Cynthia Reinoso Webb, Ph.D.
Research Scientist

cynthia.reinoso@ttu.edu

(806) 834-7009  and  (806) 885-0232

Education:

• Ph.D., Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, 2017.
• American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASM) Certified Medical Technologist in Microbiology, 2016.
• B.S, Biology. West Texas A&M University, 2011.

Research Interests:

Dr. Reinoso Webb  is interested in infectious diseases affecting human and animals, including vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. Currently, she focuses on the research and diagnosis of high consequence pathogens and she is interested in the public health impact that these may have. Experience in the Microbiology field includes extensive animal and human diagnosis of infectious diseases using conventional and molecular methods. As part of her doctoral studies, Dr. Reinoso Webb performed metagenomic studies to analyze the role of the intestinal microbiota in the induction and perpetuation of chronic inflammatory diseases using rodent models.

Adriana Estrada
Senior Research Associate

adriana.estrada@ttu.edu

Education:

• B.S., Clinical Laboratory Science, TTUHSC-Lubbock, 2000
• M.S., Biomedical Science, TTUHSC-El Paso, 2017
  
  

My academic training was based on laboratory science where I earned my Bachelor’s degree as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist with certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and Master’s degree in Biomedical Science.  I was able to put my education into practice working in Hematology and Flow Cytometry. The work and experience gained there inspired me to pursue research in the medical field, particularly in cancer pathology. I gained much experience in Blood Cancers and refined my molecular laboratory skills while working at TTUHSC El Paso and Lubbock academic departments.  I had the opportunity to do Breast and Pancreatic cancer research at the TTUHSC-El Paso Molecular and Translational Medicine Department.  I then focused on Neuroblastoma at TTUHSC-Lubbock in the Pediatric Cancer Research Laboratory.  My passion for refining and developing new protocols lead me to my current position at the TTU Biological Threat Research Laboratory, where I can combine research and clinical diagnostics in genomic sequencing. This research environment provides me the ability to use my experience, former training and gain new knowledge in infectious diseases and public health.

Carlos Garcia
Research Associate

carlos.j.garcia@ttu.edu

Education:

• B.S. Natural Resource Management with Emphasis in Wildlife Biology, Texas Tech University, 2015
• Minor, Biology
  
  

Research Interests:

During my time as an undergraduate student, I studied teaching strategies in biology labs at Texas Tech University. This interested me due to my experience in undergraduate teaching in the Physics department and helped me to improve my teaching strategies and approaches. Now, I have interests in health sciences. I am interested in arthropod vectors and how they affect humans and animals alike. Microorganisms and diseases have also peaked my interest and I am excited for the learning opportunities that TIEHH will offer me. Being born and raised in Lubbock provides a great pride to continue working with Texas Tech for the near future.

Sierra Malaeb
Research Associate

sierra.malaeb@ttu.edu

Education:

• ASCP certified as Medical Laboratory Scientist, Molecular Biologist
  
  
• M.S., Molecular Pathology, 2022
  Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
  
  
• B.S., Clinical Laboratory Science, 2021
  Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Research Interests:

For my undergraduate research, I participated in a project for developing a protocol for the use of human blood as a replacement for sheep blood in blood agar plates to accurately demonstrate beta, alpha, and gamma hemolysis.  For my graduate thesis I developed and validated an assay to detect CYP2D6 mutations utilizing high-resolution melt curve analysis, an assay for detecting Lynch Syndrome via polymerase chain reaction visualized using gel electrophoresis, and the CMS50 Cancer Panel on the Ion Torrent Genexus Next-Generation Sequencer. I have always found the topic of the effects infectious diseases and microbiology have on different populations interesting, as my main undergraduate focus was to determine a way for under-developed nations utilize the resources available to them, while still receiving accurate diagnoses for pathogens that could otherwise be missed.

Bianca Rendon, M.S.
Post Doctoral Fellow

bianca.rendon@ttu.edu

Education:

• M.S., Plant and Soil Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2018
• B.S., Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, 2014

Research Interests:

My research interests lie with examining how the prevalence of insecticide resistance influences the spread of zoonotic diseases. Prior to my master's work, I did mosquito control in Boulder County, Colorado. Using the management knowledge I gathered from my work in Colorado, I am interested in finding a better understanding of how efficient control methods can influence insecticide resistance which in turn influences disease spread.

Ashley Newland
Ph.D. Student

Ashley.Newland@ttu.edu

Education:

Research Interests: