Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2020- Present

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2025

Mia Cozart, on May 7, 2025Sense And Sense Ability: Giardia In Mucus-Like Viscoelasticity.
Investigating the Role of the T cell Amino Acid Transporter, Slc7a5, in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis.
Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Huang
Committee members: Dr. Jeffrey Huang, Dr. Steven Singer, Dr. Thomas Coate, Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss

Ursula Machi, on April 16, 2025
One Bite At A Time, Or All At Once: Consentrated Secretion Of Cell Wall Remodeling Enzymes Promotes Yeast Cell Fusion
Advisor: Dr. Mark Rose
Committee members: Dr. Mark Rose, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Shaun Brinsmade

Henry Stevens, on April 10, 2025
The impact of climate change on past, present, and future migratory connectivity for a long-distance migratory bird 
Advisor: Dr. Peter Marra
Committee members: Dr. Peter Marra, Dr.Gina Wimp, Dr.Ali Arab, Dr. Matthew Betts.

Dennis DiMaggio, on April 4, 2025
Investigating The Regulation Of Secreted Virulence Factors By The
Sae Two-Component System In Staphylococcus Aureus
Advisor: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade
Committee members: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade, Dr. Ronda Rolfes, Dr. Mark Rose.

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2024

Ellen Jacobs, on Oct 8, 2024
Maternal Care and Tool Use in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee members: Dr. Peter Marra, Dr. Laela Sayigh, Dr. Janet Mann

Margaret Weng, on Oct 3, 2024
Exploring the Ecology, Biogeography, and Stability of Microbial Communities Inhabiting Extreme Environments.
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Johnson
Committee members: Dr. Sarah Johnson, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Gina Wimp, Dr. Heather Graham

Arifa Ahsan, on May 6, 2024
Temporal Dynamics of Activity-Dependent Proteostasis in Optic Tectum of Xenopus Laevis Tadpole.
Advisor: Dr. Haiyan He
Committee members: Dr. Haiyan He, Dr. Jeff, Tom, Dr. Elena Silva, Dr. Seth Margolis

Vanessa Angelova, on May 6, 2024
Intestinal Epithelial And Immune Host Receptors In Giardiasis.
Advisor: Dr. Steven Singer
Committee members: Dr. Steven Singer, Dr. Annie Kruger, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Luther Bartelt

Shahad Alqahtani, on April 19, 2024
Exploring Mechanisms By Which Cody Regulates The Activity Of The Sae-Two Component System To Control Virulence In Staphylococcus.
Advisor: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade
Committee members: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade, Dr. Mark Rose, Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, Dr. Ted Bae

Shican (Claire) Li, on April 12, 2024
Sense And Sense Ability: Giardia In Mucus-Like Viscoelasticity.
Advisor: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf
Committee members: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Jeffrey Urbach

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2023

Melissa Ann Collier, on August 29, 2023
The Impact of Behavior on Pathogen Transmission in Wildlife: a Data-driven
Mathematical Modeling Approach.
Advisor: Dr. Shweta Bansal
Committee members: Dr. Shweta Bansal, Dr. Janet Mann, Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Lisa Singh

Pablo Silva Rodriguez, on August 29, 2023
Of Sox11 and Frogs: The Role of Sox11 in CNS Development and Disease, Modeling Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Xenopus laevis.
Advisor: Dr. Elena Silva
Committee members: Dr. Elena M. Silva,

Jingwen Hu, on August 10, 2023
Aromatic Amino Acid Metabolism by Interleukin-4 Induced 1 Facilitates Remyelination in the Central Nervous System.
Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey K. Huang
Committee members: Dr. Jeffrey K. Huang, Dr. Steven Singer, Dr. Thomas Coate, Dr. Kathy Maguire-Zeiss, Dr. Mandy J McGeachy

Tyler Rippel, on June 16, 2023
Salt Marsh Biodiversity and Biogeochemistry in a Changing World.
Advisor: Dr. Gina Wimp
Committee members: Dr. Gina Wimp, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Ali Arab, Dr. Linda Bloom

