Jonathan Ross Folmar works in the Ramanadham Lab in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center.University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate student Jonathan Ross Folmar has been appointed as a trainee to a National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) training program to investigate the role of lipid signaling in Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
The NIGMS T32 Training Program in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (CMDB) is designed to develop research skills and provide interdisciplinary training in fundamental cellular, molecular and developmental biology. Folmar’s appointment is funded through Heersink School of Medicine institutional committed funds supporting the training program.
Folmar is entering his second year in the Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Theme within the UAB Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) program and is mentored by Sasanka Ramanadham, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology and senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center.
Ramanadham’s laboratory studies lipid signaling pathways and explores novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or delay the onset of T1D.
Folmar’s project will explore inflammatory lipid signaling, specifically examining soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibition and macrophage polarization in T1D.
“The appointment gives me the time and support to really focus on this research, which I’m grateful for, especially this early in my training,” Folmar said. “Also, it’s rewarding to be working on a question that could matter for people with T1D.”
In addition to research support, the CMDB program provides opportunities for trainees to participate in monthly research presentations, workshops highlighting emerging technologies, and training in the responsible conduct of research.
A native of Andalusia, Alabama, Folmar earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology and a master’s degree in biology from The University of Alabama. He joined the Ramanadham Laboratory in February 2026.