DurreShahwar (Durre) Muhammad PhD.
Primary Investigator
PhD: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Postdoc training: Rice University, Houston, TX
Dr. DurreShahwar (Durre) Muhammad is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Muhammad is a member of the Plant Biology (PB) and Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) graduate programs, where she accepts graduate students. She serves as training faculty on the NIH-funded T32 Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) grant and is a Models to Medicine Protein Homeostasis group member. She completed her postdoc at Rice University with Dr. Bonnie Bartel, her PhD at North Carolina State University with Dr. Terri A. Long, and her B.S. at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and worked with Dr. Katherine Warpeha. Dr. Muhammad has received numerous honors and awards, including the NIH K99 Postdoctoral Scholar Award, the NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology, the Rice Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Kenneth R. Keller Award for Excellence in Doctoral Dissertation Research, and the NC State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Dr. Muhammad and her lab are interested in peroxisomal homeostasis and the cellular consequences when that homeostasis is disrupted. Her favorite season is Fall, and she enjoys the outdoors in New England, hiking, cooking, and apple and peach picking with her husband and children.
Patrick Murphy
First-year MCB Student
Patrick began his research career as an undergraduate at Colby-Sawyer College under Dr. Chery Whipple, investigating the effects of the environmental pollutant PFAS on both tissue culture and C. elegans. He also participated in a summer research program at Dartmouth College with Dr. Patricia Pioli, focusing on understanding the role of macrophages in the rare autoimmune disorder systemic sclerosis. In 2025, Patrick joined the Muhammad Lab, where his research now focuses on how imbalances in peroxisomal proteostasis affect lipid metabolism in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. Outside of the lab, Patrick enjoys spending time outdoors hiking or running and hanging out with his friends.
Eileen McCleary
First Year MCB student
B.A. Molecular Biology, Colgate University, 2024
Eileen began conducting undergraduate research at Colgate University in Dr. Priscilla Van Wynsberghe’s lab, studying circadian protein regulation and generating CRISPR lines in C. elegans. She was also a National Cancer Institute – Division of Cancer Biology Undergraduate Fellow, and worked on understanding the role of tumor/macrophage hybrid cells in cancer metastasis under Dr. Tim Huang at the University of Texas, San Antonio. In the Muhammad Lab, Eileen’s project focuses on identifying substrates of LON2, a peroxisomal protease. Outside of the lab, Eileen enjoys baking, hiking, and reading.
Wyatt Deak
Third Year Undergraduate Student
Wyatt Deak is an undergraduate research assistant working towards a bachelors degree in biology with a minor in business. He joined the Muhammad Lab in the fall of 2024, shortly after Dr. Muhammad joined the faculty at UMass. In addition to helping set up the lab and bringing operations underway, he is currently working on a project examining Lon2 mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. LON2 is a peroxisomal protease that plays a critical role in normal peroxisomal function. In addition to his work in Dr. Muhammad’s lab, Wyatt is an active member and Division Head for the UMass EMS group on campus. Outside of the lab, Wyatt enjoys fitness activities at the gym, skiing, and socializing with friends from UMEMS and beyond.
Christine Wang
Second Year Biology Undergraduate Student
Christine is a sophomore biology major who began her research journey through a lab course within the SEA-PHAGES program. There, she developed fundamental laboratory skills while isolating and characterizing novel bacteriophages. Her passion for research led her to pursue Phage Bioinformatics, where she analyzed and annotated bacteriophage genomes using bioinformatic tools. As a co-author, her work contributed to a published Microbiology Resource Announcement (MRA) detailing novel bacteriophage genomes. In spring 2025, Christine became an undergraduate teaching assistant for the SEA-PHAGES lab course and joined the Muhammad Lab. Outside of her academic and research pursuits, Christine enjoys puzzles, photography, games, and reading.
Haiping Ke
lab technician
Haiping received her master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. She moved to Amherst in late 2005 and joined University of Massachusetts Amherst since 2006. She enjoys gardening and the beautiful nature.