Vaughn Shirey, on May 12, 2023
Detecting Signals of Recent Climate Change in North America, Cold adapted butterfly Communities and Populations.
Advisor: Dr. Leslie Ries
Committee members: Dr. Leslie Ries, Dr. Martha Weiss, Dr. Gina Wimp, Dr. Greg Breed

Zachory M, Park, on February 28, 2023
It Takes Two To Tetrad: Dissecting The Role Of Kar4 And Vir1 In Meiosis And Mrna M6 A Methylation.
Advisor: Dr. Mark Rose
Committee members: Dr. Mark Rose, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Luke Berchowitz, Dr. Shaun Brinsmade

Molly McEntee, on April 5, 2023
Female Reproduction In Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins: Costs Of And Counterstrategies To Sexual Conflict And Coercion.
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee members: Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Gina Wimp, Dr. Janet Mann

Sylvia Min, on April 13, 2023
GRF10: A Transcription Factor That Coordinates Copper, Iron, And Phosphate Homeostasis In Candida Albicans. 
Advisor: Dr. Ronda Rolfes
Committee members: Dr. Ronda Rolfes, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. William Fonzi, Dr. Mark Rose

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2022

Jewel Tomasula, on December 14, 2022
Effects Of Environmental Factors On Intraspecific Genetic Diversity Of A Foundation Plant Species And The Extended Ecological Consequences. 
Advisor: Dr. Gina Wimp
Committee members: Dr. Matt Hamilton, Keryn Gedan, Dr. Dave Carr, Dr. Gina Wimp

Paige Marie Brooks, on May 6, 2022
Pou3f4-Expressing Otic Mesenchyme Cells: A Novel Influence For Cochlear Spiral Ganglion Neuron Survival. 
Advisor: Dr. Thomas Coate
Committee members: Dr. Thomas Coate, Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, Dr. Katie Kindt, Dr. Elena Silva

Sean David Carey, on July 8, 2022
HIV TAT Induced Gliosis And Changes In Perineuronal Nets And Parvalbumin Positive Neurons. 
Advisor: Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss
Committee members: Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, Dr. Jeff Huang, Dr. Thomas Coate, Dr. Bill Rebeck

Nicole Yasmin Wagner, on August 08, 2022
A Comprehensive Metagenomic Study Of The Antarctic Untersee Oasis As An Astrobiological Analog. 
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Johnson
Committee members: Dr. Sarah Johnson, Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Gina Wimp, Dr. Andrew Steele, Dr. Gina Wimp

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2021

Taylor Evans, on June 12, 2021
Lifetime Stability, Maternal Effects, And Fitness Outcomes Of Socioecological Strategies In Wild Bottlenose Dolphins. 
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee members: Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Ali Arab, Dr. Linda Bloom, Dr. Gina Wimp

Dillon L. Damuth, on June 12, 2021
Assessing The Function Of Sox21 In Xenopus Laevis Neurogenesis: Exploring Homeolog Sub-Functionalization. 
Advisor: Dr. Elena Silva
Committee members: Dr. Elena SIlva, Dr. Ira Daar, Dr. Sally Moody, Dr. Thomas Coate

Allison Brackley, on June 12, 2021
No Longer Forgotten: Pupation As A Critical Link In The Lepidopteran Life Cycle. 
Advisor: Dr. Martha Weiss
Committee members: Dr. Martha Weiss, Dr. Leslie Ries, Dr. John Lill, Dr. Gina Wimp

Casey Marie Zipfel, on July 21, 2021
The Interplay between Human Behavior and Infectious Disease Dynamics. 
Advisor: Dr. Shweta Bansal
Committee members:

Victoria Morrissette on January 8, 2021
Pseudophosphatases Enhance Siw14, An Inositol Pyrophosphate Phosphatase That Negatively Regulates The Environmental Stress Response Through Msn2. 
Advisor: Dr. Ronda Rolfes
Committee members: Dr. Ronda Rolfes, Dr. Mark Rose, Dr. Anne Rosenwald

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2020

Kathryn Sanchez on August 25, 2020
Title: Studies on matrix-metalloproteinase 13 as a novel microglial inflammatory agent in familial synucleinopathy 
Advisor: Dr. Kathy McGuire-Zeiss
Committee members: Dr. Jeffrey Huang, Dr. Thomas Coate, and Dr. Katherine Conant

