Ph.D. Students
Breezy Brock, B.S.
VMD/Ph.D. candidate
Breezy Brock earned her B.S. in Microbiology from Northern Arizona University in 2022, where she conducted undergraduate research with Dr. Crystal Hepp and Dr. Viacheslav Fofanov, focusing on environmental pathogen surveillance to understand their temporal and geographic spread. Breezy is a fourth-year VMD/Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, where her thesis focuses on developing next-generation mRNA-based HIV vaccine immunogens. Her work involves introducing cytoplasmic tail mutations into a stabilized trimeric Env protein to enhance surface expression and localization to specialized plasma membrane microdomains. This project aims to define how antigen availability and microdomain localization influence B cell precursor priming, with the goal of informing immunogen design strategies for HIV and other complex viruses. Guided by Dr. Drew Weissman and Dr. Edward Kreider, Breezy is committed to the One Health Initiative, developing cross-species vaccine strategies grounded in virology and immunology while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure that vaccine solutions address both human and animal health challenges in the face of emerging and existing pathogens.
Nicholas A. Cerda, B.S.
He/Him/His
Nicholas Cerda earned his B.S. in Biology at the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. While enrolled at the University of Texas, Nicholas was a member of the Croyle lab, where he completed his honors thesis. After entering Penn, Nicholas’ passion for vaccines and formulation science led him to be co-mentored by Drs. Drew Weissman and Hamideh Parhiz. His thesis work focuses on the area of lipid nanoparticles and their interactions with the immune system. He is also involved in several other projects such as lipid nanoparticle targeting. While not working in the lab, Nicholas also works on developing leadership skills through serving as an officer for the biomedical graduate student association board. Following his doctoral studies, Nicholas plans to pursue a postdoctoral position at the Vaccine Research Center in Gaithersburg.
Rose Razavi, B.S.
Rose Razavi earned her B.S. in biochemistry from SUNY Stony Brook University in 2023. During her four years of undergraduate studies, she also gained industry experience at Nanoprobes Inc. under the guidance of Dr. James Hainfeld. She developed a targeted protein nanoparticle therapeutic for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. The therapy showed remarkable effectiveness in preclinical trials, leading to a patent application. At the University of Pennsylvania, Rose has continued her research journey in Dr. Weissman’s laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Jilian Melamed and Dr. Drew Weissman. Her thesis is focused on developing a targeted mRNA lipid nanoparticle therapeutic to treat Type I Diabetes. In her free time, Rose enjoys painting, rowing, baking, hiking, and exploring new hobbies.