James Elia

James is a doctoral candidate in the lab of Dr. Ranjit Bindra. He is Chief Graduate Student for the Pathology and Molecular Medicine PhD program. James also serves on the Pathology DICE committee. His research focuses on the development of novel DNA-damaging agents to target tumor-specific DNA repair deficiencies.

James received his BS in Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Commonwealth Honors College with a minor in chemistry. He researched the use of nanomaterials for the cytosolic delivery of biologics under the mentorship of Dr. Vincent Rotello in the UMass Chemistry Department. He competed nationally on the UMass Powerlifting team.

James is the executive director of Education Equity Mentorship Company, a non-profit dedicated to bringing high-quality, free college preparation and tutoring to disadvantaged students. In his free time, he enjoys competing in judo, reading books, and playing video games