Abhishek Jain, PhD, Principal Investigator
Abhishek Jain completed his PhD at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and postdoctoral training at Uppsala University, Sweden. Formerly a research faculty member at Yale School of Public Health and an NIH-NCATS KL2 Scholar at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, he explores how metabolomics, microbiome science, and host–microbe co-metabolism intersects to reveal novel pathways in health and cancer, with curiosity spanning chemistry, biology, data science, and clinical research. His work has expanded the Human Metabolome Database, advanced dried blood spot metabolomics, and earned multiple honors, including the Yale Research Impact Award, Early Career Member Award (International Metabolomics Society), Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award (Association of Clinical and Translational Science), Bioanalysis Rising Star Award (Taylor & Francis), and recognition from the Society of Surgical Oncology. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, traveling, playing tennis or cricket, and discussing science and philosophy.
Angel Limón (APHL Postdoctoral Fellow)
Angel Limón completed their PhD at NYU School of Medicine in the lab of Dr. Heran Darwin. Their thesis work investigated how aldehydes disrupt copper resistance mechanisms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Prior to joining the Jain lab as an APHL Fellow, they worked as Project Manager at the Lasker Foundation and in sales and production of natural wine in California, New York, and France. Angel joined the lab to investigate novel bioactive metabolites generated from food biotransformation by the gut microbiome and their role in cancer, as well as metabolomic signatures relevant to infectious diseases. Outside of the lab, they enjoy birdwatching, spending time in nature, listening to music, and sharing food and wine with friends.
Gaya Dasanayake (APHL Postdoctoral Fellow)
Gaya Dasanayake completed her PhD at the University of Mississippi, developing ionic-liquid–based nanoparticle and oligonucleotide delivery platforms for applications in cell biology and mitochondrial function. Her expertise spans cell biology, biochemistry, physical chemistry, and nucleic acid therapeutics, with experience in assay development, advanced 2D/3D cell models, and mechanistic uptake studies. She joined the lab to investigate how individual microplastic properties influence the gut microbiome and cancer-relevant cellular processes. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, photography, and gardening.