Veronica Behrens

Doctoral Student, Kingsley Lab

Undergraduate:  Harvard University

Graduate research:  Investigating the role of 3D chromatin rearrangement in human evolution.  They know that disrupting a topologically associated domain boundary can cause human disease (a phenomenon known as TADopathy).  She is investigating whether disrupting or creating a TAD boundary can also be beneficial to humans (a phenomenon she call TADaptation).

Ellen Bouchard

Doctoral Student, Talbot Lab

Undergraduate:  University of Virginia

Graduate research:  Ellen works in the Talbot lab which combines genetics with cellular and molecular biology to study the development and function of glial cells in the zebrafish embryo.  Her research focuses on the process by which oligodendrocytes myelinate the vertebrate brain, specifically by using genetics to investigate the connection between CNS myelination and environmental cues.

Trisha Chong

Doctoral Student, Shapiro Lab

Undergraduate:  Claremont McKenna College

Graduate research:   Asymmetric cell division is necessary for the formation of all complex life forms.  The bacteria Caulobacter crescentus gives rise to a swarmer cell and a stalk cell with each cell division, making it one of the simplest asymmetrically dividing organisms.  Tricia's research investigates the coordinated mechanisms by which a key signaling enzyme is differentially localized in space and time during the Caulobacter cell cycle. 

Alex Colville

Doctoral Student, Rando Lab

Undergraduate:  Northeastern University

Graduate research:  Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging and several age-related diseases. Alex is creating new methods of high-throughput screening to identify targets for therapies to selectively clear senescent cells and modify diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Rebecca Culver

Doctoral Student, Huang Lab

Undergraduate:  Duke University

Graduate research:  Bifidobacteria are dominant colonizers of the infant gut, though the genetics of this genera remain largely unknown. Rebecca  conducts transposon mutagenesis to create random, barcodes libraries of species in this genera.  She use these libraries to study the mechanism of secretion of health-relevant compounds, including folate.

Laura Donohue

Doctoral Student, Khavari Lab

Undergraduate:  University of Wisconsin-Madison

Graduate research:  Epithelial tissues line the outer surfaces of organs and blood vessels, the inner surface cavities of many internal organs, and make up all glands. Cis-regulatory elements called enhancers, known noncoding genomic sites of genetic variation, play a central role in modulating the expression of critical epithelial genes required for epithelial function. Lauren aims to identify functional epithelial enhancers across an array of primary human epithelial cell types and to assess how disease-associated single base pair changes within these essential enhancers impacts target gene expression.

Kelsey Fryer

Doctoral Student, Straight Lab

Undergraduate:  Cornell University

Graduate research:  Kelsey is studying how a the specialized region of chromosomes, known as the centromere, ensures proper segregation of DNA during cell division. She primarily studies centromere function and maintenance in the model system Xenopus laevis. Using a combination of biochemical assays and new sequencing technologies she hopes to further our understanding of the epigenetic and genetic factors that influence centromere formation and function. 

Alex Han

Doctoral Student, Parham Lab

Undergraduate: Cornell University

Alex’s research is focused on the evolutionary history and diversity of HLA system in humans and MHC in nonhuman primates. He received his Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Biological Science and Statistical Sciences from Cornell University, where he studied population genetics with Dr. Charles Aquadro. At Cornell, his work with Drosophila and their bacterial symbiont Wolbachia developed his interest in host-pathogen coevolution. He is currently a graduate student working towards a PhD in Genetics. He is jointly advised by both Dr. Peter Parham and Dr. Carlos Bustamante.

Kathryn Hanson

Doctoral Student, Attardi Lab

Undergraduate:  Carnegie Mellon University

Graduate research:  Kathryn joined the Attardi lab to study the role of tumor suppressor protein p53 in pancreatic cancer. Through using mouse models of pancreatic cancer, she aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of p53 most important for tumor suppression in pancreatic cancer.

Devon Harris

Doctoral Student, Fuller Lab

Undergraduate:  Davidson College

Graduate research:  Devon is investigating the role of RNA binding proteins at the transition between mitotic divisions and meiosis in Drosophila male germ cell differentiation. 

Makena Pule

Doctoral Student, Kirkegarrd Lab

Undergraduate: Stanford University

Graduate research:  Makena is studying lncRNA regulation of the immune system. In particular, she is interested in the lncRNA IFNG-AS1 (NEST), the differential expression of which is associated with a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. 

Subheksha KC

Doctoral Student , Bassik Lab   

Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley 

Graduate research: Subheksha is leveraging high-throughput functional genomics to study the role of macrophage activation in cancer. 

