Emory University, Atlanta GA
Meet The Team
Daniel Harper, PhD
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine
Dr. Harper grew up outside of Charlotte NC, is a Tar Heel born and bred, and thus had no choice but to attend the University of North Carolina as an undergraduate. Unsure of where college would take him, his scientific torch was lit sophomore year in a Sensation & Perception course. The research journey began at UNC, continued post-doc at The University of Michigan, and is currently progressing at Emory with the opening of a new lab! Dr. Harper is passionate about science and hopes to make a positive contribution to society through research, mentoring, teaching, and service. Outside of work, Dr. Harper enjoys spending time with his partner and their three young children.
Timothy Jordan, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Jordan is from Baltimore, Maryland, but raised in Newark, DE. He graduated with his B.S. in Physics with a minor in Astronomy from George Mason University in May 2014. During his time there he discovered that astrophysics was not of particular interest to him and got involved with a biophysics lab where he began his journey into neurophysics. Tim went on to Georgia State University and obtained his Master’s and Doctorate in Physics with a concentration in Neurophysics. His journey continued on to UCLA for a first postdoctoral appointment learning how to apply repetitive TMS to neuroimaging studies. He is now in his second postdoctoral appointment with the lab, hoping to apply his imaging knowledge to pain projects. Outside of work, Tim enjoys training in MMA, playing trading card games, and spending time with his wife.
Priyanka Bhanushali
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Priyanka earned her Master of Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health (Class of 2023) and is a registered medical practitioner in India, where she completed her Bachelor’s in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery. Her professional journey includes roles as a data and policy analyst and hands-on experience in diverse healthcare settings, including serving as a medical officer on a Covid-19 taskforce. Driven by a desire to explore the nuances of pain mechanisms and their impact on public health, she pivoted to clinical research at a PaIN Lab. Outside of her professional endeavors, Priyanka enjoys painting, hiking, and traveling.
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Niveen Kaddoura
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Niveen Kaddoura is a Clinical Research Coordinator II with over three years of research experience. Prior to joining the PaINLab, Niveen worked in Alzheimer’s research. Niveen completed her undergraduate degree in Public Health at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and her master’s degree in Public Health with an Epidemiology concentration at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Before moving to Atlanta, she worked in healthcare at Nebraska Medicine and conducted research at the Medical Center. Niveen’s research interests include Neurology, sensory research, and infection prevention research.
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Aliasgar Momin
Graduate Research Assistant
Aliasgar Momin is a second year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia. He joined the PaIN Lab with an interest in understanding pain mechanisms and gaining an insight into how the field of anesthesiology is working towards helping patients who suffer chronic pain and applying that in his future career. Ali was raised in Atlanta, GA and completed his undergraduate degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Outside of the lab, his hobbies include running, reading, and baking.
Drake Berry
Graduate Research Assistant
A midwesterner through-and-through, Drake was born in and raised in Chicago, Illinois before moving to the St. Louis area during his adolescent years. Drake promptly returned to the Chicagoland area for undergraduate, earning his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Benedictine University in 2019. With original ambitions of attending law school, Drake pivoted to medicine during his 3rd year of undergraduate where he was immediately drawn to the complexities of the nervous system and the interventions at our disposal.
Currently, as a fourth-year medical student, Drake possesses a deep passion for understanding the experiences of people with chronic pain. Inspired by the lived experience of having a mother with chronic pain and an older brother with autism, Drake hopes to pursue a career in interventional pain and child and adolescent psychiatry with goals of serving neurodivergent chronic pain populations. When not in the lab or the clinic, Drake loves playing guitar, piano, and bass in his free time, as well as boxing.​​​​​​​
Aishani Valluru
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Aishani Valluru is a third year Emory student majoring in Biology (B.S.) and minoring in Computer Informatics. She is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and has a strong interest in medical sciences and engineering. As a pre-med student, she is especially looking to further her knowledge on anesthesiology at the physiological and molecular level. She is very excited to be a part of the PaINLab and gain knowledge about pain mechanisms, which she hopes to use to improve conditions for her family and future patients with chronic pain. Outside of the lab, Aishani enjoys teaching biology to middle school students through GSEI, practicing dance, and karaoke.
Frank Martinez
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Frank Martinez is a fourth year undergraduate Emory student majoring in Neuroscience (B.S.) He is from Wilmington, California and has a deep interest in STEM related fields. Frank is passionate about Neuroscience and its association with understanding different forms of pain. This is due to a longstanding history of witnessing the debilitating impacts of pain on members of his community. He hopes to use this research opportunity to hopefully improve the quality of life of many individuals in his home struggling with various forms of pain. Outside of the lab, Frank enjoys serving as the treasurer for the Minority Pre-Medical Society and swimming
Xuan Yang
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Xuan Yang is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Emory University majoring in Neuroscience (B.S). He is from Milledgeville, Georgia and deeply interested in neural connectivity and how it changes due to injury or disease. Specifically, he is interested in the difference in connectivity between normal-functioning brains and those with chronic pain, and how these differences can be used to personalized therapeutic treatments. In his free time, he likes to play tennis, read about politics, and facetime his cat.
Lia Hwang
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Lia Hwang is a third year undergraduate student at Emory majoring in Biology (B.S.) under pre-dental track. She is from Seoul, South Korea and interested in the neural mechanisms underlying pain perception, especially in relation to orofacial pain. Through her work in PaIN Lab, she hopes to gain more understanding of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and contribute to research that improves how pain is studied and treated. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling new places, playing basketball, and discovering good restaurants.
Ryan Kim
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ryan Kim is a third-year Emory student majoring in Psychology (B.S.) on the pre-dental track. He is from Seoul, South Korea and is deeply drawn to understanding the neuroscience of pain, particularly the relationship between sensory processing and pain perception. Through PaIN Lab, he hopes to use this opportunity to further his knowledge on how sensory-based interventions based on QST findings might offer relief for chronic pain conditions such as orofacial dental pain. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and listening to music.
Mai Vo
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mai Vo is a third-year undergraduate student at Emory University majoring in Data Science and Neurobiology on the pre-health track, with an expected graduation year of 2028. She is from Lawrenceville–Suwanee, Georgia, and is broadly interested in understanding the brain and the complex, often unknown mechanisms underlying neural function and human experience. Mai joined the Harper PaIN Lab for its interdisciplinary approach to pain research, particularly at the intersection of data science, emerging technologies in health sciences, and neuroscience. She is excited by the opportunity to explore how quantitative and computational tools can be leveraged to better understand pain processing and ultimately inform more effective approaches to health and medicine. Outside of the lab, Mai enjoys rock climbing, discovering new cafés, indulging in sweet beverages and desserts, watching and reviewing movies, and reading.