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2011-2019

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2019

Marc Fink on September 11, 2019 
Title: Investigating the Role of Myeloid Cells in Giardia Immunity
Advisor: Dr. Steven Singer
Committee members: Dr. Jeffrey Huang, Dr. Sarah Gaffen, and Dr. Michael Grigg

Kevin Mlynek on July 17, 2019 
Title: The Role of the Nutrient Sensor CodY in Regulating Nuclease Production and Extracellular DNA Metabolism in Staphylococcus Aureus 
Advisor: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade
Committee members: Dr. Mark Rose, Dr. Ronda Rolfes, and Dr. Kevin Melver

Zachary Aaron Batz on July 19, 2019 
Title: Molecular Mechanisms and Rapid Adaptation of Photoperiodic Diapause in the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus 
Advisor: Dr. Peter Armbruster
Committee members: Dr. Leslie Ries, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, and Dr. Peter Cook

Caitlin Burgess Karniski on July 29th, 2019 
Title: Effects of Senescence on Reproduction and Behavior in Bottlenose Dolphins 
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee members: Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Sheweta Bansal, and Dr. Melissa Emery

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2018

Tanaporn Wangsanut on October 10th, 2018 
Title: Grf10 transcription factor coordinates nutrient assimilation, metabolism, and morphogenesis in Candida albicans
Advisor: Dr. Ronda Rolfes
Committee members: Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. William Fonzi, and Dr. Aaron Mitchell

Madison Miketa on August 10th, 2018 
Title: Social and behavioral responses to environmental stressors in bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia
Advisor: Dr. Janet Man
Committee members: Dr. Gina Wimp, Dr. Shweta Bansal, and Dr. Lisa Singh

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2017

Ricardo Gutierrez Ozuna on December 19th, 2017 
Title: Population genetic differentiation, mating system, and effective population size of the tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) in the Mid-Atlantic United States.
Advisor: Dr. Matthew Hamilton
Committee members: Dr. Martha Weiss, Dr. Gina Wimp, and Dr. John Braverman SJ from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.

Elizabeth Lee on December 8th, 2017 
Title: Epidemiological inference and surveillance with high-resolution medical claims data: the case of influenza
Advisor: Dr. Shweta Bansal
Committee members: Dr. Ali Arab, Dr. John Kraemer, and Dr. Cecile Viboud

Pratha Sah on Monday, October 16, 2017 
Title: Interactions Between Social Structure, Contact Networks, and Infectious Disease Spread in Wildlife Populations
Advisor: Dr. Shweta Bansal
Committee members: Dr. Janet Mann, Dr. Sivan Leviyang, and Dr. Ken Nussear

Theodore Julius Picou on Monday, April 24, 2017 
Title: The Hydrodynamic Model of Giardia lamblia Attachment
Advisor: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf
Committee members: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, Dr. Jeffrey Urbach, Dr. Anne Rosenwald, and Dr. Peter Olmstead

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2016

Megan Wallen on Friday, December 2nd, 2016 
Title: Social Factors Affecting Femail Behaviour, Ecology, and Fitness in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins 
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee members: Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Shweta Bansal, and Dr. Carson Murray (GWU)

Shu Yang on Monday, October 17, 2016
Title:  The roles of two small GTP-binding proteins Arl1 and Ypt6 in autophagy
Advisor: Dr. Anne Rosenwald
Committee members: Dr. Ronda Rolfes, Dr. Peter Williamson (NIH), and Dr. Julie Donaldson (NIH)

Xin Huang on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 
Title: The Molecular Basis of Photoperiodic Diapause in Aedes albopictus
Advisor: Dr. Peter Armbruster
Committee members: Dr. Martha Weiss (Committee Chair, Dr. Shaun Brinsmade, and Dr. Nathan Edwards 

Sweta Batni on Monday, April 4th, 2016 
Title: Integrating Epidemiological and Molecular Approaches to Study the Transmission and Treatment of Giardia lamblia
Advisor: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf
Committee members: Dr. Ronda Rolfes, Dr. Christopher Loffredo, Dr. Shweta Bansal

