Department of Biology
There are currently 24 graduate students in the laboratories of the Department of Biology.
Mary Adedoyin graduated in 2003 from the University College London in the UK. Her BSc degree is in Pharmacology and Physiology. For her research there, Mary worked on the effects of Gabapentin on neuropathic pain following ablation of lamina 1 neurons using in vivo electrophysiology methods. After graduation she worked as an in vivo neuropharmacology research associate at Dynogen Pharmaceuticals in North Carolina where she conducted research involving cystometry experiments on animal models to investigate the effect of drugs on the bladder in an effort to identify therapies for overactive bladder syndromes. Her main interest is focused on better understanding of the mechanism of chronic pain and its modulation to help develop more efficacious therapeutic drugs with reduced side effects.
She joined Georgetown interdisciplinary program in neuroscience (IPN) program in 2005 because of the parallels of her research interests and those of the scientists in the department. In 2006 for her thesis research she joined Dr Joseph Neale’s lab in 2006 whose lab focuses on understanding the neurobiology of N-acetylaspartate glutamate (NAAG) and NAAG peptidase function in neuronal function. The focus of Mary’s thesis dissertation is to investigate the role of NAAG in the brain following inflammatory pain using in vitro electrophysiology techniques.
Mary’s other interests involves contributing to her local community by helping to raise funds towards a scholarship for minority students, teaching a group of first graders on weekends, volunteering as a pharmacy assistant at free clinic pharmacies. She also enjoys taking long walks as a personal hobby.
Anna received her BS in Animal Science from Purdue University in December 2003 and her MS in Genetics from Iowa State University in August 2006. Anna's Master's research involved analysis of differential gene expression in the bone marrow of broiler and layer chickens as a means of investigating bone mineral density differences and osteoporosis in layers. After completing her MS, Anna worked as a Research Associate at Texas A&M University for a laboratory which focused on Monodelphis domestica (grey short-tailed opossum) genetics.
Anna joined Dr. Chris Elsik's lab in January 2008 as a PhD candidate with interests in bioinformatics and computational biology. She is investigating alternative splicing and gene prediction.
Away from school, Anna enjoys baking, homebrewing, traveling, gardening and worksharing at a local organic farm.
After graduating from Williams College in 2004, Meredith worked for a few years at the NIMH before starting graduate school at Georgetown in 2006. She is in her third year in the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience and is working on her thesis research in Dr. Maria Donoghue's lab which has its focus on the development of the brain. The goal of her project is to understand the role of intercellular signaling molecules in the process of neuronal maturation in the developing cortex. Outside of the lab Meredith likes to participate in triathlons and road races.
Aaron came to Georgetown in 2006 from Grove City College where he received his B.S. in Biology and Education with a minor in History. He works with Edward Barrows on pollinator mediated floral-display evolution in Milkweed plants, and the pollination biology of several locally endangered plants. Aaron has received grants from the Washington Biologists’ Field Club (WBFC), Sigma Xi Grant in Aid, and Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, VA.
In his free time he enjoys playing tennis, basketball, the guitar, guitar hero (or rock band), pina coladas and long walks in the rain.
Alex received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College. Before Georgetown, he spent two years at the NIA/NIH in Baltimore as a Post-Bacc IRTA. While there he received a reward for a poster session that he did. Alex has joined the Dr. Steven Singer laboratory and will be studying the host response to Giardia infection.
His outside interests include playing the guitar and long walks on the beach.
wa is from the UK, with well defined Polish roots. She has her BSc in Zoology/Marine Zoology and an MSc in Marine Mammal Science from the University of Wales, Bangor. She has a strong background in cetacean research and has worked in many field sites.
In January of 2006, Ewa started working as a Research Associate and Database Manager for Prof. Janet Mann and the Dolphins of Monkey Mia Research Foundation, where her responsibilities included creating and organizing a new database, incorporating old data into the new database, photo-identification of Shark Bay dolphins, maintaining the organizations website, collection of survey data in Shark Bay and much much more!!
She has recently become a graduate student in Prof. Mann's laboratory. She is primarily interested in techniques for aging animals and the physiology and behavior of cetaceans in their juvenile period, with specific emphasis on endocrinology.
Haibei is from Fudan University, in the People's Republic of China. He joined the department of Biology in August 2003. Most of the time, he is in the laboratory of Dr. Heidi Elmendorf investigating the cellular and biochemistry of Giardia lamblia. He is currently focusing on investigations of cytosolic and cytoskeletal proteins necessary for attachment of Giardia lamblia to solid structures such as slides and cells.
