Meet our Team
Principal Investigator & Founder
Dionysios (Dennis)
Watson, MD PhD
Physician-scientist dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients by bringing together the latest biomedical discoveries and personalized clinical care.
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Passionate about long hikes in nature, immersive music, exploring different cultures and spending time with family.
Assistant (Staff) Scientist
Saifun Nahar, MD PhD
Staff scientist with background in vaccinology and cancer immunotherapy. Currently developing tumor-targeted immunotherapies for glioblastoma and non-small cell lung cancer.
Assistant Prof, Medical Oncology
Chinmay Jani, MD
Physician-scientist driven to advance translational immunotherapy research, with a focus on resistance mechanisms, predictive biomarkers, and novel therapeutic strategies.
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Indian classically trained singer, train enthusiast, curates traveling to foster exploration and connection
MD/PhD candidate
Jonathan Mitchell
MD/PhD student interested in the intersections of cancer biology, immunology, and neuroscience.
Enjoys skiing, house music, and watching Michigan football in free time.
PhD Candidate
Carolina de la Peña Fernandez
PhD student studying downstream effects of mitochondria transfer in brain tumors.
PhD Candidate
Justin Ruiz
PhD student developing microbiome-inspired immunotherapies.
Research Technician
TuÄŸçe Temel, MSc
Molecular biologist passionate about cancer immunology and tumor immune evasion.
She enjoys long walks, trying new recipes, dancing, reading, playing World of Warcraft, and has a soft spot for parrots.
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Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Asad Rauf, MD
Clinical fellow translating basic immunology to investigator-initiated clinical studies.
Visit our partner and neighboring lab's website for additional colleague profiles @ BayikLab.com
Past members
Irem Karaman, MD
Next position: Internal Medicine Resident at Florida International University / Baptist Health