Leadership
Joe Varriale
Co-Director, Producer, & Host
Joe is a Ph.D. candidate in the Pharmacology & Molecular Sciences program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2015, he graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences, and in 2018 he received a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to enrolling in his Ph.D. program, Joe worked as a biopharmaceutical process development scientist for Novavax Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. His Ph.D. thesis work is directed at finding a cure for HIV. The work involves characterizing the reservoir of latently infected cells that render HIV infection a lifelong illness. Joe was brought in to expand the types of content provided by the Hopkins Biotech Podcast. He hopes to add interesting and relevant science-centered discussions to the podcast feed as producer and co-host of the Insights segment.
Jenna Glatzer
Co-Director, Producer, & Host
Jenna is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Rochester in 2017, with a B.S. in Biological Sciences: Neuroscience. Her Ph.D. thesis work examines the origins and functions of oligodendrocytes in health and disease, with the goal that enhancing our knowledge of these cells can be leveraged to design new central nervous system therapeutics. Jenna is passionate about science communication and currently works with the Hopkins Biotech Network (HBN) as Editor-in-chief of The Transcript. Her goal is to expand communication among the diverse sectors in biotech, distribute information on local and global industry trends, and highlight career opportunities for interested professionals.
Gustavo E. Carrizo
Co-Producer & Host
Gus is a Ph.D. candidate in the Immunology program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 2017 with a bachelor’s and master’s in Biological Sciences, working in cancer immunotherapy. In 2018, he moved to Germany to join the International Master in Biomedical Sciences (IMBS) from the University of Freiburg, a dual-degree program with the University of Buenos Aires. He joined the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics to study the relevance of nutrient starvation for Mitochondrial metabolism and graduated as a double master’s in science in 2020. After his graduation, he started a Ph.D. program at the Max Planck Institute studying the effect of metabolism on macrophage development, function, and potential role in cancer (topics that he is currently working at Johns Hopkins). Outside the lab, he is interested in social entrepreneurship, business development and finance, and has participated in several entrepreneurship and startup competitions. In line with his social impact interest, he has volunteered in schools for hearing-impaired children in Buenos Aires (Argentina), lectured at the university and is currently working for an NGO to bring innovative solutions for native communities from his home province “Jujuy” in the North of Argentina. Finally, he is a musician, singer and music producer who collaborates with musicians from all over the world, and makes music for different YouTube channels and podcasts.
Podcast Alumni
Roshan Chikarmane
Founder & Director
Roshan is a Ph.D. candidate in the Pharmacology & Molecular Sciences program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His Ph.D. thesis work in the lab of Dr. Vasan Yegnasubramanian applies cutting edge genomic techniques to examine the genetic & epigenetic drivers of prostate cancer development and inform novel therapeutic strategies. Roshan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry at the University of Oregon, where he also conducted research on the neurological basis of spatial memory & learning in the lab of Dr. Clifford Kentros. As the Co-Director of Alumni Relations at Hopkins Biotech Network (HBN), Roshan raised seed funding to establish the Hopkins Biotech Podcast with the goal of leveraging the diverse network of Johns Hopkins contacts to provide novel career enrichment experiences for life science students interested in private sector careers.
Cynthia Steinhardt
Producer & Host
Cynthia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She graduated from Princeton University in 2016 with a Bachelors of Art in Neuroscience and a certificate (minor) in Cognitive Science. Her Ph.D. thesis work examines the interactions between pulsatile and non-pulsatile forms of electrical stimulation with neurons to inform design of improved neural implant algorithms. Cynthia’s goal was to use Hopkins Biotech Podcast to start conversations about the trends in current fields of science that can better inform decisions by the public, policy makers, and early-careers scientists.