Leadership

Lindsey is a third-year graduate student in the Cancer Biology program. Her research in Dr. Priyanka Verma’s lab focuses on a new synthetic lethal target for the treatment of BRCA-mutant breast and ovarian cancers. Outside of the lab, she enjoys attending Cardinals baseball games, hiking, reading, and trying new restaurants in St. Louis.

My name is Noor Bibi. I am a second-year graduate student in Dr. Eric Landsness’s lab. The lab focuses on understanding sleep and using sleep as therapeutic measure for stroke recovery.

Ariya is a fourth-year graduate student in the Human and Statistical Genetics program. Her research in Dr. Laura Bierut’s lab explores the intricate relationships between genetic predispositions to Alzheimer’s disease and various substance use behaviors, seeking insights into their collective impact on brain health. Outside of work, she enjoys team sports, movie nights with friends, and engaging in the playful (and perhaps slightly one-sided) art of annoying her cat, Cenizo.

Cynthia is a 5^th year PhD student in the Neuroscience program. Her thesis research, in Dr. Erik Musiek’s lab, focuses on how circadian disruption affects Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease pathology. Outside of lab, she enjoys cooking, video-gaming and hanging out with friends (and their cats!).

Evelyn is a fifth-year graduate student in the Molecular Genetics & Genomics program. Her research in Dr. Brian Clark’s lab focuses on epigenetic regulation of temporal cell fate specification in the developing vertebrate retina. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking, gardening, playing board games, and watching trashy TV.

Aidan is a fourth-year graduate student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program. He studies the evolution of intrinsically disordered protein regions in the lab of Alex Holehouse. Aidan likes to garden, cook Cajun food, jog, and play ultimate frisbee!

Emily is a third-year Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology (BBSB) PhD candidate in the Niemi lab. She studies how a mitochondrial protein phosphatase PPTC7 regulates protein homeostasis in cells. Outside the lab Emily enjoys hiking, biking, reading, and playing the cello. She is a general member of SAC and is looking forward to helping all the committees this year.

Alice is a third-year PhD student in the Molecular Genetics & Genomics program. In Dr. David DeNardo’s lab, her research focuses on understanding the tumor immune microenvironment in metastatic pancreatic cancer. Outside the lab, she enjoys running, reading, and exploring new hiking trails.

Sam is a second-year graduate student in the Computational and Systems Biology program. His research in the lab of Dr. Tony Tsai investigates the kinematics and mechanics of neural tube morphogenesis in zebrafish. Outside of work, he enjoys playing badminton and volleyball, watching shows, and learning piano.

Tessa is a Molecular Cell Biology Ph.D. Candidate studying the impact of prolonged receptor-mediated mitophagy on striated muscle physiology, function, and metabolism in the lab of Dr. Natalie Niemi. Outside of the lab, Tessa likes to explore local coffee shops, attend concerts, cook and bake (especially for her lab mates!). As the finance chair for the second consecutive year, she is excited to stretch the money we have in SAC to have many events across all of our committees! Tessa is interested in pursuing an IRACDA-postdoc after her PhD and becoming a PI at a predominantly undergraduate institution (PUI).

Justin Lopez-Roque is a 2^nd year in the DBBS Neuroscience program. His research in the lab of Dr. Adam Kepecs translates mouse tasks into human tasks for the purpose of testing behavioral motivation sensitivity and anhedonia symptoms. In his free time, he enjoys programming, cooking, play with his cat Oscar Wilde.

Emily is a second-year Developmental, Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology student in the lab of Dr. Amber Stratman. She studies how mechanical forces and signaling affect vascular development and disease, utilizing zebrafish and human cells. In her free time, she enjoys trying out new foods and events in STL, playing racket sports, board games, and cooking (which is basically an excuse to eat more new foods).

Bella is a MSTP student in the Molecular Cell Biology Department. In the lab of Jing Hughes, she works on a project studying how primary cilia regulate hormone signaling in pancreatic islet cells. Outside of lab, Bella likes to explore Saint Louis, garden, and cook and bake! This is Bella’s third year as a general committee member and she is looking forward to helping plan events with the committees this year.

Aishwarya is a second-year Neuroscience graduate student. Her work in Dr. Timothy Miller’s lab focusses on the development of antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. Painting, dancing, having board-game nights with her friends, and her morning-walks in Forest Park are some of her favorite things to do outside of work.

Van is a second-year Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology student in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey P. Henderson. She studies the intracellular siderophores – ferric ion-binding metabolites – in Uropathogenic E. coli. In her free time, she likes to watch TV series and movies.

Pratheek is a fourth-year graduate student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences Program. He is working on understanding “What differentiates self from non-self-genomic elements” using Arabidopsis as a model in the laboratory of Dr. Keith Slotkin. Pratheek likes to play chess, read philosophy and hike during time outside the lab!

Ed is a 3^rd year-PhD student in the Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology program. He conducts his research in Dr. Jeffrey Millman’s lab, where he focuses on optimizing protocols to produce a more efficient and abundant supply of insulin-producing cells for diabetes therapies. Outside the lab, Ed enjoys staying active with running, hitting the gym, and playing volleyball. When he’s not on the move, he’s listening to symphonies or watching anime. His dog, Gene, the perfect sidekick for a geneticist, is always by his side.

Elizabeth is a third-year student in the Human and Statistical Genetics Program. Originally from Mexico City, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Genomics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Using a combination of experimental and bioinformatic techniques, Elizabeth is studying the roles of long non-coding RNAs in cancer in the lab of Dr. Jessica Silva-Fisher. During her free time, she enjoys reading, doing and teaching pilates, playing the guitar, singing, and exploring St. Louis with her friends.

Doris is a 3^rd year grad student in the Molecular Genetics & Genomics program. Her research in the lab of Dr. Andrew Yoo investigates the chromatin changes in human neuronal aging using direct reprogramming. In her free time, she enjoys reading, taking care of her plants, and squishing her cat Hilo.

Connie is a 2^nd year MGG student in the lab of Dr. Drew Schwartz studying infections in people who inject drugs. She enjoys climbing and running in her free time.

Richard Yin is a third-year graduate student in the Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell biology program. He is a member of Dr. Thorold Theunissen’s Lab, studying the signalling and genetic logic behind human naïve pluripotency. In his spare time, he likes to cook, travel, learn random history, play games, and play sports.

Mini is a 4th-year student in the Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology program. She is conducting her thesis research in Dr. Andrew Yoo’s lab on the grammar logic of miRNA targeting in direct neuronal reprogramming of glioblastoma. Outside of lab, if mentally and physically able: Mini is on the climbing wall; else: Mini is a couch potato watching anime/passing out with her cat Nico.