Job Position:
Job Position:
Job Position:
Job Position:
Khaja Shameem Mohammed Abdul, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Cardiovascular Signaling Laboratory
Khaja Shameem Mohammed Abdul, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Cardiovascular Signaling Laboratory at HMRI. Dr. Mohammed Abdul received his PhD from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, in 2017, where he worked on discovering viable noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of rare endemic chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) in farming communities.
During his PhD work, he was awarded two distinguished scholarships, the Vice Chancellor’s Fellowship and the President’s Research Scholarship, from the University of Ruhuna and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Sri Lanka, respectively. During 2018-2020, as a post-doctoral fellow at Guangdong University of Technology, China, he investigated the molecular mechanisms of Isosteviol and its analog (JC105) in mediating cardioprotection against hypoxia-reoxygenation injury and myocardial injury models.
In 2021, Dr. Mohammed Abdul joined HMRI’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program. He investigates the role of protein phosphatases PHLPP1 and PHLPP2 in myocardial aging and injury, as well as the epigenetic alterations that regulate the transcription of genes involved in these processes. His long-term career goal is to become an independent career scientist in cardiovascular research. Apart from biomedical research, Dr. Mohammed Abdul enjoys playing cricket, nature photography, and horology.
Abdulhakim Al-Ezzi, PhD
Abudulhakim Al-Ezzi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Clinical and Translational Neurosciences
Abdulhakim Al-Ezzi, PhD joined HMRI’s Cognition and Brain Integration Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow in 2022. He received his PhD from the Universiti Teknologi Petrona in Perak, Malaysia, where he studied Biomedical Engineering. Prior to joining HMRI, he researched mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, mild exercise on attention performance, cognitive function, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Al-Ezzi was awarded two scholarships during his university studies, and his research has been published in high-impact journals.
At HMRI, Dr. Al-Ezzi focuses on cognitive processing in the clinical brain aging study through EEG data collection and correlation analysis with other aging-related datasets to understand the subtle cognitive dysfunctions in cognitively healthy participants who may be at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Al-Ezzi explains, “I have a desire to make a positive impact and a deep curiosity about the complex mechanisms of mental health conditions, driven by the potential for breakthroughs that can improve the quality of life for those affected and address a growing global health challenge.”
Kazi Helal Hossain, PhD
Faculty Mentor: Anju Vasudevan, PhD
Basic and Translational Neurosciences
Kazi Helal Hossain, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Angiogenesis and Brain Development Laboratory. Dr. Kazi Helal received his PhD degree in Biomedical Science from the Department of Medicine, Shimane University, Japan. His doctoral training focused on investigating the impact of P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide on alteration of gene expression patterns in endothelial cells and its contributions to the pathogenesis of vascular inflammatory diseases. He also studied the morphological and pathological changes of hypertensive brain vessels to understand how hypertension induces the early pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel diseases. During his doctoral studies, he received several scholarships (Honors, Shimane International Center, and Furukawa Scholarship) in Japan. His postdoctoral research focuses on studying the fundamental mechanisms of endothelial GABA and its receptor-mediated signaling during postnatal brain development with the use of genetic models and elucidating new paradigms of neurovascular interactions in the neocortex.
In addition to his research, Kazi Helal loves social work, cooking, gardening, and fishing.
Joby Jose, PhD
Faculty Mentor: Alfred N. Fonteh, PhD
Biomarker and Neuro-disease Mechanism Laboratory
Joby Jose, PhD is originally from Thodupuzha, Kerala, India. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from Kannur University in India, where he studied the anti-carcinogenic properties of selected flavonoids and their bioavailability and biodegradation. Dr. Jose joined HMRI in February of 2023 as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Biomarker and Neuro-disease Mechanism Lab (BNML), where he researches and identifies novel biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease in early disease conditions.
My Why: “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death in the US. Currently, there is no cure, detection methods are limited to select patients, and they lack potential biomarkers to predict the onset of the disease. Current diagnostic techniques are not widely available or applicable to many patients due to the invasiveness of CSF collection and PET imaging and the high expenses for these procedures. So, there is an urgent requirement for a cheaper, non-invasive biomarker. My research focuses primarily on the identification of novel biomarkers to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively healthy individuals.”
Fun Fact: Dr. Jose’s favorite thing is traveling. “It helps me find myself and gain a better perspective of myself.” He also has a passion for tasting unique foods from around the world.
