Lab Members

Sharilyn Almodovar, Ph.D.

Born, raised, and educated in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Dr. Almodovar is Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology & Molecular Microbiology at TTUHSC in Lubbock. She has over 15 years of experience in pulmonary vascular research and more than 20 years in infectious diseases, particularly in HIV-associated vascular and immune pathogenesis. She seeks to increase our understanding of how viral evolution contributes to vascular co-morbidities. She also devoted to training our next generation of scientists. 

Amanda K. Garcia, B.A.

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Amanda is from Dallas, Texas and graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX in 2021. She is alumna of the MARC-U*Star and DURA-M research training programs and is now a 3rd Year Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Program at TTUHSC. Garcia is interested in industrial biotechnology and is becoming an expert in virus-associated vascular disease. She has participated in several pulmonary vascular and BBB projects in the context of HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Amanda enjoys reading and working out in her free time.

Javaria Baig, B.S.

Javaria is from Austin, Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a focus on Neurobiology, from UT Austin at Austin, TX. She also earned a Master's degree in Biotechnology at Texas Tech University. She is now a 2nd Year Ph.D. student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Program at TTUHSC. Javaria enjoys taking long walks and reading in her free time. Javaria is leading our HIV-BBB studies.

Ava G. Oliver, B.S.

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Ava is from Plano, Texas and graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelors's in Science, with the highest distinctions. She devoted her time to research while in college and is alumna of the CISER and TrUE programs at TTU and a genuine TTU Ambassador. She is now an experienced lab technician.  Ava is our expert in flow cytometry and confocal microscopy and is leading our project of pulmonary vascular cell crosstalk. She has participated in several pulmonary vascular and airway and BBB projects in the context of HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Ava enjoys hiking when away from the lab bench. 

Eli Heath

Eli is from Flower Mound, TX. He is a National Merit Scholar and is pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with minors in Bioengineering and Chemistry at TTU Honors College. Eli is a member of both theTrUE Research Scholars and Undergraduate Research Scholars programs at TTU. He is involved in several student and community organizations and was awarded the Texas Tech 2024 Volunteer of the Year Award. After his freshman year, Eli was also recognized as a Top 10 First-Year Student at TTU. Eli supports our studies on HIV proteins & vascular endothelial cell biology.  

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Minh T. Nguyen

Minh is from Houston, Texas. He is a National Merit Scholar and is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Biology and Chinese at Texas Tech University. He is a certified pharmacy technician, a member of the TrUE Research Scholars Program at TTU and well on pre-medical track. Minh is contributing to our studies on HIV proteins & pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell biology. 

Elizabeth Burks, B.S.

Elizabeth is from Amarillo, TX. She graduated with a Bachelor's in Science in Nutrition and Biology from Oklahoma State University. She is now a Second Year Medical Student at TTUHSC School of Medicine in Lubbock where she serves as a Dean's Ambassador. She is leading a project investigating comorbidities in people living with HIV in West Texas. 

Bennett Schackmuth, B.S.

Bennett is from Abilene, TX. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Baylor University, where he was active in research on the toxicology of diesel exhaust particulate matter on the BBB. Bennett is a Second-Year Medical Student in the M.D./Ph.D. Program at TTUHSC School of Medicine in Lubbock. He is interested in pursuing the career of a Physician-Scientist. He is supporting our project investigating comorbidities in people living with HIV in West Texas as well as our project in pulmonary vascular cell crosstalk. Bennett enjoys working out and being outdoors in his free time.

Karsyn Clouse

Karsyn is from southeast Oklahoma. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and public health at Austin College. At her home institution, Karsyn competes with the women's tennis team and is involved in public health research and student government. She was selected to participate in the 2024 Summer Accelerated Biomedical Research program at TTUHSC. Karsyn is supporting our project in pulmonary vascular cell crosstalk. When she's not in the lab, Karsyn enjoys playing pickleball and reading.

Patricia Rodríguez 

Patricia is from Ponce, Puerto Rico. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology at the Univ. of Puerto Rico at Ponce and is a trainee in the competitive fellowship from the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Program. Patricia aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in cancer biology. Her decision to pursue a doctoral degree in this field stems from her interest in the biotechnology industry. Patricia is working on a collaborative project focusing on lung epithelial cell receptors and their interactions with respiratory viruses.

Preston Campbell

Preston is from Amarillo, TX. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry at Texas Tech University. At Texas Tech, he is involved in student organizations such as the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and works with Supplemental Instruction to lead peer-to-peer learning experiences. Preston competed to participate in our TTUHSC Summer Accelerated Biomedical Research 10-week Program. He is supporting our project on the impact of HIV on the BBB. In his free time, Preston enjoys playing and watching basketball. 

Former Lab Members

The Almodovar Lab is proud to have hosted several graduate students, medical students, and undergraduate students to conduct supervised research in our laboratory through rotations, summer internships, or volunteering. Several of these students have pursued/are pursing advanced degrees in biomedical sciences or have joined the scientific workforce upon graduation. Take a sneak peak to see who they are!