Outside of the laboratory work, Haibei enjoys reading.
Heather joined Dr. Martha Weiss’ lab in the summer of 2005. Her research is cross discipline, utilizing both neurobiological techniques and behavior to better understand the learning ability and foraging behaviors of insects. She examines how an animal’s experiences, practically early in life, shape the brain and behavior of the adult animal, using crickets as a model organism. She also studies the foraging behavior of praying mantids, with a focus on their use of olfaction.
Heather graduated from The University of Arizona in May 2002 with a Bachelors of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduation she spent several years as a research technician at the U of A. She studied, among other projects, host plant choice in pipevine swallowtail butterflies with Dr. Dan Papaj, and developmental neurobiology with Dr. Lynne Oland in Dr. Leslie Tolbert’s lab.
As an Arizona native Heather misses the desert and plans to return to the west eventually, but has come to love the seasons and beauty of the DC area. In her free time she cooks, plays with her boys (two mutts), knits, and tries to enjoy all the great things DC has to offer.
Deblyn entered the program in 2005 and she has joined the laboratory of Prof. Edward Barrows. She is interested in beetles - their ecology and evolutionary history.
Hilary has joined the Department of Biology through the IPN program (Interdisciplinary Program in Neurosciences) and is working in the laboratory of Prof. Maria Donoghue. She is interested in the development of the cortex.
Deborah Ladner O’Donnell became a student at Georgetown University in 2005. She graduated summa cum laude from Emory University with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies and earned a Masters of Science in Entomology from the University of Maryland. Ever since she received her first bug bottle as a preschooler, Debbie has been fascinated by insect ecology. Her current research focuses on factors that affect the ability of mosquito populations to transmit pathogens.
She was awarded a Cosmos Grant in 2007 and a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant in 2008 in support of her research. When she’s not rearing mosquitoes, Debbie loves to travel to new places, brush up on her painting skills or get lost in a captivating novel.
Eric joined the Department of Biology in the fall of 2007 to study the behavior of wild bottlenose dolphins under the direction of Prof. Janet Mann. Eric received his Bachelors degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. As a PhD student in Janet Mann's laboratory he will be exploring the social transmission of foraging behaviors.
In addition, he is currently working on the development of a new blow sampling technique to assess wild cetacean diets using fatty acid signature analysis. In his first year at Georgetown, Eric received the Animal Behavior Society Cetacean Behavior and Conservation Award and the American Society of Mammologists Grant in Aid of Research. In 2009, Eric received an Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Fellowship.
Outside of school, Eric has organized and participated in several intramural sports with the department’s team Tenacious DNA including flag football, softball, and volleyball. He also plays for the University of Colorado’s flag football team in Capitol Alumni Network league. Eric enjoys reading, cooking, photography, running, camping, and hiking with his 4 year old yellow lab, Belle.
Banu is a PhD student working under supervision of Dr. Elena Casey. Her studies involve understanding the roles of protein degradation in nervous system development. She was born and raised in Turkey where she got her Bachelor’s of Science degree in both Biology and Biology Education at Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Banu came to Georgetown University after earning a Master’s of Science degree in plant molecular biology at University of Maryland, College Park.
She enjoys going to new places and taking pictures. The "Copper Man" picture representing her here is taken in Quebec City, Canada.
Libing is from Shanghai, China. He graduated from Fudan University in 2006 and then came to United States to pursue a Ph.D. degree in biology. Now he is in Professor Chris Elsik’s lab. The research of the laboratory mainly focuses on bioinformatics and genomics.
His personal research interests are molecular evolution and evolution of development (evo-devo). Reading is his biggest hobby, especially history and culture.
Originally from Iran, Shahram joined the Department of Biology in January of 2008. Shahram holds a Bachelors degree in Veterinary Medicine, and a Masters in Medical Parasitology from the School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Before joining the Department of Biology, he worked as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville. His work there focused on signal transduction mechanisms in the human pathogen Entamoeba histolytica. He also developed enhanced molecular diagnostic modalities for the rapid diagnosis of human amebiasis. Currently, he works with Dr. Steven Singer on mechanisms of host's immune responses to infections in the murine models of giardiasis.
Visit Shahram's Website!
Maggie entered the Ph.D. program in 2006 after receiving BS degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Maryland. She is generally interested in the complex cognition, behavior, and society exhibited by large-brained animals such as dolphins and primates. As a Ph.D. student of Janet Mann, Maggie is investigating the social development and future fitness consequences of early social patterns of bottlenose dolphin calves (Tursiops sp.). Maggie was named a University Fellow in 2006 and received a Washington Explorer's Club Exploration and Field Research Grant in 2008.
