Our Culture

Rather than adhering to a rigid mission, we allow the science to guide us down the right path to advance human health. Nate's own journey began in the microscope room with zebrafish, transitioned to interpretation of population and familial genetics in cardiac disease, and has most recently journeyed into advanced molecular profiling and computational biology. We'd be disappointed if our focus does not adapt again as we continue to grow as a scientific team.

We believe that the best discoveries emerge from the collective ambitions of individuals with complementary expertise and experiences. Our goal is to foster ambitious and rigorous collaborative science as an integrated team.

We only get one shot at this -- let's work on something awesome.

The Team
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Abandon all hope, ye who enter here

Nathan R. Tucker, PhD

Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine

Nate is a native Upstate New Yorker with a BS in Biology from Syracuse University and PhD in Cell Biology and Genetics from Washington State University. He completed postdoctoral training on the genetic basis for cardiovascular disease risk at Massachusetts General Hospital and The Broad Institute where he was promoted to Instructor in 2017. From 2020-24, he led his group at the Masonic Medical Research Institute, moving to SUNY Upstate as an Associate Professor in 2024.

Nate loves all things related to the outdoors, with a special focus on fishing (especially of the ice variety) and gardening. He does tend to waste some time watching the New York Giants and reading up on whatever historical era he is currently fixated on (currently revisiting five good emperors period of the Roman Empire). He aims to keep lab spirits high through regular recitations of Nietzsche quotations.

Email: TuckerN@Upstate.edu

Mayuri Desai, MS, NYSCLT

Senior Research Support Specialist

Mayuri comes to the lab from Ahmedabad, India, where she received a BS and MS in Microbiology from Sardar Patel University. In 2002, she joined the MMRI in Utica NY, joining Nate's lab during the height of COVID to facilitate our molecular clinical testing operation in concert with the Mohawk Valley Health System. As testing operations wound down, she quickly became an integral research scientist in the group and moved with his group to Upstate in 2024. Over the years, she has broadly focused on the genetic basis of inherited arrhythmias and genetic testing within the clinical laboratory. She is also our CRISPR-editing champion and our resident stem cell expert, where she differentiates both ES and patient derived stem cells into cardiomyocytes for functional assessment of genetic variation.

Importantly, she keeps the lab apprised of the apparently innumerable Indian festivals and holidays, which we do our best to celebrate.

Email: Desaima@Upstate.edu

Robert S. Gardner, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Bob comes to the lab from Syracuse, NY with a BS in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University and a PhD in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from George Mason University. He completed postdoctoral work investigating the neural bases of cognitive aging at Syracuse University, and immune system modulation as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Since joining the lab, he has focused on generation and analysis of single cell data from myriad sources with a particular focus on chromatin regulation.

When not in the lab, Bob is always looking for new spots to go camping, gets excited for the start of each baseball season, and will travel far and wide to see live music.

Email: GardneRo@Upstate.edu

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Rezwana Karim, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Rezwana is originally from Singapore and earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018, followed by a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Cornell University. Her doctoral research explored how cells adapt to nutrient deprivation, with a particular focus on lipogenesis. With eventual pharma positions in mind, she is now acting as our target identification and validation master: genetic perturbations, molecular biology, cellular physiology, and wherever else the science leads us!

Outside the lab, Rezwana enjoys running, hitting the gym, and raiding Costco. When not setting PRs or stocking up for the apocalypse, she’s usually immersed in her favorite anime series or indulging in her love for good food and restful sleep.

Email: KarimR@Upstate.edu

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Levi Legler, MS

Research Scientist

Originally from Vernon, NY, Levi obtained a B.S. in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in 2020 and an MS in Data Science at Utica University in 2024. As a budding scientist who desires to span the realms of both the wet and dry laboratories, Levi is focusing on our variant-to-mechanism projects with skills ranging from advanced CRISPR editing, cell modeling of cardiovascular function, and analysis of molecular screening approaches.

Some speculate that Levi came into being during a botched ritual meant to bring the Energizer bunny to this plane of existence. Therefore, when not obsessing over his newest lab project, you can find him training the next generation of mixed martial artists, developing his personal training business, or playing acoustic-punk music with his band. Much to Nate’s everlasting chagrin, he loves wearing sweatpants to work.

Email: LeglerL@Upstate.edu

Katherine Rattray

PhD Student

Katherine is originally from New Windsor, NY, a town reluctantly caught at the unenviable intersection of "upstate" and "downstate" loyalties (Nate considers this downstate, Katherine disagrees). She earned her BA in Neuroscience & Behavior at Vassar College in 2024, after which she enrolled in the PhD program at SUNY Upstate Medical University. In the lab, she aims to initially focus on mapping chromatin interactions in health and disease, and she is excited to go in whatever new (fun) directions her doctoral work takes her.

Outside of lab, Katherine enjoys taking trips to Barnes & Noble and reading novels, playing piano, and attempting new recipes.

Email: RattrayK@upstate.edu

You?

We welcome inquiries from those from scientists of all levels and from all disciplines. Wide-ranging experience and expertise is the root of creative collaborative science. Please reach out to Nate directly if interested in learning more about available opportunities.