Dr. Najib El-Sayed (Ph.D. Molecular Parasitology, Yale University)
Director

Dr. El-Sayed is a Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG) with a joint appointment in the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). His research program is focused on the study of the biology of parasitism and host-pathogen interactions using genomic and bioinformatics approaches with the ultimate goal of better understanding infection and survival mechanisms. He was the founding director of the Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Genomics graduate concentration area of studies and the founding director of the Next-Generation Sequencing facility at UMD.

Dr. El-Sayed was named Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar Mentor in 2011. In addition to his Ph.D. from Yale University in Molecular Parasitology, he also holds a M.S.P.H. in Parasitology and Tropical Medicine from Tulane University, and a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Health Sciences from the American University of Beirut.

Sabrina R. Kramer (Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2008) 
Associate Director

Sabrina has a wide range of research interests ranging from pathogen-host interactions and viruses as templates for nanowires to the support of faculty development and teacher training in higher education. She is a proud University of Maryland alumna (Go Terps!) and formerly the Assistant Director for Faculty Programs at the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.

Jalah Townsend
Assistant Director

Jalah Townsend is the Assistant Director for Student Services and is passionate about student engagement and inclusive student practices. In her role, Jalah will provide assistance and support to ILS students through holistic advising, programming, and instruction. Her research interests center the experiences of high achieving Black students and their experiences within Honors College environments.

Jalah received her Bachelor’s degree from George Mason University, graduated with her Master’s in Student Affairs, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education at the University of Maryland. Previously, Jalah served as the Coordinator for Student Engagement for the Gemstone Honors Program. She looks forward to engaging with ILS students, families, and alumni.

Azure Zheng
Graduate Assistant

Azure Zheng is the Graduate Assistant for the Integrative Life Sciences program. She is passionate about student development, community building, and mental health advocacy. In her role, Azure will provide administrative assistance to the program and support ILS students in student advising, event programming, and alumni relations. Azure received her Bachelor’s degree from New York University Shanghai (Social Science – Psychology focus), and she is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Couple and Family Therapy at the University of Maryland. Previously, Azure served as a Resident Assistant, Peer Counselor, and conducted crisis intervention strategies across different settings.