Curriculum Vitae

Nella C. Delva, Ph.D.

Fulbright Fellow — Max Delbrück Center of Molecular Medicine. Passionate, detail-oriented neuroscientist applying research and data skills to innovative life sciences projects.

Nella C. Delva, Ph.D.

Education

Florida State University, College of Medicine
PhD Candidate, Biomedical Sciences · 2018 – 2025

Dissertation: Loss of Dopamine D1 Receptors in Nkx2.1+ Neurons Alters Mood-Related Behavior and Frontal Cortical Gene Expression

University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
M.S., Biological Sciences · 2012 – 2015

Thesis: Tp53 and HRas Influence on HPV16 E7 Expression in HPV16-Transformed Human Keratinocytes

Barry University, Miami Shores, FL
B.S., Biology · 2009 – 2012

Research Experience

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
Fulbright Fellow & Guest Scientist · 2024 – 2025

Focus: Cortical cellular pathways. Techniques: human iPSC cell culture, advanced imaging techniques, and genetic analysis.

Florida State University, College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL
Doctoral Researcher · 2018 – 2025 · PI: Dr. Gregg Stanwood

Focus: Neurobiology, genetic and behavioral studies. Key techniques: animal handling and behavior, brain anatomy and dissection, RNAscope, immunohistochemistry, qPCR, genotyping, ELISA, microscopy, and image analysis.

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Research Associate II · 2015 – 2018

Focus: Genetic target and validation. Key techniques: DNA/RNA expression, transfection, tissue analysis, gene profiling, and cell culture.

University of South Carolina
Graduate Research Assistant · 2012 – 2015

Focus: HPV-mediated carcinogenesis. Key techniques: cloning, ELISA, protein quantification and analysis.

Awards & Fellowships

  • Germanistic Society of America Fellowship, 2024 — Berlin, Germany
  • Fulbright Fellowship, 2024 — Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine
  • McKnight Fellowship, 2023 — Florida Education Fund
  • Academic Leadership Award, 2023 — Florida State University
  • Bryan Robinson Endowment Award, 2022 — Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare
  • Neuroscience Scholars Associate, 2020 — Society for Neuroscience

Publications

  • Delva NC*, Graham DL*, Stanwood GD. (in prep.) Loss of Dopamine D1 Receptors from Nkx2.1-Derived GABAergic Neurons Alters Mood-Related Phenotypes.
  • Abboodi F, Delva NC, et al. Human Papillomavirus-Mediated Carcinogenesis and Tumor Progression. Genome Instab. Dis., 2021.
  • Tafreshi NK, Kil H, Pandya DN, Tichacek CJ, Doligalski ML, Budzevich MM, Delva NC, et al. Lipophilicity Determines Routes of Uptake and Clearance, and Toxicity of an Alpha-Particle-Emitting Peptide Receptor Radiotherapy. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci., 2020.
  • Tafreshi NK, Tichacek CJ, Pandya DN, Doligalski ML, Budzevich MM, Kil H, Bhatt NB, Kock ND, Messina JL, Ruiz EE, Delva NC, et al. Melanocortin 1 Receptor-Targeted α-Particle Therapy. J Nucl Med., 2019.

Teaching Experience

Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
Adjunct Professor · 2017 – 2018

Courses: Biological Foundations (Lecture & Lab).

University of South Carolina
Teaching Assistant · 2014 – 2015

Courses: Biology Lab, Ecology Lab.

Leadership Roles

  • Chair, Mentorship for Success Program — Biomedical Sciences Graduate Student Association (2021 – 2024)
  • Deputy Speaker, Judicial Affairs — Congress of Graduate Students (2021 – 2024)
  • Student Advocate — Congress of Graduate Students (2021 – 2024)
  • Diversity Representative — Council of Diversity and Inclusion (2020 – 2024)

Presentations

  • Delva NC, Graham DL, Stanwood GD. (2022, 2023) Loss of Dopamine D1 Receptors in Nkx2.1+ Interneurons Alters Mood-Related Behavior. Poster, College of Medicine.
  • Delva NC. (2022) Regulation of Mood by Dopamine D1 Receptors. Mini-Talk, DNTS.
  • Delva NC. (2019) Tp53 and H-Ras Influence in Head and Neck Cancer. McKnight Conference.

Technical Skills

Molecular Biology: RNAscope, qPCR, ELISA, cDNA synthesis, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, DNA/RNA/protein extraction and quantification, cloning and genotyping.

Imaging: Confocal microscopy, Keyence imaging, cellular phenotyping.

Behavioral Studies: Restraint stress, forced swim test, novel induced hyperphagia, locomotor, light/dark test.

Data Analysis: Statistical analysis (R, GraphPad), Python, SQL, machine learning, manuscript preparation and submission.

Research & Development: Experimental design, hypothesis testing, collaborative research across cross-functional teams.

Leadership: Team leadership, project management, communicating complex science to diverse audiences.

Languages

  • English (advanced) · French (proficient) · Haitian Creole (advanced) · German (basic)

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