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Taj Azarian, PhD MPH
Dr. Taj Azarian is currently an assistant professor at the Burnett School of Biomedical Science, University of Central Florida. His lab uses pathogen genomics to investigate the emergence and spread of bacterial infectious diseases. Prior to coming to UCF, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics. Dr. Azarian has a diversity background spanning the fields of applied public health practice, infectious disease surveillance, healthcare epidemiology, and infectious disease research.
Assistant Professor, Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, Burnett School of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida
Education and Training
2018 – Harvard University, Postdoctoral Fellow. Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics. Laboratories of William P Hanage and Marc Lipsitch
2015 – University of Florida, PhD in Epidemiology. Laboratory of Marco Salemi
2009 – Florida Department of Health. Fellow. Florida Epidemic Intelligence Service
2007 – University of Florida, Masters in Public Health. Epidemiology
2004 – University of Florida, B.S. Microbiology
Dr. Eleonora Cella
Assistant Research Scientist
Eleonora is currently an Assistant Scientist at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the laboratory of Dr. Taj Azarian, where she first started her appointment as Post-doctoral Scholar in June 2019. Her research is focused on microbial evolutionary dynamics and molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases.
Her experience is in the use of cutting edge genomic tools, analyzing next-generation sequencing data, and using advanced phylogenetic analytical algorithms and bioinformatics tools.
Education and training:
2024 – Post-doctoral fellow at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida
2019 – Post-doctoral fellow at the University Campus Bio-medico of Rome, Rome, Italy
2017 – PhD in Microbiology, Public Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy.
2013 – Masters in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy.
2011 – Bachelor in Human Biology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
Dr. Verónica Urdaneta Páez (she/her)
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Verónica is a post-doctoral scholar at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the laboratory of Dr. Taj Azarian. Her areas of expertise include microbiology, bacterial genetics, and molecular biology. So far, her research experience has mainly focused on antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria. She completed her PhD in Spain, where She studied the interactions between Salmonella enterica and bile, a natural antibacterial substance encountered by the bacteria during the course of infection. Her post-doctoral appointment at Yale University focused on the development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa reporter strains to study the dynamics of compound uptake, retention, and efflux in this multidrug-resistant pathogen. She is interested in broadening her knowledge by developing proficiency in bioinformatics, epidemiology, and population genomics of clinically relevant pathogens.
Education and training:
2019-2023: Post-doctoral associate at School of Medicine, Yale University
2016-2018: Post-doctoral fellow, Universidad de Sevilla.
2012-2016: International PhD in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine, Universidad de Sevilla.
2011-2012: Master’s in Advanced Biotechnology, Universidad Internacional de Andalucía/Universidad de Málaga.
2009-2011: Research associate. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados IDEA.
2003-2008: Bachelor of Biology, Universidad Central de Venezuela
Dr. Sobur Ali
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Sobur is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Genomics and Bioinformatics at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida, working with Dr. Taj Azarian. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UCF in 2024, where his doctoral research focused on the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. He completed BS and MS in Microbiology from the University of Dhaka. Prior to joining UCF, he worked at the icddr,b in Dhaka, where he investigated antimicrobial resistance and microbial diversity. His current research integrates pathogen genomics, bioinformatics, and public health to understand transmission, resistance, and vaccine escape mechanisms.
Gia Ramos
PhD Biomedical Sciences student at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Gia is currently a PhD student at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the laboratory of Dr. Taj Azarian. She attained her bachelor’s degree in biology at Pennsylvania State University. Her previous research consisted of field ecology and molecular work. In the Azarian lab, Gia is interested in gaining knowledge in epidemiology, bioinformatics, and public health. Outside of her research, Gia likes to read, go out for coffee, and explore the outdoors.
