Dr. Markley Oliveira Jr.
September 2026
Congratulations Dr. Oliveira!
Dr. Markley Oliveira Jr. is a postdoctoral associate in the Seney Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. Originally from Feira de Santana, Brazil, Markley earned his PhD magna cum laude at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf studying remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis. At Pitt, that curiosity has taken him from cerebrovascular dementia, where his work led to a first-author paper in Neurology on early blood biomarkers - to oligodendrocytes and their role in Alzheimer's disease, resulting in a pending patent for a computational pipeline detecting cell-pathology interactions. He is now extending this work into depression and opioid use disorder in Dr. Marianne Seney's lab.
Beyond the bench, Markley is developing a pre-spinout venture applying multi-omics and pharmacogenomics to drug-target and biomarker discovery in brain diseases, already selected for pitch competitions across Pittsburgh and supported by Pitt's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Big Idea Center. He is actively looking for Pitt postdocs to join as contributors and advisors.
Are you interested in turning discovery science into something that reaches patients?
Markley would love to hear from you: Email | LinkedIn
Dr. Andreia Rocha
April 2026
Congratulations Dr. Rocha!
Dr. Andreia Rocha is a postdoctoral associate in the Pascoal Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. In February 2026, Andreia represented her team at AAIC Neuroscience Next, a global conference organized by the Alzheimer’s Association that highlights emerging leaders in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research. Held in an international “hub” format, the meeting brings together early-career scientists from around the world to share cutting-edge science and foster collaboration. Watch her presentation here.
Presenting at the Manchester, UK hub, Andreia was awarded the Showstopper Award for Best Presentation, recognizing both the impact of her research and her excellence in scientific communication. Her achievement reflects the innovative work being conducted in the Pascoal Lab and underscores the importance of effectively translating complex science to broad audiences.
Connect with Dr. Rocha on LinkedIn!
Dr. Austin Arrigo
March 2026
Congratulations Dr. Arrigo!
Dr. Austin Arrigo is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Buckanovich Lab at Magee Womens Research Institute. His research is focused on elucidating novel quiescent specific markers in ovarian cancer. He is specifically interested in determining how key stress response pathways influence cell cycle changes, chemoresistance and tumor recurrence in relation to the quiescent ovarian cancer population.
Dr. Arrigo has recently been awarded a Mentored-Investigator Grant from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance for his research focused on “Investigating the role of VGF in ovarian cancer quiescence and treatment resistance”. Their preliminary data shows that treatment with recombinant VGF promotes a slowing of cell growth and increased chemoresistance, demonstrating a strong induction of a quiescent phenotype. The aim of this project is to identify key quiescent inducing pathways of VGF and attempt to target them therapeutically.
Additionally, he recently competed in and won the Cancer Biology Programs “Lightning Talk” competition, where competitors had to present their projects in under 2 minutes.
LinkedIn
Dr. Ariel Snowden
February 2026
Congratulations Dr. Snowden!
Dr. Ariel Snowden is a T32 Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. She conducts her research in the Seney Lab under the primary mentorship of Dr. Marianne Seney and is co-mentored by Dr. Kyle Ketchesin and Dr. Rob Sweet as part of the Transformative Discovery in Psychiatry (T32) program directed by Dr. Sweet. Her work uses postmortem human brain tissue to investigate genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying psychosis, with a current focus on disentangling the effects of chronic tobacco use from disease-related brain changes.
Dr. Snowden was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance (S&PAA), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing equitable access to care, research, and policy for individuals and families affected by schizophrenia and psychosis. Her scientific work and board service are informed by both her training and lived experience as the daughter of a parent living with schizophrenia and impacted by incarceration.
Read the Board Election press release here!
LinkedIn
Dr. Yuexin Cao
January 2026
Congratulations Dr. Cao!
Dr. Yuexin Cao is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Ng Lab in the Swanson School of Engineering at Pitt. Her research integrates in silico and in vivo approaches to investigate the toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). She is particularly interested in developing computational models to assess chemical hazards and support regulatory and sustainability goals, and is passionate about the intersections of environmental health and public health.
Dr. Cao recently published a paper titled “Developmental Toxicity of Photolithography-Relevant Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Reveals Concerns for Less-Studied Functional Groups” in Environmental Science & Technology. This paper used zebrafish embryo assay to evaluate the developmental toxicity and gene expression responses to nine legacy and emerging PFAS used in semiconductor manufacturing. The findings raise concerns about certain PFAS with less-studied functional groups, such as, perfluoroalkyl dicarboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonamides, and provide insights to support the selection of safer chemicals in semiconductor manufacturing.
She has also recently served as a seminar speaker in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Pitt. Her talk, Following the Footsteps of PFAS: How “Forever Chemicals” Interact with Proteins and Affect Health, showcased several projects conducted with Dr. Carla Ng during her Ph.D. study at Pitt, illustrating how molecular-level interactions of PFAS can inform broader understanding of their health impacts.
Dr. Naveen Kumar Tangudu
December 2025
Congratulations Dr. Tangudu!
Dr. Naveen Tangudu is a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Pittsburgh studying cancer metabolism, iron biology, and ferroptosis in ovarian and gynecologic cancers. Using an integrated approach that includes CRISPR engineering, metabolomics, functional assays, and in vivo models, his research aims to uncover vulnerabilities in treatment-resistant tumors. He has received competitive funding from the Department of Defense, published multiple first-author papers, and is driven by a commitment to translating metabolic discoveries into meaningful cancer therapies.
Dr. Naveen Tangudu recently presented in the Health Sciences Seminar Series at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine–Seton Hill (LECOM-SH), where he discussed his latest published work, “ATR promotes mTORC1 activity via de novo cholesterol synthesis.” In his talk, Dr. Tangudu highlighted findings showing that ATR extends beyond its canonical role in the DNA damage response to promote mTORC1 signaling under baseline conditions by regulating cholesterol synthesis and mTOR localization.
He also shared complementary research demonstrating that p16 deficiency creates metabolic vulnerabilities that sensitize cancer cells to inhibitors of nucleotide metabolism and stress-response pathways. By integrating CRISPR engineering, metabolomics, and functional assays, Dr. Tangudu’s work identifies p16-regulated metabolic liabilities and reveals synergistic therapeutic effects when combining mTORC1 inhibition with nucleotide metabolism blockade. Together, these studies underscore how targeting metabolic crosstalk may inform new treatment strategies for p16-deficient cancers.
Twitter: @naveengw | Blusky: @naveengw.bsky.social | LinkedIn