Joe Yesselman
Principal Investigator
jyesselm@unl.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Current Members
Gage Kircher
Lab Manager
bkircherii2@unl.edu
Sanduni Deenalattha
Graduate Student
sdeenalattha2@huskers.unl.edu
Sanduni is from Sri Lanka. Her research focuses on characterizing 3D RNA structural features using chemical probing methods. Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, experimenting with different cuisines, and watching TV shows. A fun fact about Sanduni is that she knows almost every restaurant in Lincoln, making her a go-to guide for food recommendations.
Sakshi Jain
Graduate Student
sjain5@huskers.unl.edu
Sakshi was born and raised in Delhi, India. She studies the thermodynamics and stability of RNA kissing loops using chemical probing. When she’s not in the lab, she enjoys a bit of doom-scrolling on shopping websites. Fun fact: she can do both a headstand and a handstand.
Erik Whiting
Graduate Student
ewhiting4@huskers.unl.edu
Alabi Oladeji John
Graduate Student
oalabi2@huskers.unl.edu
Danushi Pathirage
Graduate Student
dpathirage2@huskers.unl.edu
Nusfa Mohamed Lafir
Graduate Student
fmohamedlafir2@huskers.unl.edu
Kamshinen Dewan
Graduate Student
kdewan2@huskers.unl.edu
Kamshinen was born and raised in Jos, Nigeria. His research focuses on systematically improving the quality of atomically accurate RNA 3D structures. He is particularly interested in developing computational methods that enhance structural reliability and biological insight. As a self-taught software engineer, he brings strong technical depth and curiosity to his work. Outside the lab, Kamshinen enjoys learning new programming languages, maintaining a disciplined fitness routine, and staying active. In his free time, he explores new ideas and cultures on YouTube, with a long-term goal of traveling to nearly every country in the world.
Beau Stearns
Undergraduate Student
jstearns4@huskers.unl.edu
Elliott Conway
Undergraduate Student
econway2@huskers.unl.edu
Former Members
Post Doctoral Fellows
Daniel Linford
David Deibert
Graduate students
Chris Jurich
Lab Managers
Darren Armstrong
Bret Lange
Gavin Anderson
Undergraduate Students
Sarah Brady
Skylar Mosby
Ricardo Gato Gil
Jasur Iskandarov
Cristian Gonzalez