Our Trainees

Spotlight: Samuel Lundt

Samuel Lundt, PhD, a trainee in Dr. Maj-Linda Selenica’s lab, joined the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging in 2024 as a T32.

It was not by accident he found his way to UK. He was at an academic lab meeting in Portland, where he met UK researcher Zain Quadri, PhD, who knew about the T32 and suggested he apply. Lundt made no hesitation and went for it!

Being a T32 has opened doors to ongoing training. Surrounded by other scientists, he is able to keep his momentum going.

Spotlight: Steve MacLean

My name is Steve MacLean, and I am a fourth-year graduate student in the department of physiology. I am originally from Beverly Hills, Michigan, and pursued my bachelor’s degree at Central Michigan University. I first came to the University of Kentucky in 2019 as a lab technician under John Gensel, PhD, where I worked for two years studying spinal cord injury. I then applied for the Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBS) PhD program, which provided me with foundational coursework in genetics, biochemistry, cell signaling, bioinformatics, and statistics. After several lab rotations in the IBS program, I was happy to accept a position in the lab of Lance Johnson, PhD, in the department of physiology.

Spotlight: Ryan Shahidehpour

My name is Ryan Shahidehpour, and as a postdoctoral researcher in lab of Pete Nelson, MD, PhD, in the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, I investigate pathological changes that drive neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging in the human brain. My research focuses on understanding how these diseases progress at the cellular level, with a particular interest in how different pathologies drive neurodegeneration.
My interest in neuroscience started unexpectedly— before stepping into a lab, I spent years competing as a professional boxer while also playing lacrosse internationally.

Our Trainees

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About Jonathan

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