Our Team
Michelle James, PhD
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Radiology and Neurology & Neurological Sciences
mljames@stanford.edu
Dr. James is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Radiology and Neurology, within the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS). She received her BS in pharmacology and medicinal chemistry at the University of Sydney, where she also earned her PhD in radiochemistry/pharmacology and was awarded the prestigious University Medal. She served as the co-chair of the World Molecular Imaging Congress in 2021 and has received numerous awards for her impactful research and mentoring, including the Suffrage Science Award from the Medical Research Council in the UK in 2016, the Exceptional Mentor Award from the American Medical Women’s Association in 2018, and the Roger Tsien Award for significant contributions to the field of molecular imaging in the area of chemical biology in 2024. For over twenty years her research has focused on developing new PET tracers for detecting immune cells in a range of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). As part of her work, Dr. James has translated multiple tracers to the clinic, many of which are patented and being used in clinical imaging research studies at Stanford and around the world.
Israt Alam, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
israt@stanford.edu
About Israt: Dr. Israt Alam is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Radiology, Stanford University, specializing in the development of PET radiopharmaceuticals that can monitor immune responses in cancer immunotherapy and improve the diagnosis of immune-mediated diseases. She earned her MSci in Biochemistry at Imperial College London, for which she was awarded the prestigious Governor’s Prize. She completed her PhD in Biochemistry/Molecular Imaging at the University of Cambridge and her postdoctoral training in Professor Sam Gambhir’s lab.
Having supported the clinical translation of several nuclear imaging agents for oncology, she is currently leading the clinical translation for a first-in-class PET tracer for activated T cells. Recognized as one of SNMMI’s 2023 “Ones to Watch” for her innovative research vision and track record in immuno-monitoring—including the discovery of novel biomarkers—Israt is deeply committed to advancing nuclear technologies that can transform patient care. She is a strong advocate for cross-disciplinary collaboration, working to unite stakeholders across the field and promote best practices, and is actively involved in the World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) leadership. She is also passionate about mentoring and expanding access to scientific education for under-represented communities. When not in the lab, she loves gardening or jetting off someplace to pursue her love of travel and her global family.
Renesmee Kuo
Graduate Student
renesmee@stanford.edu
About Renesmee: Renesmee is an EE PhD student supported by the NSF-GRFP. She received her BS in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley and MS in EE at Stanford. For her PhD, she is focusing on developing and evaluating novel PET tracers to improve the way we diagnose and treat neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Renesmee recently earned the Young Investigator Award at WMIC in Montreal for their talk titled: "ICOS-immunoPET is a highly promising technique for monitoring of anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapies for metastatic brain cancer". Outside the lab, Renesmee enjoys cooking, spending time in nature, and relaxing with her beloved Pooh bears and Minion.
Andrew Setiadi
Graduate Student
asetiad1@stanford.edu
About Andrew: Andrew is a Bioengineering MS student passionate about medical diagnostics. He earned his BS in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and has experience ranging from brain organoid culture to telehealth device design. In the James lab, he currently contributes to both in vivo and in vitro PET imaging studies. In his free time, Andrew enjoys learning about pathophysiology, drawing, studying Japanese, and collecting art books.
Piper Mahn
Undergraduate Researcher
pmahn@stanford.edu
Piper Mahn is an undergraduate researcher in the James Lab, where she works on projects aimed at identifying PET tracers for the early detection and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. While she is passionate about all aspects of research, Piper is particularly excited by the potential of molecular imaging to transform patient care. She is pursuing dual degrees in Global and Community Health and Biotechnology at UC Santa Cruz and plans to continue her research in graduate school. Outside the lab, she enjoys scuba diving, reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Mausam Kalita, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
mkalita@stanford.edu
About Mausam: Dr. Mausam Kalita is a senior scientist in the James lab. He grew up in the North-Eastern Indian state of Assam. After completing his master’s in chemistry from Delhi University, he moved to the United States to do his PhD in chemistry from Kansas State University. He has more than a decade of experience in designing and synthesizing molecules that can be transformed into PET tracers with different radioisotopes (11C, 18F, 89Zr, 64Cu), nanosensors (detects contaminants in heparin), and multi-modality imaging probes (optical and MRI).
