TUII Team Member
Rani Brooks
COLOWICK INNOVATION POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Biography
Rani Brooks, an Innovation Fellow at the Tulane Innovation Institute (TUII), embarked on his scientific journey at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) through the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) for high school students. Hailing from Virginia, Rani earned a BSc in Biological Sciences with a Microbiology concentration at Cornell University. Following his academic pursuits, Rani served as the Biochemistry Lead at Zymtronix Catalytic Systems, a Cornell spinout. There, he contributed to the development of magnetic immobilized enzymes aimed at reducing the production costs of high-value small molecules.
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Rani joined Tulane's interdisciplinary BioInnovation PhD Program as a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Fellow. His objective was to develop a translatable technology for creating personalized medicines to address antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections. Supported by PhD advisors Lisa Morici, PhD (Microbiology/Immunology, Tulane School of Medicine) and Nich Sandoval PhD (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane School of Science and Engineering), Rani secured funding for his high-risk/high-reward research, winning a Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Discovery Award from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP).
Throughout his journey, Rani explored the startup potential of his research through programs such as the Venturewell Foundation’s PIONEER and PROPEL programs, as well as the inaugural ASCEND MedTech Accelerator. Locally, he clinched the Grand Prize at Tulane’s Novel Tech Challenge (NTC) pitch competition in 2021. Upon completing his PhD in 2023, Rani joined TUII with the vision of advancing his personalized medicine research to market through his venture, BioPhoundry, LLC. BioPhoundry is dedicated to curing AMR infections by developing precision antibiotics on-demand.
