Contact
Lab
MR5 Room 2213/2207
PO Box 800759
Charlottesville, VA 22908

Alexander Clark, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow in Biomedical Engineering
Contact
Lab
MR5 Room 2213/2207
PO Box 800759
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Google Scholar Saucerman Lab

About

As a member of Jeff Saucerman’s Cardiac Systems Biology Group, Alex uses multiomics-informed computational modeling, stem cell derived cardiomyocytes, and high-content imaging and electrophysiological techniques to study mechanisms that contribute to establishing and maintaining cardiomyocyte identity. His goal is to use these insights to understand genetic and epigenetic causes of congenital heart defects and cardiac arrhythmias, and design therapies to prevent these conditions.

As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia, Alex has been awarded a cardiovascular training grant fellowship (2023-2025), NIH F32 postdoctoral fellowship, American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship, and UVA Coulter Center grant to study gene regulatory networks and drugs that drive cardiomyocyte development.

Alex received his Ph.D from Dr. David Christini’s lab at Cornell University. Alex was an NIH F31 predoctoral fellow and used computational modeling and stem cell derived cardiomyocytes to study mechanisms of drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias. Before starting his Ph.D., Alex earned a Masters of Education and taught middle school science in The Bronx, New York.

Education

PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, 2023

MA in Secondary Education, Relay Graduate School of Education, 2016

BSc in Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 2014

Research Interests

Systems Biology
Cardiac Development
Stem Cells
Cardiac Electrophysiology

Selected Publications

Single-cell ionic current phenotyping elucidates noncanonical features and predictive potential of cardiomyocytes during automated drug experiments. J Physiol. 2024 May 15. Clark AP, Wei S, Krogh-Madsen T, Christini DJ.
Single-cell ionic current phenotyping explains stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte action potential morphology. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024 May 1;326(5):H1146-H1154. Clark AP, Wei S, Fullerton K, Krogh-Madsen T, Christini DJ.
Optimization of a cardiomyocyte model illuminates role of increased INa,L in repolarization reserve. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024 Feb 1;326(2):H334-H345. Fullerton KE, Clark AP, Krogh-Madsen T, Christini DJ.
Leak current, even with gigaohm seals, can cause misinterpretation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte action potential recordings. Europace. 2023 Aug 2;25(9):euad243. Clark AP, Clerx M, Wei S, Lei CL, de Boer TP, Mirams GR, Christini DJ, Krogh-Madsen T.
An in silico-in vitro pipeline for drug cardiotoxicity screening identifies ionic pro-arrhythmia mechanisms. Br J Pharmacol. 2022 Oct;179(20):4829-4843. Clark AP, Wei S, Kalola D, Krogh-Madsen T, Christini DJ.
Comparison of quantitative wall-motion analysis and strain for detection of coronary stenosis with three-dimensional dobutamine stress echocardiography. Echocardiography. 2015 Feb;32(2):349-60. Parker KM, Clark AP, Goodman NC, Glover DK, Holmes JW.

Awards

American Heart Association Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2025–2027)
National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular Training Grant Postdoctoral Fellow (2023–2025)
Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research Postdoctoral Scholar Grant (2024–2025)
National Institutes of Health F31 Predoctoral Fellow (2020–2023)

Featured Grants & Projects

Walalce H. Coulter Center for Translational Research Postdoctoral Scholars Grant Systems identification of dietary supplements to prevent congenital heart defects