Team

Dr. Christopher A. Rice grew up as a wee lad in a small coastal town of Irvine, Ayrshire, on the West coast of Scotland. He studied his Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Biomedical Sciences at Ayrshire college, formerly James Watt College, in Kilwinning in 2007-2008. This is where he developed his interest in Microbiology. He furthered his studies by pursuing a Scottish Bachelor of Science degree with Honours at The University of the West of Scotland (UWS), graduating in 2010 focused on Microbiology and Immunology. He continued his studies at UWS, pursuing a Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Fiona Henriquez-Mui where he focused his research thesis on “Histidine and Lysine amino acid biosynthesis as antimicrobial targets in Acanthamoeba species”, graduating in 2014.

After graduating with his Ph.D., Chris made a transatlantic journey heading to Tampa Bay, FL to work with Dr. Dennis Kyle at the University of South Florida (USF), go Bulls, as a Postdoctoral Fellow 2014-2016. Here he developed high-throughput colorimetric and luminescent drug screening assays focused on Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba species drug discovery. Continuing the theme of “bulls”, Dr. Kyle moved his lab to the University of Georgia (UGA), Bulldawg territory, in Athens, GA, to become the director of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD) in January of 2017. Here, the amoeba team (Chris and Beatrice) continued their drug discovery and development projects through drug repurposing identifying posaconazole as a combinational partner drug for the treatment of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), caused by Naegleria fowleri curing in vivo CNS efficacy models from PAM disease. Dr. Rice continued his drug discovery efforts by including Acanthamoeba spp. and Balamuthia mandrillaris to diversify himself from Dr. Kyle’s main research interests on N. fowleri. The amoeba team expanded to four with the inclusion of Emma (2017) and Cassie (2018) joining the amoeba discovery team, focused on N. fowleri projects. In 2019, Dr. Rice was hired as an Assistant Research Scientist and manager of the Center for Drug Discovery at UGA in the College of Pharmacy, Pharmacy and Biomedical Science department. He co-developed the PMCY-6420 course “Computational Approaches in Drug Discovery and Toxicology”, lectured in PMCY-6410 “Robotic Technology in Drug Discovery and Toxicology”, and guest lectured in PMCY-2200 “Pills, Potions, and Drugs in Modern Medicine”.

In August 2022, Dr. Rice was hired at Purdue University as an Assistant Professor of Parasitology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology and College Veterinary Medicine where he established the Rice Research Group and hired his first Ph.D. student, Chenyang Lu, where she is focused on developing novel Balamuthia mandrillaris diagnostics and continuing drug discovery and development models for this neglected and emerging pathogen.

Beyond work, Dr. Rice enjoys travelling, socialising, and playing video games competitively (Halo series, Fortnite, or Apex).

Chenyang joined the Rice lab in Septmeber of 2022 as a Ph.D. student in the Comparative Pathobiology (CPB) department. She completed her bachelor's degree in agriculture at Jilin Agricultural and Technologic University, China; her master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine at Henan Agricultural University, China. Her previous studies focused on the relationship among coccidia, gut macrobiotics, and immune system in sheep, and investigated the epidemiology of blood and intestinal parasites. Her current work involves developing new diagnostic methods for B. mandrillaris, screening and evaluating potential drugs from various compounds libraries against B. mandrillaris, and developing and elucidating pathobiological disease models of Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis (BAE).

Chenyang enjoys cooking, watching movies and reading novels. Now she has a new hobby, snowboarding, which is really challenging and interesting.

Kamana joined the Rice lab in January of 2025 as a Master's student in the Comparative Pathobiology (CPB) department. She holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc. & A.H.) degree from Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal. Her research focuses on screening and discovery of novel therapeutic compounds against free-living Acanthamoeba.

Dr. Chayan Sharma joined the Rice lab in December 2023 as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology (CPB). She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Delhi, India and her master's degree from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. She continued her studies by pursuing Ph.D. in Medical Parasitology from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. Her Ph.D. work was majorly focused on designating the pathogenic potential of Acanthamoeba isolates (using in vitro and in vivo assays) and then generating whole-genome and proteomic data for the pathogenic and non-pathogenic isolates. Her current work is related to the identification and screening of novel hit candidates that would ultimately help identify drug-like molecules for the development of new drug treatment regimens for free-living amoeba infections.

Chayan enjoys travelling, painting, and cooking.

Daniel joined the Rice Research Group in Fall of 2023 as a Undergraduate Researcher. 

"My name is Daniel Cline and I am currently a sophomore studying biological engineering. Academically I am interested in translational research and how science is driven to deliver tangible outcomes for patients. I have interests in fields of bioengineering, pathology, and drug discovery. Outside of my work/studies I enjoy playing soccer, working out, and reading."

Shreyes joined the Rice Research Group in Fall of 2023 as a Undergraduate Researcher. 

"My name is Shreyes Kanumuru and I am a freshman at Purdue University majoring in biological sciences and minoring in psychology. I love to conduct research which is why I joined the Rice Research Group my first semester at Purdue. I love conducting research relating to the field of neurology and infectious disease. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I aspire to attend medical school so doing research with Dr.Rice will allow me to gain very valuable experience that relates to my future career. I have learned many techniques in the lab so far and I'm continuing to learn something new everyday."

Outside of the lab and classes, Shreyes "loves to play basketball and workout. I also like listening to various genres of music."

Jeeya joined the Rice Research Group in Fall of 2024 as a Undergraduate Researcher. 

"My name is Jeeya Thukral and I'm studying Pharmaceutical sciences. I have a passion for drug discovery and drug delivery mechanisms. Conducting research to discover new compounds that combat disease and infection is an area that greatly interests me. I am looking to work in the field of regulatory policy with an emphasis on regulatory medical writing. Outside of school, I love to read, paint, and rockclimb."

Lucas joined the Rice Research Group in Spring of 2025 as a Undergraduate Researcher.