Grace Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Peter M. Grace, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Email: PGrace@MDAnderson.org
Peter Grace, Ph.D., is associate professor and chair ad interim of the Translational Neuroscience department at UT MD Anderson. Grace obtained his Ph.D. in medicine, which was awarded with a Dean’s commendation, at the University of Adelaide, Australia. His training in neuroimmunology continued as an NHMRC CJ Martin postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Linda Watkins at the University of Colorado Boulder. During this time, his research focused principally on the innate immune mechanisms of neuropathic pain and on how morphine interacts to exacerbate such pain. The goal of the Grace Lab, established in 2016, is to understand the neuroimmune mechanisms of chronic pain and its control.
Grace was the recipient of the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society Robert Ader New Investigator Award (2018), the Brain and Behavior Foundation Young Investigator Award (2019), the Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain (2019) and the UT MD Anderson President’s Recognition of Faculty Excellence in Research (2022).
Rajasekaran Mahalingam, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Rajasekaran Mahalingam is a skilled bioinformatics scientist specializing in the analysis of bulk and single-cell RNA and DNA sequencing data. He has worked on projects covering human heart failure and intestine and lung stem cells, and he is currently focusing on unraveling the cellular mechanisms and transcriptomic changes associated with chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment and neuropathy.
Beyond the lab, Mahalingam enjoys badminton and tennis, indulges in reading and explores the wonders of nature — evidence of a harmonious blend of scientific expertise and personal passions.
Fátima Rivera Escalera, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Fátima Rivera Escalera joined the Grace Lab in May 2023. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Rochester in 2015. Her Ph.D. thesis examined the contribution of CCR2+ monocytes and resident microglia to IL-1b-mediated amyloid plaque clearance in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease. She then completed postdoctoral training at both the University of Virginia and the University of Rochester, where she focused on neuroimmunology, immunology, macrophage biology, inflammation, and cancer immunotherapy. In the Grace Lab, she is investigating the NRF2-KEAP1 pathway in modulating oxidative stress in neuropathic pain and cancer-related chronic pain.
Anand K. Singh, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Anand Singh is a neuroscientist with more than 15 years of experience in preclinical drug testing and regulatory affairs. During his postdoctoral fellowship at Linkoping University, he investigated the neurocircuitry of the affective dimension of inflammatory pain. Currently, he handles multiple projects on chemotherapy treatment, assessing neurotoxic side effects, and reverse translation of a small molecule inhibitor targeting oxidative phosphorylation as an anticancer strategy.
Nathan T. Fiore, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Nathan Fiore brings to the Grace Lab a substantial research background in the fields of neuroscience and neuroimmunology. In his Ph.D. program at the University of Sydney, he used rodent models of neuropathic pain and neuropathy to identify individual differences in behavior and corresponding neuroimmune signatures at multiple levels of the nervous system; he also investigated immune system dysfunction in patients with chronic pain. He completed his postdoctoral training in the Neuropathic Pain Research group at the University of New South Wales, where his research focused on identifying unique sex-specific microglial signatures and the effects of immunomodulatory treatments in mouse models of peripheral nerve injury and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
In the Grace Lab, Fiore is investigating the role of B cells in the development of neuropathic pain, with a particular focus on the pro-nociceptive role of IgG after peripheral nerve injury.
Kendal F. Willcox, M.S.
Research Scientist
Kendal Willcox completed her M.S. in biomedical science at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana shortly before joining the Grace Lab in August 2020. In the lab, she studies neuroimmune mechanisms that contribute to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury, with a particular focus on the role of humoral immunity. Additionally, she acts as laboratory coordinator and is involved with day-to-day lab maintenance and organization.
Outside of work, Willcox enjoys dancing, painting, baking and spending time with her cat, Cersei.
Tusar K. Acharya, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Tusar Acharya completed his Ph.D. in life sciences from the National Institute of Science Education and Research in Odisha, India. This institute is an autonomous organization under the Atomic Energy department of the Government of India. His Ph.D. research focused on thermosensitive (TRP) ion channels in various cellular functions. In November 2023 he joined the Grace Lab, where he is investigating the role of B cells in the regulation of neuropathic pain.
In his leisure time, Acharya likes to listen to music and watch movies.
Aayushi Nangia, M.S.
Research Assistant II
Aayushi joined the Grace Lab in 2026. She earned a master’s degree in biotechnology from Texas A&M University, where she developed a fascination with neuroscience and the brain's complex biology. She is passionate about translating complex biological systems into scalable therapeutics, right from extracellular vesicles and regenerative medicine to data-driven target discovery and process development. Her ultimate aim is to build the future of medicine through biotechnology, computational biology, and biomanufacturing.
Outside the lab, Aayushi is often fueled by chai or on a low-stakes but very serious mission to find Houston’s best café.
Aleena Alvi
Undergraduate Research Volunteer
Aleena is a rising sophomore undergraduate student at Rice University, pursuing a dual degree in economics and biosciences, with a concentration in biochemistry while on the pre-med track. She joined the Grace Lab in July 2025.
Aleena has always been interested in biological research. In her free time, she enjoys watching Houston’s sports.
Duaa Mushahid
Undergraduate Research Volunteer
Duaa is a sophomore at Rice University studying sports medicine & exercise physiology with a double major in neuroscience, and minoring in medical humanities. She hopes to pursue a career in pain medicine.
