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      Andrew D. Stephens - PI - Assistant Professor Biology Department

      Postdoc. Northwestern University 2013-2019

      Ph. D. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 2013

      B.S. University of Missouri - Kansas City 2006 

 

 Yasmin Berrada

 Laboratory Technician, B.S. Biology UMass Amherst 2022, Pre-med

Yasmin is currently investigating the differences between DNA vs histone methylation in relation to nuclear morphology, compartmentalization, and function. 

 

  Mai Pho

Undergraduate Researcher, Biology, Pre-med track

  Mai is currently a leading author investigating the nuclear rupture dynamics mechanisms and consequences for different nuclear perturbations (chromatin vs lamins) and actin contraction vs compression.

 

Nebiyat Eskndir

 Undergraduate Researcher, Class 2023 Biology minor in African American studies

 Nebiyat is currently investigating how nuclear mechanics, shape, rupture, and DNA damage are related in health and disease.

 

 Manseeb Hosssain

 Undergraduate Researcher, Class 2024 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pre-med track

 Manseeb is currently investigating how nuclear mechanics, shape, rupture, and DNA damage are related in health and disease.

 

 Katie Huang

 Undergraduate Researcher, Class 2024 Biology, Pre-dental track

 Katie is currently using micromanipulation force measurements to determine how chromatin and lamins contribute to nuclear mechanical strength relevant to nuclear function and human disease.

 

 Anish Shah

 Undergraduate Researcher, Class 2024 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pre-dental track

 Anish is currently using micromanipulation force measurements to determine how chromatin and lamins contribute to nuclear mechanical strength relevant to nuclear function and human disease.

 

 Samantha Bunner

 Undergraduate Researcher, Class 2024 Biology

Sam is currently investigating how nuclear mechanics, shape, rupture, and DNA damage are related in health and disease.

 

 

 Gianna Manning

 Undergraduate Researcher, Class 2025 Biology with a minor in psychology and is on the pre-med track

Gianna is currently investigating how different alterations in constitutive heterochromatin effect nuclear mechanics, shape, rupture, and DNA damage.

 

Alumni

From UMass Amherst

Aachal Gunda - Aachal is a middle author on our study of how actin contraction effects nuclear shape and compartmentalization. Aachal is currently ...

Marilena Currey - One first author paper and middle author on multiple ongoing projects. Mari built the third version of the micromanipulation microscope and got it running in our lab. She was the first person to join the lab and her legacy lives on through all the people she trained in lab. Marilena is currently at Tufts University pursuing dentistry. 

Anya Lavallee - Anya is a middle author on our study of how actin contraction effects nuclear shape and compartmentalization. Anya is currently ...

Katherine Chiu - One middle author paper currently but was a major contributor to many projects during the start of the lab. Katherine single-handedly kept the lab running through the pandemic, an epic accomplishment. Katherine now works at Abbvie.

Varun Kandula - worked as a secondary researcher remotely writing code to analyze nuclear shape, currently an undergraduate at UC - Berkley.

Arimita Padam -  investigated the nuclear rupture dynamics mechanisms and consequences for different nuclear perturbations.

Undergraduates mentored as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University

Jimena Collado - Jimena is currently lead author analyzing the dynamics of nuclear blebbing and rupture. Jimena is currently Northwestern University Fineberg School of Medicine class 2026.

Cameron Herman - Cameron is a middle author on multiple papers from postdoc days and into the start of the lab. 

Viswajit (Vis) Kandula - one middle author paper and built the Micromanipulation Microscope 1.5, currently still a consultant on software for the lab and in medical school at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Patrick Z. Liu - co-first author and two middle author papers as an undergraduate and research technician,  currently a Marshall Fellow doing a Ph.D. at Oxford in Neurobiology

Undergraduates mentored as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Laura Fulbright - currently Research Assistant II at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Raymond A. Haggerty – middle author on three papers as an undergraduate researcher, currently a graduate student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chloe E. Snider – first author on one paper and middle author on four papers as an undergraduate researcher, currently a PostDoc at UPenn

Binny Chang M.D. - second author on one paper as an undergraduate researcher, currently at the University of South Dakota Internal Medicine Residency. M.D. from St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada