Individuals interested in exploring opportunities in our group should email a statement of interest along with a CV or resume to dinah.m.proctor at uth dot tmc dot edu.

Diana M. Proctor, PhD

Diana M. Proctor

Principal Investigator

A first-generation college graduate and native of West Texas, Diana completed a B.A. at Hampshire College before earning a PhD in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University. She completed postdoctoral training in microbial genomics at the NIH prior to starting her lab in October 2024.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, sitting under trees with her pup, and taking care of family.

Email: dinah.m.proctor@uth.tmc.edu

Sanduni Ranasinghe, M.S.

Sanduni Ranasinghe

PhD Student

Originally from Sri Lanka, Sanduni earned her B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and later moved to Texas to complete her M.S. in Biology at Sam Houston State University. She is a Ph.D. student affliated with the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Program (MID) of the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Outside lab, Sanduni loves to try new recipes, watch suspense movies/drama and crafting.

You can learn more about Sanduni’s work by visiting ORCID or Google Scholar.

Oliyad Jeilu, PhD

Oliyad Jeilu

Postdoctoral Fellow

Oliyad Jeilu earned his Ph.D. in Biotechnology, with a research focus on the metagenomics of extreme environments. His work spans the study of microbial communities across diverse settings, from natural ecosystems like soda lakes to engineered environments such as aircraft filters. He completed postdoctoral training in metagenomics at Northwestern University. Outside the lab, Oliyad enjoys long walks, working out, photography, and discovering great coffee spots.

You can learn more about Oliyad’s work by visiting his Google Scholar or GitHub page.

Lucy Proctor

Lucy Proctor

Principal Stick Investigator

Meet Lucy, our Principal Stick Investigator. While we wrangle data in the lab, Lucy takes on sticks, snow, and sand with spirited gusto. Curious about the toys and treasures she’s discovered on her adventures? Take a look here.

In her free time, she enjoys games of fetch as well as swimming in lakes and the ocean.