Dr. Najib El-Sayed (Ph.D. Molecular Parasitology, Yale University)

Director

Dr. El-Sayed is a Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG) with a joint appointment in the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). His research program is focused on the study of the biology of parasitism and host-pathogen interactions using genomic and bioinformatics approaches with the ultimate goal of better understanding infection and survival mechanisms. He was the founding director of the Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Genomics graduate concentration area of studies and the founding director of the Next-Generation Sequencing facility at UMD.

Dr. El-Sayed was named Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar Mentor in 2011. In addition to his Ph.D. from Yale University in Molecular Parasitology, he also holds a M.S.P.H. in Parasitology and Tropical Medicine from Tulane University, and a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Health Sciences from the American University of Beirut.

Sabrina R. Kramer (Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2008) 

Associate Director

Sabrina has a wide range of research interests ranging from pathogen-host interactions and viruses as templates for nanowires to the support of faculty development and teacher training in higher education. She is a proud University of Maryland alumna (Go Terps!) and formerly the Assistant Director for Faculty Programs at the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.

Jalah Townsend

Assistant Director

Jalah Townsend is the Assistant Director for Student Services and is passionate about student engagement and inclusive student practices. In her role, Jalah will provide assistance and support to ILS students through holistic advising, programming, and instruction. Her research interests center the experiences of high achieving Black students and their experiences within Honors College environments.

Jalah received her Bachelor’s degree from George Mason University, graduated with her Master’s in Student Affairs, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education at the University of Maryland. Previously, Jalah served as the Coordinator for Student Engagement for the Gemstone Honors Program. She looks forward to engaging with ILS students, families, and alumni.

Daniel Lee
Graduate Assistant

Daniel Lee is the Graduate Assistant for the Integrative Life Sciences program. He is passionate about advising, living-learning programs, and student leadership. Daniel will provide assistance and support in first-year student advising, student event programming, social media, and alumni relations.

Daniel received his Bachelor’s degree from George Mason University in Global Affairs and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Higher Education at the University of Maryland. Daniel previously served as a graduate assistant for the Office of University Branding at George Mason University.

Dr. Najib El-Sayed (Ph.D. Yale University)
Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics

Dr. El-Sayed is a Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG) with a joint appointment in the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). His research program is focused on the study of the biology of parasitism and host-pathogen interactions using genomic and bioinformatics approaches with the ultimate goal of better understanding infection and survival mechanisms. He was the founding director of the Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Genomics graduate concentration area of studies and the founding director of the Next-Generation Sequencing facility at UMD.

Dr. Sabrina Kramer (Ph.D. University of Maryland)
Associate Director of Integrated Life Sciences, Honors College

Dr. Kramer teaches our second-year cell biology course.  She completed her doctoral research pathogen-host interactions with Tobacco Mosaic Virus and completed postdoctoral work on using viruses as templates for nanowires.  She worked previously as a faculty developer and teacher trainer, working with both graduate students and faculty to improve courses. She is a proud University of Maryland alumna (Go Terps!) and formerly the Assistant Director for Faculty Programs at the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.

Dr. Leslie Pick (Ph.D. Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
Professor and Chair of Entomology

Dr. Pick teaches Genetics and Genomics for first-year students. Her research studies the regulatory genes and pathways that control embryonic development and Hox gene evolution, which has changed its expression pattern and protein sequence to switch its function from an ancestral homeotic gene to a segmentation gene in Drosophila. Additionally, she’s investigated modeling diseases of insulin-signaling pathways in Drosophila.

Dr. Brantley Hall (Ph.D. Virginia Tech)
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics

Dr. Hall studies the functional roles of human gut microbes, focusing on the genetic basis of microbial activities and the enzymes responsible for gut microbial biotransformations. His research also explores electron flow in the gut and its implications for gut microbial metabolism. Passionate about precise measurement, he is working on developing wearable devices to monitor microbial metabolism in real time. Since joining the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor in 2020, his lab has focused on understanding how gut microbial functions relate to gut health. He also teaches Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics.