Current lab members
Principal Investigator
Naima Gabriela Sharaf, Ph.D.
Naima Sharaf got her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She carried out her Ph.D. studies at the University of Pittsburgh in the lab of Dr. Angela Gronenborn where she used fluorine solution NMR to understand inhibitor-induced conformational changes with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. She undertook her post-doctoral training at Caltech in the lab of Dr. Doug Rees where she used biophysical and biochemical tools to characterize the structure and function of Neisseria meningitides methionine ABC transport system. Research in the Sharaf lab bridges biochemistry, structural biology, microbiology, and immunology working toward the ultimate goal of translating lipoprotein research into therapeutics.
Email: ngsharaf (a) stanford (.) edu
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Claire Stewart
Postdoc
Claire Stewart is a dedicated postdoctoral scholar and PRISM fellow known for her contributions to the field of chemistry. She earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she conducted research under the mentorship of Gary Pielak. Her academic journey has been marked by a strong focus on scientific exploration and innovation.
Email:cjstew@stanford.edu
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Qianqiao (Heather) Liu
Postdoc
Heather is a postdoctoral scholar in the Sharaf lab. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she conducted research on the structures and functions of human and bacterial Immunoglobulin A receptors. When not in lab, Heather enjoys hiking, camping and watching old movies.
Email: QL8@stanford.edu
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Francesca Starvaggi
PHD Student
Francesca is a PhD candidate in the department of chemistry. During her undergraduate education at Carnegie Mellon University, she conducted research at the interface of polymer chemistry and biomedical engineering under the mentorship of Dr. Stefanie Sydlik. At Stanford, she carried out research in fundamental polymer chemistry towards the goal of developing new chemically recyclable polymers under the mentorship of Dr. Yan Xia before transitioning to the Sharaf lab. Francesca hopes to apply her background in polymer chemistry and her interest in structural biology towards the goal of developing novel biomaterials.
Email: fstar@stanford.edu
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Kofi Amankwah
Lab Technician
Kofi Amankwah graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Public Health. His educational background is focused on healthcare equity for all. Kofi is interested in pursuing medical school in the near future with the hopes of becoming an Orthopedic surgeon. He has worked in multiple hospital settings internationally including a fertility center where he assisted with a cesarian section surgery. When not in the lab, Kofi can be found working out at the gym or playing video games.
Email: papi@stanford.edu
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Scott Weston
Lab Technician
Email: saweston@stanford.edu
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Matthew Treviño
Undergraduate Researcher
Matthew Trevino is a sophomore planning to major in Human Biology and minor in Chemistry. He is a Gates Scholar, Questbridge scholar, Comunidad for Health Equity member, and volunteer at Stanford Medicine’s Cardinal Free Clinics . He started off in the Sharaf Lab as a BSURP student and was invited to be an undergraduate researcher following the conclusion of the 2021 summer program.
Email: mtrev721@stanford.edu
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Marc Arslanian
Undergraduate Researcher
Marc is a rising sophomore majoring in Biology and following a pre-med track. During the summer of 2020, he participated in Camp CHLA (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles), a program for students interested in the medical field. He is also a member of the Synapse Club at Stanford. Outside of lab, Marc enjoys watching and playing sports and spending quality time with family.
Email: marslani@stanford.edu
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Sara Suchanti
Undergraduate Researcher
Email: sarasuch@stanford.edu
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Ella Moore
Undergraduate Researcher
Email: emoore26@stanfor.edu
Alumni
Jaime Morales Gallardo
Steven Diaz
Abood Mohaisen
Jasmine Padilla
Duke Emil Escobar (University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine)
Brandon Aponte
Jaedyn Hoenig