Meet the Volume Editors

Mumtaz Anwar, Ph.D., is currently a research assistant professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, College of Medicine, the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. Dr. Anwar obtained his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology and Molecular Epigenetics at the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India. His Ph.D. thesis concerned

the investigation of the Wnt signaling pathway in search of new tumor prognostic and biomarkers in colorectal cancer. Dr. Anwar is the author of many book chapters and journal articles about tumor markers and is involved in other scientific activities in this advanced molecular technology era. He is a member of various scientific organizations and societies including the American Heart Association (AHA), American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), ASPET Young Scientists Committee, North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO), United States, and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP). He is the recipient of various awards including the Outstanding Young Investigator Travel Award and other postdoctoral competition category awards. He is also an editorial board member and reviewer for various scientific journals.

Dr. Zeenat Farooq is a postdoctoral research associate at the Department of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Farooq obtained her Ph.D. from the School of Biotechnology (Chromatin and Epigenetics Lab), University of Kashmir, India. The focus of her Ph.D. was the elucidation of protein factors that play a role in the organization and maintenance of heterochromatin and regulation of transcriptional gene silencing. She has worked actively on

various aspects of epigenetics and chromatin biology, including cancer biology, and has authored many papers in reputed journals. After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Farooq worked as a research associate at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India, where her work focused on the role of epigenetic mechanisms involved in chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. She moved to the University of Illinois Chicago in 2020 and studied the role of regulation of mRNA translation under nutrient deprivation. Her recent work is focused on understanding the role of a novel hexokinase in the propagation of altered glucose metabolism and predisposition to Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Farooq has authored one book and many book chapters. She is a member of various scientific organizations and societies including the American Heart Association (AHA). In addition, she serves as a reviewer for various scientific journals. She is also a recipient of various awards and honors including a doctoral fellowship from CSIR-UGC, ASRB-NET, GATE, a Merit scholarship from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India, and an Independent Research Associateship from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Riyaz Ahmad Rather, Ph.D., is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Biotechnology, School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia. Dr. Rather obtained his Ph.D. in Medical Biotechnology at VELS University, Chennai, India. His Ph.D. thesis concerned the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of action of various antioxidants as anti-cancer and anti-fungal agents in cancer genesis. He is the

author of two books and has contributed many book chapters and journal articles on medical and molecular diagnostics. He is a member of various scientific organizations including the Biologists Forum of India, the Association of Basic Medical Scientists, and the European Atherosclerosis Society. Dr. Rather is the recipient of various awards including SGRF and EAS awards, among others.

Mohammad Tauseef, Ph.D., is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Chicago State University, Illinois, USA. Dr. Tauseef obtained his Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India. His Ph.D. thesis concerned the investigation of inflammatory cell signaling molecules, with specific emphasis on vascular endothelial biology and

cardiovascular pharmacology. He is the author of many book chapters and journal articles on molecular endothelial and cardiovascular biology and is involved in other scientific activities. He is a member of various scientific organizations and societies, including the American Heart Association (AHA). He is the recipient of various awards including an AHA postdoctoral fellowship, Midwest Affiliate, Outstanding Young Investigator Travel Award, Research Recognition award, Best Teacher award, and other postdoctoral competition category awards. He is also a reviewer for various scientific journals including the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Physiological Research, Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Journal of Visualized Experiments, Plos One, and Human & Experimental Toxicology.

Thomas Heinbockel, Ph.D., is Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC. He holds an adjunct faculty position in both the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Heinbockel studied biology at Philipps-University Marburg, Germany. He began his studies of the brain during his

MS thesis work at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology, Starnberg/ Seewiesen, Germany. Dr. Heinbockel earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona. After graduating, he worked as a research associate at the Institute of Physiology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany. Dr. Heinbockel's research is focused on understanding how the brain processes information as it relates to neurological and psychiatric disorders. His laboratory at Howard University concentrates on foundational and translational topics such as drug development, organization of the olfactory and limbic systems, and neural signaling and synaptic transmission in the central nervous system.
