OUR TEAM
KAREN K. HIRSCHI
Alumni Professor of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine
Director, UVA Developmental Genomics Center
Associate Director for Scientific Programs, UVA Medical Scientist Training Program
Adjunct Professor, Yale University School of Medicine & Baylor College of Medicine
ELIZABETH NELSON
Lab Manager & Lab Specialist Sr.
MS in Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University (2010)
BS in Biology, James Madison University (2008)
Research interests: human pluripotent stem cell differentiation.
ZOE CHAVKIN
Research Coordinator
BS in Biological Sciences, University of Southern California (2010)
Research Interests: developmental defects & diseases, translational genomics
GAEL GENET
Assistant Professor
PhD in Cardiovascular Research, Paul Sabatier University, INSERM (2013)
Former Postdoc at Yale University (2019)
Research Interests: understanding the role of cell cycle control in arterial vs venous endothelial cell identity, deciphering how dysregulation of endothelial cell cycle leads to arteriovenous malformations (AVM) and whether the use of cell cycle modulators can be explored as a therapy to correct AVM.
UMA PAILA
Research Assistant Professor
PhD in Computational Biology, Center for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (2010)
MS in Biochemistry, Andhra University (2002)
Former Postdoc and Research Instructor at UVA Center for Public Health Genomics (2017)
Research Interests: genomics, transcriptomics, human disease & genetic variation, oncogenomics, developmental genomics, data science and translational science.
NAFIISHA GENET
Research Assistant Professor
PhD in Pulmonary Vascular Physiology, University of Bordeaux, INSERM (2014)
Research Interests: determining the role of NSC-EC gap junctional interactions via connexin 43 in the regulation of NSC behavior in vivo and in vitro under normal brain homeostasis conditions and in an injury-induced neuro-regeneration model.
JORDON ARAGON
PhD Candidate
BS in Microbiology, Colorado State University (2019)
Research Interests: discovering the regulation of developmental pathways to better understand the formation of vasculature and use this to investigate new, potential treatments for cardiovascular disease
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SHELBY CAIN
PhD Candidate
BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, minor in Mathematics, University of Richmond (2018)
Research Interests: the role of endothelial cell cycle control during both normal vascular development and tumor pathogenesis
ALEKSANDRA CWIEK
PhD Candidate
MS in Medical Biotechnology, University of Lodz (2021)
BS in Biotechnology, University of Warsaw (2019)
Research Interests: placental vascularization and development
MADDIE JACKSON
PhD Candidate
MS in Biomedical Engineering - Regenerative Medicine, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (2022)
BS in Biomedical Engineering, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (2020)
Research Interests: the role of cell cycle control in lymphatic valve specification and development
ZANETA MARKOWSKA
Graduate Student
MS in Biochemistry, Jagiellnian University (2023)
BS in Biochemistry, Jagiellnian University (2019)
Research Interests: the role of Hedgehog signaling in endothelial cell specification and vascular malformations
ZHANGJING MA
Research Associate
PhD in Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2023)
Research Interests: the role of cell cycle control in lymphatic endothelial cell specification
ALUMNI
TYLER VARGAS
Lab Specialist
MS in Pharmacology: Forensic Science, University of Florida (2022)
BA in Spanish/ BS in Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University (2018)
Research Interests: Genetic diseases, forensic toxicology, biochemical interactions
NICHOLAS CHAVKIN
Research Assistant Professor
PhD in Bioengineering, University of Washington (2016)
MS & BS in Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California (2011)
Research Interests: elucidating mechanisms of endothelial cell cycle state that mediate vascular development and cardiovascular disease.
CURRENTLY (2024): Assistant Professor at Seattle Children's Research Institute in the Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine
DANYA SANKARANARAYANAN
Research Lab Technician
MS in Biology, Medical Microbiology, Long Island University (2021)
Research Interests: infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, cancer biology and cell biology
CURRENTLY (2024): Graduate Student at Oklahoma State University
YINYU WU
Post-Doctoral Researcher
PhD in Genetics, Yale University (2022)
Research Interests: microRNA-223 in hemogenic endothelial cell generation and function
CURRENTLY (2024): Scientist at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
CORINA MARZIANO
Post-Doctoral Researcher
PhD in Physiology, University of Virginia (2019)
Research Interests: understanding the mechanisms by which cell cycle regulates lymphatic endothelial cell specification and overall lymphatic development.
CURRENTLY (2024): Analytical Chemistry Scientist at Medpace
BIPUL ACHARYA
Post-Doctoral Researcher
PhD in Biotechnology, University of Calcutta (2011)
CURRENTLY (2024): Project Scientist and Program Lead at Cedars-Sinai
MAHALIA HUBA
Research Lab Technician
BS in Biology, Mary Baldwin University (2020)
CURRENTLY (2024): Medical student at Medical University of South Carolina
STEPHANIE MCDONNEL
Research Lab Technician
BS in Biology, William & Mary (2015)
CURRENTLY (2024): PhD Candidate at University of California, Davis