Â鶹ӳ»­

Anand K. Singh, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist

Anand joined the Pan Lab in October 2022. He is a neuroscientist with more than 15 years of experience in preclinical drug testing and regulatory affairs. He completed his Ph.D. at CSIR¨CIndian Institute of Toxicology Research, where he and his colleagues established a new pesticide-induced mouse model of Parkinson¡¯s disease. During his postdoctoral fellowship at Linkoping University, he worked on the neurocircuitry of the affective dimension of inflammatory pain. Currently, Anand is handling multiple projects on chemotherapy drug treatment, the assessment of neurotoxic side effects, and reverse translation of a small molecule inhibitor targeting oxidative phosphorylation as an anticancer strategy.

Benjamin E. Aghoghovwia, Ph.D.
Research Scientist

Benjamin came to the Pan Lab in November 2022. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2018 and completed his postdoctoral training at both Otago and the University of California, San Francisco. His Ph.D. thesis and postdoctoral research mainly explored the therapeutic efficacy of stem cells in neurological disorders of the basal ganglia, such as neonatal stroke and cerebral palsy. His interest in expanding knowledge in neuroscience led him to the Pan Lab. His career goal is to understand the mechanisms of neuron-glia interaction in neurogenetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which will contribute to the development of novel therapeutics, extend the frontiers of knowledge and promote patient care.

Kechen Ban, Ph.D.
Research Scientist

Kechen has been a member of the Pan Lab since March 2023. He received his doctoral degree in molecular biology from the University of Putra, Malaysia. He has more than 20 years of experience in cancer research. Currently, his main interest is to understand the neuronal regulation of nervous system cancer and glia-mediated neurological deficits.

Khalil Ali Ahmad Kasm, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Khalil joined the Pan Lab in July 2022. He obtained his Ph.D. in pharmacology from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2021. His research focuses on the field of cancer neuroscience and neuropharmacology. He has eight years of research experience in chronic pain, neuronal-glial interaction and oxidative stress, and he has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts. His career goals are to discover the mechanisms of action of novel therapies and disease-related pathogenesis by using preclinical and translational research that can substantially benefit clinical research and improve patient quality of life.

In his free time, Khalil enjoys swimming, football, hiking and cooking.

Momo K. Harris, B.S.
Senior Research Assistant

Momo joined the Pan Lab in February 2024. She earned her B.S. in biology from Brigham Young University in 2018, where she first learned lab management skills in the Evolutionary Ecology Lab with live-bearing fishes. Since graduating, she has worked with mice extensively in neuroscience and cancer biology. In the Pan Lab, she functions as the general lab manager, supervising the animal colony as a whole and lending research support to behavioral and immunohistochemistry experiments.

Momo¡¯s hobbies include crafting, playing with the Houston Concert Band, reading and listening to books and playing board games.

Chhay Hok, B.S.
Research Assistant I

Chhay earned his B.S. in Nutrition from Texas A&M University in May 2024. During his time there, he was involved in murine model research examining how maternal nutrition affects offspring metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes. That experience solidified his passion for research and shaped his desire to pursue a career in biomedical science. Chhay is excited to continue building on this foundation in the Pan Lab, where he looks forward to gaining new skills and learning from experienced scientists. His long-term goal is to pursue a graduate degree and continue doing research aimed at improving cancer treatment.

In his free time, Chhay enjoys staying active, cooking, and reading.

Alesandra Echeand¨ªa Marrero
Ph.D. Student

Alesandra was a rotating graduate student in the Pan Lab from January to March 2024. In May 2024, she joined the lab as a permanent member. She is continuing her Ph.D. studies in the neuroscience program at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Cheng-En (Allen) Shen, M.S.
Ph.D. Student

Allen is a Ph.D. student enrolled at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He joined the Pan Lab in March 2024 as a rotation student and in May became a full-fledged member of the lab. He earned his master's degree in molecular and cellular biology from National Tsing Hua University in 2020. His research at that time delved into tumor metabolism and its implications for cancer progression. Subsequently, he became a research assistant in a neurotechnology laboratory at Academia Sinica, where he led a project to design molecular tools for precise control of neurotransmitter receptors by using optogenetics techniques. Currently, his main interest is to explore the involvement of tumor suppressors in neuron-glia/glia-glia communication, neurological function, and gliomagenesis.

Outside the lab, Allen is an animal lover, especially cats and dogs. He enjoys playing pickleball and badminton.