Ryan J. Weiss, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Faculty, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
Dr. Ryan Weiss received his B.S. in chemistry in 2008 at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. He then received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2015 at the University of California, San Diego, under the supervision of Prof. Yitzhak Tor. He then moved to the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, where he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Jeffrey Esko’s group. Dr. Weiss began his independent career as an assistant professor at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia in January 2021. His current research interests include drug discovery and using genomic tools to understand the regulation of glycosylation in human disorders.
Email: ryan.weiss at uga.edu
Postdoctoral Associates
Amrita Basu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Amrita received her M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology in 2010 at VIT University, India, and earned her Ph.D. in Ecotoxicology at RECETOX, Masaryk University (Czech Republic) under the supervision of Prof. Pavel Babica. Amrita joined the Weiss lab at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center to study the regulation of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis using functional genomics and genetic engineering techniques. The overall goal of her projects are to identify novel drug targets for human disorders of glycosylation.
Email: amrita.basu at uga.edu
Graduate Research Assistants
Neil Patel
PhD Graduate Student (NIH T32 GTP Fellow)
Neil earned his B.S. in Biology from the University of North Georgia in 2020. After finishing his degree, he joined the Weiss Laboratory as a research technician at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. In late 2021, Neil joined the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PhD program as a graduate research assistant. His doctoral research is focused on the epigenetic regulation of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis in mammalian cells.
Email: neilpatel at uga.edu
Xiaolin Dong
PhD Graduate Student (joint with the Wells Lab)
Xiaolin received her B.S. in Bioscience in 2019 at Jilin University, China. She joined the Weiss Lab in 2021 at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and will be co-mentored by Dr. Weiss and Dr. Lance Wells (CCRC). Her research interests are understanding the molecular mechanisms for the regulation of glycosylation and identifying new drugs for the treatment of relevant human diseases.
Email: xiaolin.dong at uga.edu
Jack Moore
PhD Graduate Student
Jack received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2019 at the University of Georgia. Subsequently, he worked as a research technician in the Urbanowicz lab at the CCRC where he worked on the synthesis of plant biodegradable materials. In 2021, Jack joined the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PhD program as a graduate research assistant in the Weiss Lab. His doctoral research is focused on bioengineering glycosaminoglycans in mammalian cells for novel therapeutic applications.
Email: jack.moore at uga.edu
Undergraduate Researchers
Hannah Bowen
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2026)
Kavya is a 1st-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia pursuing a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She joined the Weiss lab in the summer of 2023 and recently earned the CURO Summer Research Scholarship. She is excited to work on a drug discovery project searching for new therapies for rare genetic disorders associated with the dysregulation of heparan sulfate biosynthesis. After graduating, she plans to earn a master’s degree in public health through the Double Dawgs Program.
Email: hannah.bowen at uga.edu
Kavya Suryadevara
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2024)
Kavya is a 3rd-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia pursuing a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as minoring in Public Health. She joined the Weiss lab in the summer of 2022 and recently earned the CURO research award. She is excited to delve into biochemical research to identify novel treatments for relevant human diseases as well as learn new topics that can apply to glycobiology. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school.
Email: kavya.suryadevara at uga.edu
Madison Intemann
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2024)
Madison is a 3rd-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She joined the Weiss Lab in the Spring of 2022 and is investigating how genetic mutations influence the structure and function of glycans. She is also learning drug screening approaches to uncover new treatment options for rare genetic disorders. After graduation, she plans to attend grad school to earn a PhD and continue conducting medical research.
Email: madison.intemann at uga.edu
Kimberly Cisneros
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2023)
Kimberly is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia who is currently earning her bachelor’s degree in Biology. She joined the Weiss lab in the Summer of 2022 as an undergraduate researcher. Here she is working on using drug screening in the hopes of discovering new treatments for rare genetic disorders associated with the dysregulation of heparan sulfate biosynthesis. She was recently granted the CURO research award to help achieve this goal. She plans to continue her education and receive a Ph.D. in Biochemistry upon graduation.
Email: kimberly.cisneros at uga.edu
Haruki Takeuchi
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2026)
Haruki first joined the Weiss lab his senior year of high school and is now a first-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia majoring in Regenerative Bioscience. His current research is focused on bioengineering glycosaminoglycans in mammalian cells for novel therapeutic treatments. Additionally, he has worked to discover novel drug therapies for rare pediatric genetic disorders. After graduating, he plans on obtaining an MD-PhD, working closely with pediatric patients.
Email: haruki.takeuchi at uga.edu
We are hiring!
We are looking for enthusiastic postdoctoral researchers to join our team! Please contact Professor Weiss for more details!
Our laboratory is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Lab Photo Archive
Lab Alumni
Jamie Kaiser
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2023)
Jamie is a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia and is majoring in both Genetics and French. She joined the Weiss lab in the Summer of 2022. Her research is focused on transcriptional regulation of heparan sulfate biosynthesis. After she graduates this May, she plans to complete her masters in genetics/cell biology in France and then return to the US to complete her PhD. Her career goals are to become a researcher developing gene-based therapies to treat human disease.
Email: jamie.kaiser at uga.edu
Emily Spector
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2024)
Emily Spector will graduate from the University of Georgia majoring in Genetics in Spring 2024, with an intended B.S. in Genetics. She joined the Weiss lab in the fall of 2021 and studied the role of epigenetic regulation in the structure and makeup of glycoproteins. She is interested in harnessing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 to learn about new areas of glycobiology. After graduation, she hopes to continue learning about genetics and other aspects of human biology through a genetic counseling masters program.
Rachel Champagne
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2023)
Rachel Champagne will graduate from the University of Georgia majoring in Biology with minors in Genetics and Cellular Biology. She joined the Weiss Lab in the summer of 2021 and studied the transcriptional regulation of glycosylation in mammalian cells. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school.
Elijah Nicholson
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2024)
Elijah Nicholson is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Georgia majoring in computer science. He joined the lab in the Fall of 2021 and is interested in using bioinformatics techniques to better understand the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates. After graduation, he hopes to enroll into grad school and obtain a PhD in computational biology.
Akshar Patel
Undergraduate Researcher (Class of 2023)
Akshar Patel graduated in December 2022 from the University of Georgia with a degree in biology with a minor in business. He is from Toccoa, Georgia. After graduation, he plans to enroll into medical school to one day become a surgeon. He is very interested in biochemical research that can be translated into medicine that can help patients.
Weiss Laboratory 