Meet The Team

Principal Investigator

Utthara Nayar

I earned my BS degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and my PhD from Cornell University in NYC. I completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, and started the Nayar laboratory at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in January 2021. I'm passionate about making an impact on the lives of cancer patients, and mentoring the next generation of researchers.

​

In my non-science life, I'm a professionally-trained Indian classical dancer, and adore music, travel, food, and the arts. I'm also (unfortunately?) a political junkie, and a sucker for rhetorical debates over beers.

Research Technologist

Selime Arslan

Hi! My name is Selime Arslan, and I earned my bachelors degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware in 2019. I most recently graduated from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with my master's of science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I decided to continue pursing my passion for research at the Nayar Laboratory as a research technologist where I focus on exploring the alterations within the epigenetic network of therapy resistant HER2-mutant breast cancer. One of my research goals is to identify downstream targets that play a key role in altering the epigenetic framework of breast cancer to confer acquired therapy resistance. I aspire to become a cancer researcher and plan to pursue a PhD in cancer biology. A career goal of mine includes conducting translational cancer research in hopes of improving the patient's quality of life. 

      Aside from my passion for cancer research, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, traveling, and baking! I love to immerse myself in new cultural and gastronomical experiences both locally and internationally. Outside of the lab, you can find me with my cat Deano!

Research Technologist

Nelson V. Guevara III

Hello, my name is Nelson Guevara. I am an ScM graduate of the Nayar Lab and current research technologist. My project is called Deep Mutational Scanning of the HER2 receptor, where we aim to identify all possible activating HER2 mutations in order to significantly improve clinical management of patients with endocrine refractory tumors through a personalized medicine approach.

Aside from work, you can find me watching and playing sports (futbol, basketball, or whatever everyone else is playing), going to the gym, and watching movies. If you come by the lab, make sure to ask me what my favorite movies are and watch me struggle with my answer for several minutes. My Top 3 movies are: Blade Runner 2049, Oldboy, and City of God but I can sit around naming movies for hours and not get bored.

Undergraduate Researcher

Helen Taylor

I am an undergraduate at the Johns Hopkins University and will receive my BA in Public Health Studies in 2023. In the fall, I will pursue an MSPH at Bloomberg in the Population, Family and Reproductive Health Department. As an aspiring OBGYN, I am passionate about reproductive justice, and in my free time, I love reading, learning new recipes, and attaching cartoons to all my emails!

ScM student

Zirui Zhu

I was born and raised in Huangshan, China, and I earned my bachelor degrees from China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing and the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow with a major in biochemistry and pharmacology. I enjoy doing research and have participated in several research projects in respect of biochemistry, pharmacology, and cancer biology during my undergraduate. I am now a second year ScM student in Nayar Lab studying inflammatory signaling and the immune microenvironment in targeted-therapy resistant advanced breast cancer. During my spare time, I love music (a big fan of pop&rock music), watching movies (all types as long as it’s a good one), and playing basketball with friends.

ScM student

Aakash Parikh

I earned my Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut in Molecular and Cell Biology. I previously worked in a clinical COVID-19 Lab at the Jackson Laboratories. Currently, I am a second year ScM student and am interested in studying different cancer cell signaling pathways. Within the Nayar Lab, I will be using whole-genome CRISPR screens to study therapy resistance within breast cancer. 

Outside of research, I love to watch sports, which include football and Formula 1, among many others. Other hobbies of mine include playing golf, reading and traveling.

Undergraduate Researcher

Rewaa Elgazzar

I am a Molecular & Cellular Biology major at JHU as well as an aspiring immunologist. My research interests intersect cancer biology and immunology with health advocacy/equity. I am also passionate about grassroots community work per my Brooklyn upbringing! In my free time, I enjoy cooking, roller skating with my sisters, and taking candid pictures of my cat, Wiggle.