The Dayal Lab

Sanjana Dayal, PhD, FAHA

Sanjana Dayal, PhD, FAHA
​Principal Investigator

Contact Information:
Email: sanjana-dayal@uiowa.edu
 

Affiliations:

Educational and Personal details: Dr. Dayal earned her PhD from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Thereafter she joined the laboratory of Dr. Steven Lentz in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, for postdoctoral studies. She pursued her research interests in delineating mechanisms of thrombosis associated with cardiovascular risk factors and developed an independent research program in aging-associated platelet activation and thrombosis. She lives in Marion, IA with her family. Her husband Abhas Kumar is a software engineer with Pearson. She has a daughter Deeksha, who loves Indian dancing, western music and teaching/training younger kids. Her son Aadarsh enjoys playing chess, bansuri (Indian flute), western music and political discussions. Dr. Dayal is a big fan of Indian ethnic arts/fabric and enjoys international traveling, designing and supporting her kid’s activities. 

Vijay Sonkar, PhD
​Postdoctoral Fellow

Contact Information:
Email: vijay-sonkar@uiowa.edu

Educational and Personal details: Dr. Vijay Kumar Sonkar earned a postgraduate degree in Biochemistry from University of Hyderabad. He then completed his PhD in the area of platelet signaling and thrombosis in the Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. In 2016, he started working as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Dr. Dayal’s laboratory, with a focus on the following topics: 1) the role of NADPH oxidase (NOX) in platelet activation; and 2) mechanisms and consequences of platelet activation with aging. His expertise includes in-vitro and in-vivo platelet function assays, mitochondrial bioenergetics and other biochemical techniques. Dr. Sonkar lives with his wife, Shiwani, in Iowa City. He loves outdoor activities, playing cricket and badminton. He is a big fan of cricket and has represented his University in “All India Inter-University Cricket Tournament” during his Post graduation days.

2. Rahul Kumar, PhD

Rahul Kumar, PhD
​Postdoctoral Fellow

Contact Information:
Email: rahul-kumar@uiowa.edu

Educational and Personal details: Dr. Rahul Kumar obtained his PhD from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, where he studied the role of sirtuin proteins in several age-related disorders and explored their potential as therapeutic targets. He joined the laboratory of Dr. Dayal in 2016 to further his understanding of the mechanistic pathways of cognitive deficiency and Alzheimer’s while using various transgenic strains of mice. At present, he resides in Iowa City along with his wife, Astha Singh. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies and learning about theoretical physics.

 

2. Mitali Viraj Solanki, MD

Mitali Viraj Solanki, MD
​​Postdoctoral Fellow

Contact Information:
Email: mitali-solanki@uiowa.edu

Educational and Personal details: Mitali received her medical degree from Shri C.U.Shah Medical College and Hospital, India. She recently joined Dr. Dayal’s group and is pursuing a project to define the role of the gut microbiome in age-associated thrombosis. She believes in the 3 C's of life: choice, chance, change. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change. She loves dancing, hiking and cooking for family and friends.

 

Melissa Jensen, BS

Melissa Jensen, BS
​Research Assistant/Lab Manager

Contact Information:
Email: melissa-jensen@uiowa.edu

Educational and Personal details: Melissa Jensen obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA. She has worked in agricultural, environmental, and biomedical research in both Iowa and North Carolina. In 2006, she began working in the labs of Dr. Steven Lentz and Dr. Sanjana Dayal. Her expertise is in murine thrombosis models. Melissa and her husband Ben have three daughters, Alena, Nora, and Edith, and they reside in Cedar Rapids, IA. She enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time outdoors.

 

Priya Patel

Priya Patel
​Undergraduate Student

Contact Information:
Email: priya-patel@uiowa.edu

Educational and Personal details: Priya is an undergrad at University of Iowa studying Human Physiology. She is from Cedar Rapids and in her free time she likes journaling and listening to music. She also enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.