Alexander Hall
PhD Biomedical Sciences student at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Alexander is currently a doctoral student in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the Dr. Azarian laboratory. He received his master’s degree in Infectious Disease and bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida. His current research efforts are focused on examining carriage duration trends in Streptococcus pneumoniae across multiple regions and age groups. His current research interests include analyzing both co-carriage trends and invasive disease rates of S. pneumoniae in the future. Outside of his research, he enjoys kayaking and traveling with his family.
Jash Trivedi
MS Biotechnology student at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Jash is a Master’s student at the University of Central Florida’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, conducting his thesis research under the guidance of Dr. Taj Azarian. His research focuses on investigating genetic factors underlying the differential pathogenicity and invasiveness between clade I and clade II strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3, using dual RNA sequencing, pan-genomics, and pan-transcriptomic approaches. Jash holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from India and previously worked as a bioinformatician at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Outside of his research, he enjoys playing football, painting, and reading.
Sean Stapleton
MS Biotechnology student at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Sean is a Master’s thesis graduate student at the Burnett School of Biomedical Science. Sean graduated from UCF with a B.S in biology. His current research focus in Dr. Azarian's lab is metagenomic next-generation sequencing and analyzing streptococcus serotypes from saliva samples. His previous research involved 3D bioprinting bone tissue in the UCF Biionix research cluster. He is deeply interested in immunology, regenerative medicine, and pathology. Outside of the lab he enjoys nature and martial arts.
Sachitaa Senthilkumar
Undergraduate Student/BSBS Scholar Member
Sachitaa is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida. She is currently working in the Azarian Lab on a project that focuses on the phenotypic characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus. She is majoring in Biomedical Sciences and is a member of the Burnett Medical Scholars program at UCF. Before joining the Azarian lab, she did bioinformatics research focusing on tracing tumor evolution in murine squamous cells alongside the UCSF Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis and gardening.
Eva Armao
Undergraduate Student/BSBS Scholar Member
Eva is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida. She is majoring in Biomedical Sciences and is a member of the Burnett Medical Scholars program. Currently, she is working on completing her Honors in the Major Thesis regarding the genomic epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus sequence type 97. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time at the beach, and trying local coffee shops.
Krish Ghosalkar
Undergraduate Student/BSBS Scholar Member
Krish is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida and is a member of the Burnett Medical Scholars program. He is majoring in biomedical sciences and plans to pursue a career in medicine. He is currently working on a project, studying the population distribution of Staphylococcus aureus sequence type 398. Outside of the Azarian Lab, he’s also working on a project with a retinal surgeon, analyzing the use of dyes in macular hole surgery. In his free time, he likes to read, cook, and exercise.
Dr. Sayf Al-Deen Hassouneh
Technical Consultant
Sayf is currently a technical consultant after completing a post-doctoral fellow at the Burnett School of Biomedical sciences in the laboratory of Dr. Taj Azarian. His research centered around the use of next-generation sequencing for genomics, metagenomics, and molecular epidemiology. His PhD's research focused on the analyzing the differences between healthy gut microbiomes across geographical regions, as well as the analysis of healthy and diseased gut microbiomes using compositional data analysis methodologies. He has also conducted research analyzing the effects of SNP’s in the _TL1A_ gene on Crohn’s disease prevalence and response to therapeutics.
ALUMNI
Catherine Johnston
B.S. Biomedical Sciences, B.S. Nursing, University of Central Florida
Catherine Johnston graduated from the University of Central Florida with dual bachelor’s degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Nursing. She currently works as a registered nurse in the neuro/surgical ICU and plans to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) track. During her time in the Azarian lab, Catherine served as a lab manager and completed an undergraduate thesis on tracking changes in Staphylococcus aureus carriage before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Noah Greenman earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences in Dr. Azarian’s lab in 2024. He joined the lab in the fall 2019. He received his Bachelor of Science at James Madison University (JMU) in 2016 and his Master of Science at JMU in 2019. His academic interests have always been in cell and molecular biology, with a growing fascination with bioinformatics. His master's thesis focused on the prevalence of Salmonella enterica in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with a focus on the prevalence of mobile genetic elements conferring antimicrobial resistance genes. His focus in Dr. Azarian’s lab involved developing metagenomic techniques using Oxford Nanopore Technologies long-read sequencing data and applying metagenomics to studying disease.
Jillian Glasser is currently a medical student at the UCF College of Medicine. She worked in the Azarian Lab on a project that focuses on the genomic analysis of osteomyelitis-causing Staphylococcus aureus through the Student FIRE Program. She graduated from Brown University in 2019 with a BA in Health and Human Biology. While at Brown and after her graduation, she did clinical and translational orthopedics research, regarding orthopedic trauma, total joint arthroplasty, and surgical/implant infections. Additionally, she was on the varsity Brown University Swimming and Diving Team from 2015-2019.
Atrayee Chatterjee graduated from UCF with a Masters in Biotechnology. Her research in the Azarian lab revolved around the host susceptibility of temperate phages of S. aureus with a special focus on Staphylococcal Skin Scalded Syndrome caused by MRSA. Prior to UCF, Atrayee graduated from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology with a B.Tech-M.Tech in Biotechnology. Before joining UCF, she worked with the sales operations and project management team at Clevergene – a genomics startup in Bengaluru, India. Atrayee is interested in working at the intersection of genomics, bioinformatics and molecular biology in the Biotech Industry.
Wageha Talib graduated from UCF with a Masters in Biotechnology. Her research interest has been genomic studies of pathogenic microorganisms. Her previous research work was on isolation, molecular diagnosis, and antibiotic resistant profile studies of Acinetobacter from human and animal origins. Her research focused on investigating the impact of quorum sensing on polymicrobial interactions in cystic fibrosis patients. She always has a keen interest in learning bioinformatics which was being nurtured in Azarian lab.
Julia Webb graduated from UCF with a Masters in Biotechnology and Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences. During her time with the Azarian Lab, she was involved in the Navajo S. aureus project, and her thesis focused on the intrahost diversity of S. aureus during carriage. She is now attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning her PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.
Smitha Shambhu graduated from UCF with a Masters in Biotechnology. She currently works with the Gene Therapy team at Gordian Biotechnology on single cell sequencing, plasmid cloning and AAV production that makes the in vivo therapeutic screening platform. At the Azarian lab she was focused on understanding the mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer in Streptococcus pneumoniae and variations influenced by changes in gene expression.
Anita Samadabadi graduated from UCF in 2020 with a bachelors in Biomedical Sciences. During her years at UCF, she was involved in a NSF sponsored research cohort called T-LEARN. As one of the first students in the Azarian lab, Anita was heavily involved in the cystic fibrosis (CF) project while completing her Honors In the Major. While in the Azarian lab, Anita defended her research successfully and published in the UCF STARS journal. During her years in the Azarian lab, Anita had the opportunity to present at multiple conferences and showcase her CF research. She is, now, in PA school and continue working in the healthcare field for the foreseeable future.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez-Rivero graduated from UCF in 2023 with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology with a concentration in Neurosciences. At the Azarian lab, he worked in the Biobanking project alongside his peers, and completed and defended his honors thesis in Antibiotic Susceptibility trends of S. aureus. This project studied the change in antibiotic susceptibility patterns of SA isolates across 2019-2022 and it was published in the UCF STARS journal. He worked at AdventHealth Orlando as a Laboratory Assistant and he looked forward to applying to medical school soon. His research interests include neuroscience, epidemiology and molecular biology.
Dr. Mohammad Jubair completed a post-doctoral fellowship Scholar at Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the laboratory of Dr. Azarian. He holds a Bachelor and Masters in Microbiology and PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Dhaka in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He currently works as a research scientist for icddr,b in Dhaka, Bengledesh.
Erica Quintero volunteered at the Azarian Lab in 2021-2023. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science in Summer 2021. Her goal at Dr. Azarian’s lab was to understand the intersection of bioinformatics, genomics, and molecular biology. Erica is now attending the University of South Florida, earning her PhD in Molecular Biosciences.
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