When not at school, Duaa can usually be found reading, taking a long walk, or having coffee with a friend.
Grace Lab Alumni
Nabila Boukelmooune, Ph.D.
Nabila Boukelmoune joined the Grace Lab in May 2022. In the lab, she investigated the neuroimmune mechanisms underlying the development of chronic pain, with a focus on B cell and T- cell contributions to neuropathic pain conditions. In 2025, she joined the Juneyoung Lee lab in the Neurology department at the UTHealth McGovern Medical School in Houston.
Rafael A. Cazuza, Ph.D.
Rafael Cazuza was a postdoctoral fellow in the Grace Lab. His current research investigates the glial modulation of neuropathic pain affect — more specifically the role of microglia in the development of pain-induced depressive-like symptoms — by using advanced brain microsurgeries and chemo genetic techniques. His main goal is to develop research strategies to elucidate how painful conditions can generate emotional disorders.
Fisher Cherry, B.S.
Fisher Cherry was a research assistant in the Grace Lab. He left the lab to pursue a graduate degree in genetics and genomics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Dorsa Dayani, M.D.
Dorsa Dayani was a clinical research scientist in the Grace Lab from January 2023 to August 2024, after which she joined UTHealth. She is a medical graduate from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Her research focuses on immune interactions in chronic pain. Her goal is to use translational research to develop novel therapies for chronic pain.
Jonathan B. Iketem, B.S.
Jonathan Iketem was a research assistant in the Grace Lab from April 2024 to May 2025, studying the role of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway in modulating oxidative stress and as a therapeutic for neuropathic pain. His next focus is on applying to medical school.
Jazzmine Junigan, B.S.
Jazzmine Junigan was a research assistant in the Grace Lab while earning her bachelor's degree from UT MD Anderson School of Health Professions. She went on to become a cytogenic technologist for Labcorp, where she performs karyotyping, cellular analysis and genetic analysis.
Michael Lacagnina, Ph.D.
Michael Lacagnina completed his postdoctoral research training and was promoted to instructor during his time in the Grace Lab. He subsequently accepted an assistant professor position in the department of Anesthesia at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he investigates neuroimmune interactions in chronic pain.
Jiahe Li, Ph.D.
Jiahe Li was a research scientist in the Grace Lab.
Jonathan Lu, B.S.
Jonathan Lu graduated from Boston College in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience. After serving as an undergraduate volunteer in the Grace Lab in the summer of 2022, he rejoined the lab in summer 2025 as a research intern working alongside Nathan Fiore.
Vipul K. Pandey, B.S., Ph.D.
Vipul Pandey joined the Grace Lab as a research scientist in 2023. An immunologist by training, he spent his time In the lab investigating perturbation in the clearance of apoptotic cells in chronic inflammation at the site of peripheral nerve injury and its role in causing neuropathic pain. He departed the lab in 2025 to join the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, India.
Sabrina J. Portilla, B.S.
Sabrina Portilla was a research assistant in the Grace Lab from April 2023 to April 2024. She earned her B.S. in biological and physical sciences from the University of Houston-Downtown.
Ajeena Ramanujan, Ph.D.
Ajeena Ramanujan was a research scientist in the Grace Lab from 2023 to 2026, studying the role of HDAC6 inhibitors in reversing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. She earned her Ph.D. in biotechnology from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India and completed her postdoctoral research in neurobiology at National University of Singapore, in the laboratory of Professor Carlos F. Ibanez.
Mohd Sami Ur Rasheed, Ph.D.
Mohd Rasheed was a postdoctoral fellow in the Grace Lab from November 2020 to August 2024. His long-term aspiration is to develop non-opioid-based drugs for treating neuropathic pain with few to no side effects. In August 2024, Sami joined the lab of Camilla Svensson at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
David M. Ruiz, B.S.
David Ruiz was a research assistant in the Grace Lab from September 2022 through summer 2026. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston University. In the Grace Lab, he studied the role of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway in modulating oxidative stress and as a therapeutic for neuropathic pain.
Sever M. Zagrai, M.S. B.S.
Sever Zagrai was a research assistant in the Grace Lab until summer 2026, when he left to continue his educational endeavors at the UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In the Grace Lab, Sever focused on the glial interactions that contribute to the development of depression-related symptoms (motivational and emotional deficits in particular) after neuropathic injury or pain.
Jixiang Zhang, Ph.D.
Jixiang Zhang was a research scientist in the Grace Lab. He went on to become a research scientist with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Younus A. Zuberi, B.S.
Younus Zuberi joined the Grace Lab as a research assistant in 2022. In the lab, he investigated the role of efferocytosis at the site of peripheral nerve injury and its effect on neuropathic pain. In 2025, he transitioned to UT MD Anderson's Translational Molecular Pathology department.
Grace Lab Student Alumni
Student Volunteers
Brianna Boakye, University of Maryland
Mauricio (Maury) Elorza, Tecnológico de Monterrey
Anamaria R. Grieco, Rice University
Dheekksha Senthilkumar Rajeswari, Rice University
Anisha Singla, Case Western Reserve University
Abby Vay, University of Houston
Rotating Graduate Students
Danna Abigail Real Marin, Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico