About Me

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep,  and Allergy Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago
• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Dissertation: Molecular Modeling of Endogenous and Exogenous Toxins at Phospholipid Interfaces
• M.S., Chemical Engineering, Iowa State University, Thesis: Luminescent water-soluble quantum dots: Improved stability through surface functionalization
• B.A., Engineering Science - Chemistry Emphasis, Dordt University (formerly Dordt College)

EXPERIENCE AND INTERESTS

Dr. Ayee has experience in both academia and industry. Her research interests include combining computational and experimental techniques to reveal the role of small molecules in pathogenesis. These techniques aid in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of small molecules on membrane biomechanics and their subsequent modulation of cell biophysical properties. As an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Ayee used both computational and experimental methods (e.g. atomic force microscopy - AFM) to investigate the modulation of cellular and tissue biomechanics by oxidized lipids and sterols under hypercholesterolemic conditions. Prior to that, Dr. Ayee earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in computational biomolecular modeling and interfacial phenomena, with applications involving the roles played by toxins in modulating the properties of lipid layers.

PUBLICATIONS

• Membrane Stiffening in Osmotic Swelling: Analysis of Membrane Tension and Elastic Modulus. Academic Press, 2018
• Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Kir2. 2 Interactions with an Ensemble of Cholesterol Molecules. Biophysical Journal, 2018
• Hypotonic Challenge of Endothelial Cells Increases Membrane Stiffness with No Effect on Tether Force, Biophysical Journal, 2018
• oxLDL induces endothelial cell proliferation via Rho/ROCK/Akt/p27kip1 signaling: opposite effects of oxLDL and cholesterol loading, American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology, 2017
• Molecular-Scale Biophysical Modulation of an Endothelial Membrane by Oxidized Phospholipids, Biophysical Journal, 2017
• Differential effects of sterols on ion channels: Stereospecific Binding vs Stereospecific Response, Current Topics in Membranes, 2017
• The emerging threat of superwarfarins: history, detection, mechanisms, and countermeasures, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2016
• Paradoxical impact of cholesterol on lipid packing and cell stiffness, Frontiers in Bioscience, Landmark Edition, 2016
• Structural perturbation of a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer by warfarin and its bolaamphiphilic analogue: A molecular dynamics study, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2016