Elizabeth Steidle on Tuesday, February 26, 2016, 
Title: Siw14 Is A Novel 5-Diphosphoinositol Pentakisphosphate (5pp-Ip5) Phosphatase That Negatively Regulates The Stress Response.
Advisor: Dr. Ronda Rolfes
Committee members: Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Elliott Crooke, Dr. Adam Resnick

Jin Jing on Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Title: Characterization of Sox11 in Neurogenesis.
Advisor: Dr. Elena Silva
Committee members: Dr. Sally Moody, Dr. Thomas Sargent, and Dr. Thomas Coate

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2015

Jenny Maloney (2015)
Title: Giardia lamblia, The Intestinal Microbiome, and Innate Immunity: A Study of the Host-Parasite Relationship during G. lamblia Infection.
Advisor: Dr. Steven Singer
Committee members: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, Dr. Tom Wynn, and Dr. Scott Dawson

Chen, Chao (2015)
The role of Sox4 and Sox11 in cortical development
Advisor: Dr. Maria J. Donoghue
Committee Members: Dr. Elena Silva, Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, and Dr. Baoji Xu

Maloney, Jenny G. (2015)
Title: Giardia lamblia, the Intestinal Microbiome, and Innate Immunity: A Study of the Host-Parasite Relationship during G. lamblia Infection.
Advisor: Dr. Steven M. Singer
Committee Members: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf, Dr. Tom Wynn, Dr. Scott Dawson

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2014

Tsai, Yi-Jiun Jean (2014)
Male Contest Competition and Mating Success in the Parasitoid Wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Pteromalidae)
Advisors: Dr. Martha R. Weiss, Ph.D., and Dr. Edward M. Barrows, Ph.D. 

Tao, Shu (2014)
Identification of A-to-I RNA Editing Sites in the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Brain Using RNAseq Data
Advisor: Dr. Steven M. Singer
Committee Members: Dr. Jay Evans, Dr. Maria Donoghue, Dr. Matthew Hamilton

Keselman, Aleksander (2014)
Host and parasite factors contributing to variation in immunity and pathology in giardiasis.
Advisor: Dr. Steven M. Singer

Whittington, Niteace Chivon (2014)
Characterization of the Function of Sox21 During Neurogenesis
Advisor: Dr. Elena Casey Silva
Committee members: 

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2013

Saritas-Yildirim, Banu (2013)
Computational and Functional Analysis of F-box Dependent Ubiquitin Ligases in Xenopus Nervous System Development
Advisor: Dr. Elena Casey Silva
Committee Members: Dr. Eric Glasgow, Dr. Mervyn Monteiro, Dr. Anne Rosenwald

Bennett, Anna Kathleen (2013)
Computational Analysis of Difficult-to-predict Genes and Detection of Lineage-specific Genes in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Advisor: Dr. Christine G. Elsik
Committee Members: Dr. Christine Elsik, Dr. Matthew Hamilton, Dr. Anne Rosenwald

Krzyszczyk, Ewa Beata (2013)
Age Determination, Life History and Juvenile Behavior in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Australia
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee members: 

Verardo, Andrew (2013)
Conserved Genetic Mechanisms for Deuterostome Gut Regionalization
Advisor: Dr. Elena Casey Silva
Committee Members: Dr. Christopher Lowe, Dr. Michael Parsons, Dr. Anne Rossenwald

Power, Lillian (2013)
Exploring Variation in Learning Ability in Pieris rapae, the Cabbage White Butterfly
Advisor: Dr. Martha R. Weiss
Committee Members: Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. John Lill, Dr. Gina Wimp

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2012

Patterson, Eric Michael (2012)
Ecological and Life History Factors Influence Habitat and Tool Use in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.)
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee Members: Dr. Shweta Bansal, Dr. Lisa Singh, Dr. Gina Wimp

Keselman, Alex (2012)
The role of Fas in pathological giardiasis
Advisor: Dr. Steven M. Singer
Committee Members: Dr. Anne Rosenwald, Dr. Alexander Theos

