Senior Staff

Anthony Saouma [1]
Deputy Director, Division of Laboratory Operations
The Division of Laboratory Operations oversees the Wadsworth Center's operations at five facilities in the Albany area, totaling ~900,000 square feet of space and over 210 acres of real estate.

Karolina AH Schabses, MPH [2]
Associate Director of Information Technology
Karolina Schabses provides overall vision, leadership and strategic planning in the direction, development and implementation of information technology.

Navjot (Vimi) Singh, PhD [3]
Deputy Director, Division of Scientific Cores
We develop and apply cutting-edge NGS methodologies—spanning short-read, long-read, and RNA sequencing—to enhance biomedical research, pathogen detection, antimicrobial resistance, and public health surveillance.

Kirsten St. George, PhD [4]
Chief, Laboratory of Viral Diseases
We develop viral detection and characterization assays and investigate new molecular chemistries and platforms. Research includes rhinovirus infection in transplant recipients, drug-resistant influenza and adenovirus evolution.

Linda Styer, PhD [5]
Director, Bloodborne Viruses Laboratory
Dr. Styer’s research interests include the development of new molecular diagnostic tests for the detection, quantification, or characterization of bloodborne viruses and the evaluation of FDA approved diagnostic tests and diagnostic testing algorithms.

Haixin Sui, PhD [6]
Cellular and Molecular Basis of Diseases - Structural Cell Biology
We study the structural basis of macromolecular assemblies and organelles in epithelial cells for sensing or responding to extracellular environmental changes. Our approach involves a variety of customized methods in advanced electron microscopy.

Derek Symula, PhD [7]
Director, Division of Laboratory Quality Certification
We study copy number variants (CNVs), which are widespread in the human genome and alter dosage of genes important in conditions ranging from HIV susceptibility to autism spectrum disorders. We seek to compile a catalog of CNVs and their frequencies.

Norma P. Tavakoli, PhD [8]
Newborn Screening Program
Screening has uncovered individuals whose sweat chloride values are above normal, but no other CF symptoms are identified. Our aim is to determine if other variants in the CFTR gene, or modifier genes, correlate with these abnormal levels.

Buu N. Tran, PhD [9]
Organic and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
We develop analytical methods to identify unknown chemicals in foods and environmental samples including toxic compounds and chemical terrorism agents, thus providing national surveillance of the food supply.

Joseph T. Wade, PhD [10]
Microbial Gene Expression
We study gene regulation in bacteria, with a focus on genome-scale approaches. We are interested in regulation of transcription, the function of non-coding RNAs, and leaderless translation initiation.

Jennifer L Yates, PhD [11]
Director, Immunology Core
The Immunology Core is responsible for assisting users in flow cytometry panel development, sample acquisition, sorting, and data analysis.

Steven D. Zink, PhD [12]
Assistant Director, Division of Laboratory Operations
The Division of Laboratory Operations oversees the Wadsworth Center's operations at five facilities in the Albany area, totaling ~900,000 square feet of space and over 210 acres of real estate.