VPA Leadership
Cole Zmurchok, Senior Co-Chair
Cole is a second year postdoctoral fellow working in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in collaboration with William Holmes. Cole uses mathematical modeling, analysis, and computation to predict and understand how biological systems organize and function from the interactions of many parts. Cole completed a Ph.D. in Mathematics at The University of British Columbia, and received a M.Sc. and B.Sc. from the University of Alberta, in Canada. When Cole is not doing mathematics, thinking about teaching and learning mathematics, or chairing VPA meetings, Cole can be found outside cycling, skiing, or drinking coffee.
Mariya Kovaleva, Junior Co-Chair
Mariya Kovaleva, RN, PhD, AGPCNP-BC has been working as a post-doctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing since May 2019. She is working under the mentorship of Dr. Ruth Kleinpell. She graduated with a PhD in nursing from Emory University in December 2018 and has completed post-Master's certificate program at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in August 2018 as Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Mariya's research interests include geriatrics and acute, perioperative, and perianesthesia care for persons living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. She is also studying transitional care for persons living with dementia, including transition from acute care to home. As a VPA board member, she enjoys working with post-docs from VU and VUMC and organizing scholarly, career development, and community engagement events for all post-docs.
Stella is a second year postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry, in the Guengerich laboratory. She received her BSc. and Ph.D. in Chemistry, both from the University of Adelaide in Australia. She studies the reactions of cytochrome P450s, a family of enzymes that are critical for drug metabolism and steroid hormone synthesis in humans. As a member of the VPA, she is interested in advocating for improved postdoc outcomes and access to academic careers for underrepresented groups.
Rei is a first year postdoctoral fellow under Dr. Matthew Bacchetta in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His research focuses on whole organ repair, regeneration, and replacement platforms for addressing end-stage organ diseases. He received his BS in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University and then PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.