Williams, Christopher Woten (2012)
Less Is More: The Implications Of Genomic Minimalism On The Regulation Of Gene Expression In The Parasite Giardia Lamblia
Advisor: Dr. Heidi G. Elmendorf
Committee Members: Dr. Ronda Rolfes, Dr. Steven Singer, Dr. Michael Grigg

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2011

Howard, Aaron Frederick (2011)
Fitness, Pollen Dispersal, And Floral-Display Size Evolution In Animal-Pollinated Plants
Advisor: Dr. Edward M. Barrows
Committee Members: Dr. Matthew Hamilton, Dr. Christopher Ivey, Dr. Martha Weiss, Dr. Gina Wimp

Mallroy, Heather (2011)
Learning, brain plasticity, and foraging behavior in hemimetabolous insects
Advisor: Dr. Martha R. Weiss
Committee Members: Dr. Maria Donoghue, Dr. John Lill, Dr. Eileen Hebets

Stanton, Margaret Anne (2011)
Social Networks and Fitness Consequences of Early Sociality in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.)
Advisor: Dr. Janet Mann
Committee Members: Dr. Peter Armbruster, Dr. Kay Holekamp, Dr. Lisa Singh

Solaymani-Mohammadi, Shahram (2011)
STRAIN VARIATION IN PATHOGENESIS AND IMMUNITY IN GIARDIA INFECTION
Advisor: Dr. Steve M. Singer
Committee Members: Dr. Alessio Fasano, Dr. William Petri, Dr. Rosenwald

Urbanski, Jennifer M. (2011)
Molecular, physiological and life-history mechanisms of adaptation during range expansion of the mosquito Aedes albopictus
Advisor: Dr. Peter Armbruster
Committee Members: Dr. Matthew Hamilton, Dr. Christine Elsik, Dr. David Berrigan

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2008-2010

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2010

Uma, Divya Bellur (2010)
Behavioral ecology of wasp-spider interactions: the role of webs, chemicals, and deception
Advisor: Dr. Martha R. Weiss

The GLI transcription factors as a therapeutic target in childhood cancers
Advisor: Aykut Üren, M

Luo, Haibei (2010)
Investigation of the molecular and mechanistic basis for attachment by Giardia lamblia
Advisor: Dr. Heidi G. Elmendorf

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2009

O’Donnell, Deborah Ladner (2009)
Ecology and population differentiation of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus
Advisor: Dr. Peter Armbruster

Archer, Tenley C. (2009)
Function of Oct91 and SoxB1 prteins during neural development in Xenopus laevis
Advisor: Dr. Elena Silva Casey

Thévenon, Audrey Davidson (2009)
Inflammatory markers and genetic predispositions to Plasmodium falciparum-associated poor pregnancy outcomes
Advisor: Dr. Diane Wallace Taylor

Nehra, Ruchi (2009)
The nuclear factor kappa b (NFkb) plays a critical role in the development of antiestrogen resistance
Advisor: Robert Clarke, Ph.D., D.Sc

Johnson, Kevin (2009)
PTP1B regulation of the transcription factor Stat5 in breast cancer
Advisor: Hallgeir Rui, M.D., Ph.D. 

Rogers, Crystal D. (2009)
The regulation and function of SoxB1 genes and proteins during neural induction and development in Xenopus laevis
Advisor: Dr. Elena Casey Silva

Beildeck, Marcy Ellen (2009)
The role of vitamin D and the vitamin D receptor in TCF-4 regulation and silencing of CYP24A1
Advisor: Dr. Stephen W. Byers

Wang, Youhong (2009)
Roles of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit p55gamma on regulating survival signaling in breast cancer cells
Advisor: Dr. Michael D. Johnson

Completed Dissertation Defenses in 2008

Markowski, Mark Christopher (2008)
Inflammatory cytokines induce ubiquitination and loss of the prostate suppressor protein NKX3.1
Advisor: Edward P. Gelmann, M.D. 

Anderson, Matthew J. (2008)
Investigation of the role of Unc45a in aortic arch development
Advisor: Dr. Beth L. Roman

Lekostaj, Jacqueline K. (2008)
Molecular analysis of membrane transporters implicated in drug resistance
Advisor: Dr. Paul D. Roepe