Before coming to Georgetown Maggie was a research assistant in the New York Aquarium's Behavioral and Cognitive Research Laboratory and also interned for a field study of bottlenose dolphins in the Lower Florida Keys. When not doing research, Maggie enjoys rock climbing, horseback riding, and going running with her dog.
Shu comes from the Chongqing Municipality of the People’s Republic of China. After graduating from Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, he entered the PhD program in Department of Biology of Georgetown University in fall 2008. Now he is working in Dr. Chris Elsik’s lab and taking great interest in investigating microRNA targets prediction and how the microRNA targets evolve in insects.
During his spare time, he enjoys swimming, basketball, soccer and body building.
Jean joined the PhD program in 2007 with a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a BA in Studio Art from the University of Arizona. She is generally interested in spatial patterns, mating systems, animal behavior, herpetology, and conservation ecology. Her previous research experiences include studying factors affecting springsnail distribution (with Dr. A. Elizabeth Arnold and Cheryl Craddock), heat shock effects on aphids (with Dr. Nancy Moran), habitat alteration impacts on brown anoles (with Dr. Erin Marnocha), eastern fox snake population demographics and distribution (with Kristin Stanford), and Costa Rican herps (DANTA, Dr. Thomas LaDuke). Currently, she is examining factors affecting reproductive failure among female bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia under the direction of Dr. Janet Mann.
Her awards include the Clare Luce Boothe Fellowship (2007-2009), Georgetown University Center for the Environment Grant (2008), Explorers Club Exploration Fund Grant (2008), and the American Society of Mammalogists Grant-in-Aid (2008).
Outside of the lab, Jean enjoys eating, practicing martial arts, oil painting, reading, photography, and traveling.
Divya joined the department during the summer of 2004 after receiving a Masters Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Mysore, India. She is interested in examining how both predators and prey use a range of sensory cues to detect each other; and, by identifying these cues to understand how evolution shapes predator-prey interactions. Divya is pursuing her research with Prof. Martha Weiss. Her work has been supported by a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement grant from NSF, grants from Animal Behavioral Society, American Museum of Natural History, American Arachnological Society, Washington Biologists Field Club and Sigma Xi. In August 2009, Divya was awarded the Murray F. Buell award for the outstanding oral paper presented at the 2009 Ecological Society of America's annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
When not thinking about a new experiment in the lab, Divya enjoys hiking, painting, and playing the veena, an Indian string instrument
Jenn entered Dr. Peter Armbruster’s lab in 2005 after receiving a BS in Biology and a minor in Art History from Canisius College in Buffalo. Her current research focuses on the molecular, physiological, and evolutionary underpinnings of photoperiodic diapause in the mosquito Aedes albopictus. Her awards include the Cosmos Club’s Young Scholars Award and the Entomological Society of America's President's Prize for the best student oral presentation in physiology, biochemistry, toxicology or molecular biology at the 2007 annual meeting.
Jenn’s outside interests include racquetball, rockclimbing, and playing intramural football, softball and volleyball with the biology grad team Tenacious DNA.
Originally hailing from Long Island, Andrew moved from Western Massachusetts to join the Department of Biology in 2008 and has since joined the lab of Dr. Elena Casey, where he is currently researching pancreatic development in basal chordates for his qualifying exam.
Andrew is a fan of taiko drumming (see this YouTube video) and soon hopes to start brewing his own beer. Yeast labs, beware!
Colleen entered the PhD program after spending a year as a technician in Dr. Heidi Elmendorf's laboratory. Colleen received her AB from Smith College where she studied the molecular biology of parasitic worms. She is studying the mechanisms of transcription in Giardia lamblia with Prof. Heidi Elmendorf.
Colleen was named as a University Fellow (2003-2008).
Chris graduated from Frostburg State University in spring of 2006, and started in the Department of Biology Program at Georgetown in the Fall of 2006. He works in Dr. Heidi Elmendorf's lab and is interested in understanding methods of gene regulation in the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia. He received the Healy Fellowship (2006-2011) and also was named an ASM Robert D. Watkins Research Fellow (2008-2011).
When Chris is not working on his research, he participates in intramural sports (football, volleyball, and softball), and he is always preparing for his next triathlon.
Let's go Tenacious DNA!
Niteace joined the Department of Biology in the fall of 2008 after receiving her BS degree from Temple University in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA. She has joined the laboratory of Dr. Elena Casey.
Although she loves lab work, Niteace also likes to draw and crochet in her spare time.