URMC / Center for RNA Biology / People / Trainees Trainees ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZPost-Doctoral Fellows and StudentsElizabeth Abshire Ph.D.Postdoctoral FellowMaquat LabEmail ElizabethAbshireMohammed AliGraduate StudentBoutz LabEmail MohammedAliResearch Interest: Investigating differential intron sensitivity to core spliceosome factors that are amplified or deleted in developmental syndromes and cancerSara Ali MSGraduate StudentMathews LabEmail SaraAliResearch Interest: Identifying structurally conserved motifs in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)Emily BerryGraduate StudentMello LabEmail EmilyBerryResearch Interest: Understanding the role of lncRNA Neat1 in maintaining cell identity.Rachel Bonn PhDPostdoctoral AssociateWedekind LabEmail RachelBonnResearch Interest: Optimization of an HIV TAR-RNA-binding cyclic-peptide library for enhanced interactions and antiviral functionLily Cisco M.S.Graduate StudentLueck LabEmail LilyCiscoResearch Interest: Pathomechanism of skeletal muscle weakness and degeneration in Myotonic DystrophyHannah ClaryGraduate StudentKielkopf LabEmail HannahClaryAnanya Das PhDPostdoctoral AssociateErmolenko LabEmail AnanyaDasBrandon Davis MSGraduate StudentO'Connell LabEmail BrandonDavisResearch Interest: Picking up the Pieces: The Fragmented Process of Cas13 Mediated RNA Cleavage in Human CellsDakarai EsgdailleGraduate StudentMello LabEmail DakaraiEsgdailleResearch Interest: Understanding the roles of lncRNA Neat1 in regulating gene expression and early oncogenesis.Jeffrey GabellGraduate StudentLueck LabEmail JeffreyGabellJustin Galardi MSGraduate StudentKielkopf LabEmail JustinGalardiResearch Interest: A UHM-ULM interface contributes to the pre-mRNA splicing functions of U2AF2 and SF3B1Coleman GoennerGraduate StudentWedekind LabEmail ColemanGoennerVijay Gondil PhDPostdoctoral AssociateDunman LabEmail VijayGondilResearch Interest: mRNA degradosomes, tRNA processing and penicillin binding proteins-4 as targets to develop novel classes of antibacterial drugs.Leon HarveyGraduate StudentBoutz LabEmail LeonHarveyResearch Interest: Investigating the Role of RNA Helicases in Splicing Changes caused by Cancer Associated SF3B1 MutationsMaryClaire HaseleyGraduate StudentWagner LabEmail MaryClaireHaseleyXueyang He MSGraduate StudentBoutz LabEmail XueyangHeResearch Interest: Modeling the effects of cancer-associated spliceosome mutations and identifying driving intronic features using deep-learning neural networksOmar Hedaya MSGraduate StudentYao LabEmail OmarHedayaResearch Interest: Understanding the Role of RNA Structures in Regulating Upstream Open Reading FramesChristina Heil Ph.D.Postdoctoral FellowLueck LabEmail ChristinaHeilMolly Hulver MSGraduate StudentBoutz LabEmail MollyHulverResearch Interest: Modeling CDK12 and CDK13 loss-of-function (LOF) in prostate cancer cells to investigate their roles in alternative polyadenylation and neo-antigen expressionMadeline JensenGraduate StudentWagner LabEmail MadelineJensenResearch Interest: Identification and Structural Basis of a Novel Cellular Inhibitor of the Integrator Cleavage ModuleFeng Jiang MSGraduate StudentYao LabEmail FengJiangResearch Interest: Potential mRNA Translation-Related Function of RNA-Binding Protein PRRC2BEng Soon Khor Ph.D.Postdoctoral AssociateYao LabEmail Eng SoonKhorDaniil KiliushikGraduate StudentWedekind LabEmail DaniilKiliushikChristopher KirchhoffGraduate StudentKielkopf LabEmail ChristopherKirchhoffWooree Ko M.S.Graduate StudentLueck LabEmail WooreeKoResearch Interest: Exploring the use of suppressor tRNAs for suppression of nonsense mutations in the CFTR gene as a potential treatment for cystic fibrosisMert KokaGraduate StudentO'Connell LabEmail MertKokaSean LindleyGraduate StudentAnderson LabEmail SeanLindleyTanveer Malik PhDPostdoctoral AssociateYu LabEmail TanveerMalikAbhinav Mittal MSGraduate StudentMathews LabEmail AbhinavMittalResearch Interest: Inferring RNA Secondary Structure Using a Multiple Homologous Sequence AlignmentAdrian Moises Molina VargasGraduate StudentO'Connell LabEmail Adrian MoisesMolina VargasResearch Interest: RNA biology, CRISPR-Cas systems. Understanding gRNA design rules for efficient and specific Cas13 RNA-binding in human cells.Julia Nicosia MSGraduate StudentO'Connell LabEmail JuliaNicosiaResearch Interest: The role of the Type VI CRISPR-Cas accessory protein Csx27 in the regulation of CRISPR-Cas13 mediated anti-viral immunityThomas OssevoortGraduate StudentErmolenko LabEmail ThomasOssevoortYi Pan MSGraduate StudentYu LabEmail YiPanResearch Interest: Exploring the potential role of U2 m6Am modification in branch site recognition during pre-mRNA splicingBrandon ParkGraduate StudentPatrick Murphy LabEmail BrandonParkResearch Interest: Nucleic Acid Biology, Epigenetics, and Development. My project is focused on the role of H2A.Z in epigenetic inheritance. Jessica PerciaccanteGraduate StudentAnderson LabEmail JessicaPerciaccanteResearch Interest: The function of lncRNAs in heart development; optimizing techniques to identify direct protein interactions with lncRNAs. Joseph Porter Ph.D.Postdoctoral FellowLueck LabEmail JosephPorterKeegan ProctorGraduate StudentErmolenko LabEmail KeeganProctorNabil RahmanGraduate StudentSteiner LabEmail NabilRahmanMasih Rezaee M.D.Postdoctoral AssociateYu LabEmail MasihRezaeeGriffin Schroeder MSGraduate StudentWedekind LabEmail GriffinSchroederResearch Interest: A small RNA that cooperatively senses two stacked metabolites in one pocket for gene controlJames SeuchGraduate StudentMathews LabEmail JamesSeuchResearch Interest: Seven-Dimensional Clustering of RNA Backbone Conformations to Define RNA ‘Suites’Matthew Sipple M.S.Graduate StudentLueck LabEmail MatthewSippleResearch Interest: Characterizing the molecular underpinnings of muscle excitability in Myotonic Dystrophy and the development of potential therapeuticsYoshita Srivastava MSGraduate StudentWedekind LabEmail YoshitaSrivastavaResearch Interest: Optimization of an HIV TAR-RNA-binding cyclic-peptide library for enhanced interactions and antiviral functionFranziska StegemannPostdoctoral AssociatePhizicky LabEmail FranziskaStegemannJennifer Twardowski MSGraduate StudentMello LabEmail JenniferTwardowskiResearch Interest: Inhibition of Precancerous Transformation via Drug-Induced p53 ActivationXiaolu WeiGraduate StudentLarracuente LabEmail XiaoluWeiResearch Interest: How satellite DNA is regulated in the germline in Drosophila using functional genomics and cytogenetics.Li XieGraduate StudentLi LabEmail LiXieResearch Interest: Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms that Control Tissue Homeostasis and Somatic Stem Cells.