In James lab, he is developing CNS PET tracers to track and quantify aberrant innate and adaptive immune cells. He is also involved in the clinical translation of several PET tracers. His work was recognized in multiple scientific fronts— invited speaker in Gordon conference (2014), cover article in the JACS Au journal (2023), and SNMMI conference top abstract highlights (2023). He is passionate about developing new radiosynthetic tools and methods that can accelerate the access to the challenging radiopharmaceutical compounds for theranostic applications in humans. When he is not in the lab, he loves to trail run on the rolling hills, backpack, and cook.
Samantha Reyes
Graduate Student
levines@stanford.edu
About Samantha: Samantha is a Biomedical Physics graduate student and a recipient of the prestigious Bio-X Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship. Samantha began her PhD nearly 10 years after earning her bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology at UC Irvine and has over a decade of training in neuroimaging. She has extensive experience in developing, evaluating, and translating new neuroPET radiotracers, conducting receptor occupancy studies, pharmacokinetic modeling, and performing molecular biology validations (including IHC, WB, qPCR, and FACS). Her thesis research is focused on translational PET imaging approaches for detecting and tracking immune cells in the context of diseases potentially triggered by viral infections, such as multiple sclerosis and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Samantha is an active member of the WIMIN Leadership Committee as well as the Stanford MIPS Trainee Council.
Outside of research, Samantha loves spending time with her family. She enjoys volunteering at her kids’ schools, doing arts and crafts, gardening, as well as cooking new recipes with her husband.
Jonathan Green
Lab Manager ||
Life Science Research Professional II
jopgreen@stanford.edu
About Jonathan: Jonathan serves as both a lab manager and a research assistant in the James Lab supporting core functions of lab operation and experimental procedures. He earned a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UC Santa Cruz in 2022. Prior to this role, he served as an undergraduate researcher and then as a Junior Research Specialist in Dr. Zhu Wang's Lab for 4 years. Jonathan's background in oncology utilized both in vivo and in vitro approaches to identify (1) novel oncogenes involved in tumorigenesis and (2) developmental pathways regulating stem cell plasticity within the prostatic epithelium. In his current role, Jonathan is excited to investigate the immune interplay surrounding neurodegenerative diseases using novel imaging tools. Jonathan's main interest is in Huntington's Disease and is driven to earn a PhD with the goal to further our knowledge in this debilitating disease. Outside of lab, Jonathan can be found chasing his next adrenaline rush, shooting film photos, road cycling, or staying grounded amidst the beautiful, outdoor vistas of Central California.
Juniper
Post-dog-toral Fellow
About Juni: Juniper "Juni" James joined the James family and lab summer 2020. She is a miniature Dachshund and loves running outside and making mischief.
Lab Alumni
- Aisling Cheney, PhD, Instructor (2018 - 2022) - Faculty at Washington University in St. Louis
- Carmen Azevedo, Lab Manager & Research Assistant - Graduate Student at Washington University in St. Louis
- Isabelle Hack, Clinical research coordinator - Division of Infectious Diseases
- Irene Falk, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral scholar
- Lancelot, Post-dog-toral fellow (2018 - 2022)
- Katie Lucot, PhD, Postdoctoral scholar (2017 - 2020) - Postdoctoral scholar, Department of Pathology at Stanford
- Marc Stevens, PhD, Postdoctoral scholar & Wallenberg Fellow (2017 - 2020) - Pharmacist at Swedish Poisons Information Centre
- Poorva Jain, Research Assistant (2018 - 2020) - MD/PhD student at the University of Miami
- Anouskha Rao, high school intern (2019) - Stanford University undergraduate student
- Haley Cropper, Research Assistant + Lab Manager (2014 - 2019) - MD/PhD student at the University of Chicago
- Anjali Biswal, high school intern (2018) - undergraduate student at UC Berkeley
- Emily Johnson, Research Assistant (2015 - 2018) - Clinical Research Assistant in the Department of Anesthesiology at Stanford
- Niki K, intern (2017) - Neuroscience PhD at the University of Colorado
- Bethel Habte, intern (2014 - 2017) - Global Health Corps Fellow, Communications and Development Coordinator of the Boys & Girls Club of Newark
- Lauren Andrews, MD, Research Assistant (2011 - 2014) - Resident at the University of Pittsburgh
- Deepika Bodapati, Intern (2009 - 2010) - Founder of Athelas