Laboratory Members

Craig Lowe

Principal Investigator

Craig's background is in computer science, bioinformatics, and developmental genetics, which spans both computational and experimental research. He is a new faculty member in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, as of June 2018, and is actively recruiting graduate students with interests in better understanding vertebrate animals, how they adapt, and their genetic risk/protection from disease.

CV Google Scholar

Christiana Fauci

Graduate Student

Christi is a graduate student in the University Program in Genetics and Genomics (UPGG). The chicken has a rich history of being used as a model organism in developmental biology and was one of the first vertebrate genomes to be sequenced. It has advantages over other organisms, such as sharing many aspects of human development, yet developing outside the mother where it can be continually imaged. However, since the chicken genome was published in 2004, development of genetic and genomic techniques have not kept pace with other model organisms. Christi is working hard to change this and have molecular techniques in the chick once again be on the leading edge of biology.

Luke Bartelt

Graduate Student

Luke is a graduate student in the University Program in Genetics and Genomics (UPGG). He is jointly advised by Craig and Al La Spada (UC Irvine). Luke is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that connect poly-Q expansions to neurodegeneration, with a focus on Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7. Luke is using new genomic techniques to analyze these diseases at the level of single cells.

Seth Weaver

Graduate Student

Seth is a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program (CMB). He is interested in using cell lines and CRISPR-related technologies to discover the genetic basis of phenotypes unique to humans. He has a particular interest in regions of the genome that are close to telomeres.

Yanting "Raven" Luo

Graduate Student

Raven is a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program (CMB). She is using both computational and molecular techniques to understand the genetic basis of human-specific phenotypes. She is currently interested in structural variants that separate humans and chimpanzees.

Kat Bendt

Lab Manager and Staff Researcher

Kat has a track-record of keeping labs running smoothly and making everyone around her more productive. We are a group of researchers from diverse academic backgrounds who are using a wide variety of techniques and model organisms, but Kat somehow manages to help everyone in the lab and make all of our research projects better. Kat is also working on her own research projects, which span fish, birds, and mice.

Anushka Katikaneni

Graduate Student

Anushka is a graduate student in the University Program in Genetics and Genomics (UPGG). She is studying how stickleback fish adapt to new environments, focusing on both genetic and phenotypic changes.

Hailey Napier

Graduate Student

Hailey is a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program (CMB). She is studying how cell types in the cerebellum evolve and how changes in their transcriptome can lead to disease.

You!

Graduate Student

We are looking for new graduate students to join us who share an interest in the genetics of vertebrates. Students may have backgrounds in the life sciences, engineering, mathematics, or any other field of study; we value having people with diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives. The lab is affiliated with the: MGM, DSCB, UPE, CMB, CBB, and UPGG graduate programs. If you are interested, please contact Craig or stop by lab to talk.

Eric Au

Staff Researcher (2018-2021)

Currently a Software engineer at Mammoth Biosciences

Eric was the first person to join the Vertebrate Genetics Laboratory and was both a Lab Manager and a staff researcher. His background is in applied mathmatics, but he also has over five years of experience working with stickleback fish and had worked in Stanford's Genome Center for a year. Eric worked on new computational frameworks for representing genetic variation within a species. Following his time in lab, Eric was a software at Invitae, Berkeley Lights, and now Mammoth Biosciences.

Juliana Carvalho

Staff Researcher (2021)

Currently a Sustainability Associate for Stakeholder Engagement at George Washington University

Juliana was a lab manager and also worked to understand the genetic basis of brain expansion and cognitive abilities across a wide variety of mammals. She has a background in both anthropology and marine biology. Her research combined genomics, neurobiology, and the fossil record. After her time in lab, she was a graduate student in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke. Juliana is currently managing the George Washington University Office of Sustainability’s communications and leading the office’s activities around engagement and behavior change on campus, as well as building a culture of sustainability among students, staff, and faculty.

Chelsea Shoben

Graduate Student (2020-2022)

Currently a Data Engineer at Blue Cross Blue Shield

Chelsea graduated with a master's degree in Genetics and Genomics in 2022. Her research was centered on better understanding the most repetitive and difficult-to-analyze regions of the genome. Following her time in lab, Chelsea took a position as a data engineer at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Shae Simpson

Undergraduate Student (2022-2023)

Currently a Research Technician at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Shae graduated with a bachelor's degree in Evolutionary Anthropology, with honors. Her research was centered on better understanding how the most divergent regions of the human genome influence disease risk. Shae is currently working in the Gartrell Lab at Columbia studying the immune microenvironment of pediatric tumors using immunogenomics. The goal is to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy for patients based on the character of their specific tumors.

Riley Mangan

Graduate Student (2019-2023)

Currently a Postdoctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Riley was a graduate student through the Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) Program and a graduate of Davidson College. Riley's work combined tools from evolutionary biology, comparative genomics, and developmental neuroscience to study human-unique evolutionary processes and disease mechanisms. Since earning his Ph.D. from Duke in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, he continues to study human evolutionary genetics in the lab of Manolis Kellis at MIT CSAIL.