People

Carlos Pavan, Ph.D.
Research Specialist II

Carlos Pavan is a Research Specialist II in the Translational Glycobiology Institute at HWCOM. After graduating from Buenos Aires University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Pharmacy, he joined the National Laboratory for Research and Service in Peptides and Proteins and Mass Spectrometry, LANAIS PROEM, where he became the Technical Manager in 2013. In 2019, Pavan got his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science and Biochemistry working with mass spectrometry techniques to study nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. He is proficient in Mass Spectrometry, HPLC, and protein sequencing by Edman degradation. Pavan was an instructor in Pharmacology for almost 20 years, teaching undergraduate and graduate students.

Beatriz Andarcio
Research Technician

Beatriz Andarcio is a research technician focusing on CAR T-Cell engineering. She graduated from Florida International University in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Outside the lab, she is a clinical volunteer for  Miami-Dade County and a wildlife rehabilitator at Pelican Harbor Marina. Beatriz is preparing to apply to veterinary school, where she aims to specialize in outreach programs, wildlife medicine, and conservation efforts for critically endangered species.

Alexandra Firek
Research Assistant

Alexandra Firek is a medical student at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida where she studied mouse models using cryosectioning and immunofluorescence analysis. As a research intern for the Summer Research Fellowship Program (SFRP), she worked with other lab members to analyze the effects of a specific galectin on multiple myeloma cells as well as the upregulation of a promising immunotherapeutic antibody target.

Lee Seng Lau
Research Assistant

Lee Seng Lau was born in Nicaragua and grew up in Miami, Florida, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Florida International University. She is an FEF McKnight Fellow and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Biomedical Science at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, working under the supervision of Dr. Dimitroff. Lau is presently studying the role of glycans in adaptive immunity.

Joseph Souchak
Research Assistant

Joseph Souchak is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Dimitroff’s lab at the Translational Glycobiology Institute (TGIF) at FIU. He joined Dr. Dimitroff’s lab at FIU in May of 2020. Before joining the CD laboratory, Mr. Souchak served in the United States Marine Corps and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology at Miami-Dade College. His research will be working on the Novel glycobiological mechanisms of melanoma metastasis and melanoma glycan-probing-surveillance (GPS) treatment.

Rajib Kumar Shil
Research Assistant

Rajib Kumar Shil is a Presidential Fellow pursuing a Ph.D.  in Biomedical Sciences at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. As part of his doctoral work, he is studying the role of galectin-9 in multiple myeloma in the Dimitroff Lab. Shil completed his Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. 

Maria Suarez
Research Assistant

Maria Suarez is a senior majoring in biology who plans to pursue a career in the medical field. In the Dimitroff Lab, Maria will help to study the regulatory role of cell surface glycosylation on anti-tumor CAR-T cells.

Brandon Fernandez
Research Assistant

Brandon Fernandez is a senior at Florida International University majoring in biology education. After graduating, he plans to pursue a doctoral program to further his career in research and teaching.

Aiza Berdalinova
Research Assistant

Aiza Berdalinova is a junior at FIU Honors College majoring in biochemistry. She assists the lab in studying cell surface glycans on leukemia cells and their prospective role as targets of cancer immunotherapy Berdalinova aspires to pursue M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, combining her passions for medicine and scientific discovery.

Ismaray Govea
Research Assistant

Ismaray Govea is a Florida International University senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Natural and Applied Sciences, with minors in Chemistry and Business.

On the MD-PhD track, she focuses on integrating medical practice with research, particularly cancer research. Her past research on silica nanoparticles (SiNP) for drug delivery against cancer fueled her passion for advancing medical science. She aims to use her training to influence health care policy in public health and directly impact her patients.

Olivia Jose
Research Assistant

Olivia Jose is an FIU freshman pursuing a 7-year BS/MD Accelerated Pathway Program. She is working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences degree through the FIU Honors College and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education. She hopes to receive her MD at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine by 2031.

Her research work in the Dimitroff lab involves the study of a class of human lectins, known as galectins, and their potential therapeutic exploitation in multiple myeloma.