Principal Investigator

Dr. Giannarelli is an associate professor in the Division of Cardiology, part of the Department of Medicine, and an associate professor in the Department of Pathology. Dr. Giannarelli received her MD at the University of Pisa, Italy. She completed her clinical training in internal medicine, specializing in vascular disease, and received her PhD in pharmacological sciences and pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiovascular disease at the University of Pisa, Italy. After completing her research fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai she was recruited as an instructor and then promoted to assistant professor (tenure-track). Dr. Giannarelli has established an independent National Institutes of Health–funded research program investigating immune mechanisms of vascular disease. A major goal of her laboratory is to leverage single-cell technologies—such as single-cell mass cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing—to map the cellular and molecular composition of human atherosclerotic plaques to aid in the discovery of new precise immunotherapies.

Email: chiara.giannarelli@nyulangone.org

Research Assistant

Jordan obtained his bachelor’s degree in human biology and biotechnology from Aix-Marseille University and his master's in human physiology and pathophysiology from Pierre and Marie Curie University (Sorbonne University, Paris). His prior research spans cardiac development, cardiovascular issues in metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis. As of 2023, he is a research assistant in the Giannarelli Lab, contributing notably to projects involving lymphocyte functions in atherosclerosis.

Computational Biologist

Michael is a computational biologist working for the Cardiovascular Research Center at NYU Langone. He received his BS from the State University of New York at Albany, where he studied biology and chemistry. He received his PhD from Cornell university in genetics and genomics where he studied pre-mRNA splicing mechanism and function in the Pleiss Laboratory. Michael contributes bioinformatic and computational expertise and analysis to Giannarelli Lab projects.

Email: michael.gildea@nyulangone.org

Clinical Research Scientist

Swathy received her bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from University of Hyderabad and master’s in molecular sciences from Louisiana Tech University. She has more than nine years of clinical trial experience in different therapeutic areas. Her prior experience at PAREXEL International and Mount Sinai Health System was focused on the different phase of clinical trials, image processing, and clinical data analysis. Currently she is working as clinical research scientist for the Giannarelli Lab. Outside work, she loves gardening and cooking.

Email: swathy.sajja@nyulangone.org

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dayasagar (Daya) received his BSc in zoology from Berhampur University and his master’s in medical microbiology from Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University, India). After his master’s he joined All India Institute of medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS, New Delhi, India) for his PhD. During his doctoral training he explored the role of unconventional gamma delta T-cells in the immunopathogenesis of the autoimmune skin disorder pemphigus vulgaris. He has key inclination towards the immunobiology of chorionic inflammatory diseases. He joined the Giannarelli Lab in August 2021. Besides his love for immunology, Daya is a half marathon runner and likes to play badminton and table tennis.

Email: dayasagar.das@nyulangone.org

Postdoctoral Fellow

Natalia completed her PhD in immunology from the University of Cordoba, Argentina. Her doctoral work focused on understanding the regulation of cardiac immune response by the purinergic system and its contribution in the development of Chagas cardiomyopathy. In 2019, she participated in the Next Generation Scientist program at Novartis, Switzerland, where she evaluated the immune repertoire and signature changes in clinical samples from patients with Sjogren syndrome. She joined the Giannarelli Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2020. Her current project includes investigating immune mechanisms that finely control the T-cell effector functions and sustain chronic inflammation in atherosclerotic disease.

Email: natalia.eberhardt@nyulangone.org

Postdoctoral Fellow

Hauke is a medical doctor from Germany who completed his medical studies in November 2022. He is now pursuing a career as a clinician scientist in academic cardiology. Over the past year, he worked full-time as a bioinformatician in the research group of Professor Dennis Wolf at the University Heart Center Freiburg, where he was responsible for analyzing transcriptome data generated in cardiovascular basic research.

In 2024, Hauke began a DFG-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Chiara Giannarelli’s lab at NYU Langone. Together with his colleagues, he is investigating the immune response in patients with atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, he is engaged in a project aiming to identify specific changes in subclinical atherosclerosis in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibition treatment.

Following his postdoctoral fellowship, Hauke plans to start his residency, followed by a fellowship in interventional cardiology. In his free time, Hauke enjoys playing soccer, swimming, and spending time with friends and family.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Panos is a talented aspiring vascular surgeon. He earned his MD from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and immediately embarked on his residency at Edessa General Hospital, fueling his passion for vascular surgery. Fascinated by the molecular mechanisms of vascular diseases, Panos joined the Giannarelli Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in June 2022. His current research focuses on dissecting the immune cell composition in atherosclerotic lesions within heart transplant recipients' coronary vasculature. Beyond medicine, Panos is a classical music enthusiast, holding a violin diploma and a harmony certification. Panos is also an avid traveler.

MD/PhD Student

Sandhya Rakjumar is an MD/PhD trainee at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, working in the Ruggles and Giannarelli labs. She earned her B.S. in Computational and Systems Biology from UCLA in 2021, where she used single-cell omics to study cardiometabolic disease. Sandhya's research integrates multi-omics and clinical data to understand how clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) increases atherothrombotic risk. In her free time, she enjoys reading and exploring the city.

Visiting Research Fellow

Emilie Han obtained her medical degree from the Medical University of Vienna in 2022 and is currently pursuing her PhD in the Cardiac Translational Research Group under Prof. Mariann Gyöngyösi. She has experience in clinical trials, large-animal translational models for coronary artery disease, and clinical studies focusing on biomarker analyses. Emilie completed a clinical clerkship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania Hospital.

In 2024, she began her residency at the Department of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna. Supported by the Marietta Blau-Grant of the OeAD, her research in the Giannarelli Lab focuses on the immune cell landscape in an experimental SARS-CoV-2 model, complementing her PhD thesis on non-coding RNA biomarkers for long COVID. In her free time, Emilie enjoys outdoor activities, theater, and exploring new places in the city.

Visiting Medical Student

Carlotta Ciancarini is a final-year medical student at the University of Pisa, Italy. She joined the Giannarelli Lab in April 2025 as a visiting student through the Erasmus+ KA131 ICM program to conduct thesis project. Outside of the lab, Carlotta enjoys biking, gardening, and exploring new cuisines.