I am a post-baccalaureate graduate student at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. I graduated from Elon University in 2022 with a B.A in Biology and I am planning to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in Endocrinology/Toxicology. I also work at Central Piedmont Community College, in the Anatomy & Physiology department as a lab assistant. My current research involves the synthesis and characterization of silver nanoclusters. 

Hello! My name is Brandon Rawlins. I was born in Manhattan, New York but grew up in Huntersville, North Carolina. Growing up, science was always my favorite subject in school as it was a way for me to better understand the world around me. My fascination with science combined with the desire to help people has led me to pursue a B.S. in Biology with aspirations of attending medical school and becoming a physician. I joined the Afonin lab to learn more about biochemistry and cellular biology, specifically nucleic acid nanoparticles, and how they can potentially be used therapeutically. I also saw the lab as an opportunity to learn more about research in general and assess what role I wanted it to play in my future career.

Hello! My name is Alora Dunnavant, and I recently graduated from UNC Charlotte with a B.S. in Chemistry (conc. Biochemistry) and a minor in Bioinformatics and Genomics. Upon graduation, I became fully employed working in R&D in the coatings industry and also started volunteering in the lab to continue my undergraduate research project investigating the antibacterial properties of silver nanoclusters. While I am in the midst of applying for my Ph.D., regularly versing myself with novel biochemistry/nanotechnology research is a practice I greatly enjoy in Dr. Afonin's lab.

My name is Jalen London. I am from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I am majoring in Nursing and minoring in Spanish in the hopes of becoming a nurse practitioner. Also, I am a Martin Scholar and University Honors Program student. I joined Dr. Afonin's lab to be able to participate in research that soon will have profound diagnostic and therapeutic applications to biomedicine. 

Hi my name is Celine Ortiz. I was born in NY and my family relocated to Charlotte, N.C. when I was six years old. I began my undergraduate journey at Hartwick University on a swimming scholarship. During the pandemic, I transferred to UNC Charlotte to pursue my B.S. degree in Biology (Pre-Med) with a minor in Chemistry. I join Dr. Afonin's lab to extend my knowledge in the medical research field and the manipulation or design of matter.

Hello! My name is Jose Reyna, I am originally from Guatemala. My family and I moved to the US
about 12 years ago. As an undergraduate, I am pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a minor in
Chemistry here at UNC Charlotte. I never imagined being in the position that I am in today and
having the privilege to learn from the great leaders/minds that we have here in Dr. Afonin’s
lab. My dream has always been to become a physician, and in the process of working towards
that goal, I got the opportunity to submerse myself in what it is to apply biochemistry in the lab
setting. This opportunity has been so enriching so far and has shown me a different
perspective on medicine and the work and sacrifices that are needed to serve our
community in the best way possible.