Greg "Adam" Reeves

Doctoral Student, Brunet Lab

Undergraduate:  University of Kansas

Graduate research:  Adam has focused on leveraging the unique developmental stages of the African turquoise killifish to uncover new molecular mechanisms that support stress resistance and tissue homeostasis. This highly-stable "suspended-animation" developmental state, termed diapause, is juxtaposed to the killifish's incredibly truncated lifespan, meaning the fish is an excellent model for both extremophile phenotypes of morbidity resistance and sensitivity. Adam specifically is interrogating how changes in gene regulation and genome structure contribute to both phenotypes of the killifish and the interplay between said phenotypes.

Hannah Rosenblatt

Doctoral Student, Barna Lab

Undergraduate: University of California, San Diego

Graduate research:  Hannah is studying early cellular and biochemical responses to wounding in the regenerative axolotl limb. She is interested in how cells in regenerative species initially sense and respond to acute injury. Her work uses a combination of live imaging and biochemical techniques to determine the post-transcriptional mechanisms involved in initiating regenerative processes.

Sarah Stern

Doctoral Student, Fuller Lab

Undergraduate:   MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Graduate research:   Adult stem cells divide asymmetrically, producing progeny that go on to differentiate and perform specialized functions. The Fuller lab seeks to understand how this differentiation process is regulated in the Drosophila male germ line. Sarah is interested in exploring both the origins and the signaling that occurs upstream of the spermatocyte-specific transcriptional program employed during spermatogenesis in flies.

Miriam Sun

Doctoral Student, Sun Lab

Undergraduate:  California Institute of Technology

Graduate research:  Miriam is studying dynamic cell behaviors in the adult Drosophila midgut, to better understand how organs respond to changing environmental inputs. 

Kelly Tomins

Doctoral Student, Oro Lab

Undergraduate:  Duke University

Graduate research:  Kelly  is interested in identifying epigenetics links between maternal nutrition and birth defects. In particular, she is investigating the epigenetic state of the developing human genome most sensitive to folic acid levels. She is interested in how inappropriate DNA methylation at certain genomic sites leads to abnormal gene expression resulting in cleft lip disorders and neural tube defects.

Kristen Wells

Doctoral Student, Steinmetz Lab

Undergraduate:  Colorado College

Graduate research:  Kristen has focused on using single cell sequencing to study medullary thymic epithelial cells, a population of cells in the thymus that are instrumental for deleting auto-reactive T cells. She combines experiential and computational techniques to characterize the developmental trajectory of these cells

Wendy Wenderski

Doctoral Student, Crabtree Lab

Undergraduate:  University of California, Santa Barbara

Graduate research:  Wendy is conducting her thesis research on chromatin mechanisms of gene regulation in the developing nervous system, and how these go awry in autism spectrum disorder.   Wendy has shown that the loss of a neuronal-specific subunit of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex is sufficient to cause recessive autism in humans as well as social deficits and repetitive behaviors in mice. She is currently working to identify the molecular and cellular functions of BAF that are directly responsible for autistic behaviors.

Ali Wilkening

Doctoral Student, Sanulli Lab

Undergraduate:   Washington University in St. Louis

Graduate research: Ali is broadly interested in uncovering the mechanisms of developmental and adaptive gene regulation. She is currently characterizing the role nucleosome conformational change plays in these processes.

Yiu-Cheung (Eric) Wong

Undergraduate: University of California, San Diego

Graduate research:  Yiu-Cheung is studying germ cell differentiation and adult stem cell regulation.

Julia Wucherpfennig

Doctoral Student, Kingsley Lab

Undergraduate:  Wellesley College

Graduate research:  Julia studies the evolutionary genetics of gained traits in various fish species.  Specifically, she works the evolution of dorsal spine number in stickleback fish and is investigating the role that a Hox cluster plays in spine number variation within and between species.  She is also interested in the development and genetics of the leg like appendages that sea robins have developed from pectoral fin rays.

John Vaughen

Doctoral Student, Clandinin Lab

Undergraduate:  University of Chicago

Graduate research:  John studies a conserved lysosomal hydrolase, glucocerebrosidase (GBA), which plays a key role in maintaining neuron health. In humans, GBA homozygotes and heterozygotes are strongly, but not universally, predisposed to Parkinson’s disease, while homozygotes invariably develop Gaucher, a lysosomal storage disorder. This dominant but incomplete penetrance suggests that GBA acts within a complex genetic network which John is currently exploring via an unbiased genetic screen in Drosophila for GBA-modifying genes and pathways.

Sherry Zheng

Doctoral Student, Loh Lab

Undergraduate:   University of California, San Diego

Graduate research:  Sherry is using stem cell and mouse models to study embryonic pattern formation. Specifically, she is studying how vascular-derived signals influence the developmental patterning of various organs.