Conference Speakers
The CBB will host its 32nd annual conference on November 15th, 2025 with 5 professional speakers and 3 graduate student speakers. Additionally there will be a poster session, where several dozen students will present and discuss their research.
Anthony (Tony) Pedley, Ph.D.
Tony received his B.S. in Chemistry with a Biochemistry and Biotechnology emphasis from Grand Valley State University in 2007 and earned his Ph.D. with Jo Davisson at Purdue in 2013 as a Department of Defense Breast Cancer Trainee. His dissertation uncovered molecular features driving DNA repair enzyme recruitment to PCNA and leveraged high-throughput screening to discover modulators of PCNA-protein interactions. In 2014, he joined Stephen Benkovic’s Lab at Penn State to study the regulation of purine biosynthesis. During this time, he also collaborated with several drug discovery startups. In 2025, Tony became an Assistant Professor at Iowa, where his lab continues to investigate nucleotide metabolic control through a combination of microscopy and in vitro biochemistry.
Danzhou Yang, Ph.D.
Danzhou Yang is a Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Martha and Fred Borch Endowed Chair in Cancer Therapeutics at Purdue University. She is the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at Purdue University College of Pharmacy. She received her Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, BS from the University of Science and Technology of China. Previously, she was a Professor at the University of Arizona 2000-2016. Her research focuses on the structures and functions of biologically relevant DNA G-quadruplexes and their interactions with small molecules and proteins and structure-based rational design of anticancer drugs.
David Minh
Computational Molecular Pharmacology
David Minh is the Robert E. Frey, Jr. Endowed Chair in Chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL. His research is in the computer modeling of the interactions between small molecules and biological macromolecules. His group develops and applies new methods that may be helpful for drug design.
Reza Nejad Nik
Dr. Reza Nejadnik received his PhD from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands back in 2009. Following a few years of research in the area of proteins, nano and biomaterials at The University of Texas, Northwestern University and Radboud University Nijmegen, Reza joined Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research in order to co-lead a European public-private partnership project (COMPACT) that addressed the current challenges with formulation and delivery of macromolecules. In the 4-year period of the COMPACT project, Reza’s research focused on characterization and understanding of protein aggregation in complex formulations as well as protein-material interactions. Reza then joined the Global Biologic Drug Product Development team of Sanofi and headed a formulation and process development laboratory in the Company’s R&D hub in Frankfurt, Germany. He developed early formulations and drug product manufacturing processes for several molecules in various modalities including antibodies and nanobodies. Reza is currently a faculty member of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Iowa. His research is focused on protein pharmaceuticals, their formulation and characterization, mAb and ADC self-association, and interaction of biologics with interfaces. Handling and manufacturing processes of protein therapeutics are also among his topics of interest. Reza is a member of the scientific advisory board of Coriolis Pharma.
Pornpoj “Jay” Phruttiwanichakun
Pornpoj “Jay” Phruttiwanichakun is a PhD candidate in Pharmaceutics from Dr. Aliasger Salem’s laboratory at University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, and a CBB predoctoral fellow (2023-25). Prior to joining the PhD program, Jay obtained a PharmD from Mahidol University (Bangkok, Thailand) and an M.Sc. in Pharmaceutics from University College London (London, United Kingdom). At University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Jay’s research focuses on nanoparticle formulation for gene delivery and drug delivery for regenerative medicine and cancer therapy.
Hossein Zare
Hossein Zare is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Iowa in Prof. Eric Nuxoll’s lab. With a background in Materials Engineering and a Master’s in Bioengineering from Iran University of Science and Technology. He researches thermal shock strategies to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms on medical implants while minimizing bacterial dispersion. His work integrates microbiology with custom-built thermal devices for precise heat transfer control and bacterial response
analysis in vitro and in vivo. His broader interests include bioprocessing, biomaterials, and biotechnology applications in healthcare.
Tyler Woodward
Tyler Woodward is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Iowa. Tyler earned his BS in Chemistry from Creighton University in 2018 and received a predoctoral training fellowship from the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing in 2023. His research centers on mechanisms of DNA damage suppression and bypass, with projects focused on the tardigrade protein Dsup and the Rad6/18 ubiquitin ligase complex. Through his work, he seeks to better understand how cells maintain genome stability. After his graduate work, Tyler is interested in a career in science policy.