Officers
Khusboo Rana
Position: President
Email: krana (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: Khusboo Rana is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Division of Material Science and Engineering at Ames Laboratory where he does research about magnetic correlations in quantum materials, such as superconductors. He has a PhD in condensed matter physics from Iowa State University (ISU) and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Physics and Mathematics from Warburg College. He is a Preparing Future Faculty scholar and former secretary for the postdoc association (PDA) at ISU. While he loves spending time with family and friends, he is also a musician and loves composing music that portrays the intersection of science and religion.
Stephanie Klein
Position: Vice President
Email: spklein (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: Stephanie is a postdoc in the Genetics, Development and Cellular Biology department and served as the PDA’s representative to the Graduate Council this last year. She earned her Ph.D. from Penn State and studies crop responses to environmental stress. She has also served in a variety of service positions with her respective departments and the American Society of Plant Biologists advocating for early career scientists.
Shalini Wijeratne
Position: Treasurer
Email: shaliniw (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: Shalini Wijeratne is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Her focus of research is developing bacteriophage-based biosensors to detect pathogens in food and water. She has a PhD in Food Science and Technology from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Science in Food Science from California State University Long Beach. She loves cooking, reading, and spending time with her family. She is looking forward to becoming a teacher.
Gopal Niraula
Position: Secretary
Email: gniraula (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in ‘The Lab of Molecular Cell Mechanics’, department of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa State University where we develop a molecular tension sensor for cellular studies at the molecular level. I received my Master's degrees in Physics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics from Federal University of Maranhao, Sao Luis, Brazil. In addition, I deal with the magnetic nanoparticles for their biological application such as magnetic hyperthermia, photothermal therapy, magnetic resonance imaging, biosensor, and mechanotransduction.
Open Position
Position: IT coordinator
Email: (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch:
Elizabeth Elliott
Position: Graduate Council Representative
Position: University Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equity Representative
Email: elliotte (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: Elizabeth Elliott is a postdoctoral scholar in the department of psychology working in the Applied Cognition Laboratory. She earned her PhD in Forensic Psychology and Masters in Criminology. She has served in various capacities in her departments elsewhere, and now she has joined the PDA at ISU to represent postdoctoral researchers on the Graduate Council and on the University Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equity.
Susheel Kumar Nethi
Position: Graduate Council Representative
Position: College Representative
Email: snethi (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: I am a postdoctoral research associate at the Nanovaccine Institute/ Dept. of Chem. Biol. Eng. – Iowa State University, investigating the impact of novel polymer-based nanoplatforms for gene and drug delivery applications in pancreatic and breast cancers. Prior to joining here, I was a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University and the University of Minnesota, exploring stem cell-based therapies for tumor-targeted drug delivery. I completed my master's degree in Biotechnology and received a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from AcSIR, India. My research findings have been well-cited and highlighted in scientific forums. Apart from work, my interests include playing outdoor games, reading books, traveling, and connecting with people.
Open Position
Position: Social Activities Manager
Email: (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch:
Advisors
William Graves
Position: ISUPDA Advisor; Dean of Graduate College
Email: graves (at) iastate.edu
Bio-Sketch: Bill Graves was raised in a suburb of Chicago and completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Iowa State University and the doctorate at Purdue University. Bill took his initial faculty position at the University of Maryland. In 1992, Bill returned to Iowa State University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes. Bill is working with a team of researchers to develop sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics used in horticultural industries. He also studies the ecology, physiology, propagation, and genetics of rare plants and biological nitrogen fixation of trees and shrubs. For over a decade, Bill directed the graduate programs in horticulture at Iowa State University, and he was appointed associate dean of the university’s Graduate College in 2010. Bill and his colleagues have taught a graduate course for many years on the preparation of manuscripts for submission to refereed scientific journals, and Bill is co-author of a related book, Getting Published in the Life Sciences [John Wiley and Sons, 2011]. Bill has been privileged to hold sabbatical appointments at the University of Delaware and Stanford University to pursue his research. He’s received a Diversity Enhancement Award and the Margaret Ellen White Award for advising graduate students from Iowa State University, and the Norman J. Coleman Award for outstanding research from the American Nursery and Landscape Association.