Our team.
Billy Marsiglia, PhD
pronouns: he/him/his
email: wmmarsig@uab.edu
Billy received a BA in Music and BS in Biochemistry from SUNY Binghamton in 2013. He then earned his PhD in Chemistry at NYU using NMR spectroscopy to explore the activation mechanisms underlying pathogenic FGFR kinase domain mutations. During his postdoctoral work at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai starting in 2019, Billy developed a NanoBRET assay that helped to elucidate the mechanism of action for the MEK inhibitor, Trametinib. In 2022, Billy joined the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Outside of the lab, Billy enjoys hiking, cooking, playing trombone, and his dogs and chickens.
Jeremy Harris, Research Technician
pronouns: he/him/his
email: jeremywh@uab.edu
Jeremy graduated with Distinguished Honors from UAB in the Spring of 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. Jeremy is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science with a concentration in Bioinformatics. Outside of school and research, Jeremy enjoys spending time with his fiancé and their dogs Bentley and Beau. He also enjoys Dungeons and Dragons, Teamfight Tactics, and spending time with friends.
Tazreena Rahman Fareeba, Graduate Student
pronouns: she/her/hers
email: tfareeba@uab.edu
Tazreena is a graduate student in the GBS Pathobiology, Pharmacology, & Physiology (P3) theme. She is interested in studying protein–protein interactions both biochemically and structurally, particularly within the PI3K/AKT interactome, and understanding how these molecular interactions contribute to cancer biology. Outside the lab, Tazreena enjoys traveling, playing board games, and spending time with her family, friends, and cat.
Maryam Ahmadian Elmi, PhD, Visiting Researcher
pronouns: she/her/hers
email: mahmadianelmi@uab.edu
Maryam is a molecular and cellular biologist specializing in cell signaling, protein-protein interactions, and proteomics. She earned her PhD from the University of Tehran, Iran and conducted her doctoral research as a visiting researcher at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Her dissertation focused on identifying the interacting partners of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) using APEX2-mediated proximity labeling followed by mass spectrometry. During her postdoctoral research, she focused on signaling by the adhesion GPCR BAI1, including its interactions with G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), BAI1-TGF-β signaling crosstalk, and their roles in cancer biology. Her current research focuses on developing innovative proximity-labeling technologies and PROTAC-mediated targeted protein degradation strategies to investigate AKT signaling and advance cancer drug discovery. Outside the lab, Maryam enjoys traveling with her sibling, hiking with friends, and exploring interior design.
Md Noor Akhtar, Phd, Postdoctoral Fellow
pronouns: he/him/his
email: akhtarm@uab.edu
Noor Akhtar completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from AMU, Aligarh, in 2016. He later earned his dual degree (MS+PhD) in 2024 from the Department of Biochemistry at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where he discovered that the FEM1B gene undergoes stop codon readthrough to regulate the cell cycle. He continued at IISc as a Project Scientist in 2025, developing lentiviral CRISPR-based systems to modulate stop codon readthrough.
For his postdoctoral research, Noor is interested in investigating how AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3 differentially regulate protein-protein interactions to design more selective and effective cancer therapies using CRISPR-engineered models. Outside the lab, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing badminton, cooking, and exploring new places.
LinkedIN: Noor Akhtar
X: nrakhtar3284
Lab Alumni
Mindy Foster
Brianna Rouse
Callie Gilliland
Erin Ryerson
Dr. Flávio Antônio de Oliveira Simões