IMSD Program Graduates

Rey Ayon, MS Evolutionary Biology (2014-2017)

  • Thesis Advisor: Rachel Santymire
  • Thesis Project: Circadian Disruption and Behavior

Daniel Ruiz, PhD Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition (2014-2019)

  • Thesis Advisor: Robert Sargis
  • Thesis Project: Developmental Misprogramming of Metabolism by Environmental Chemicals that Disrupt Glucocorticoid Action

Eloesa McSorely, PhD Public Health Sciences (2014-2020)

  • Thesis Advisor: Diane Lauderdale
  • Thesis Project: Cognitive Aging in a Gene x Environment Context and Sleep and Cognition

Dayana Delgado, PhD Public Health Sciences (2015-2021)

  • Thesis Advisor: Brandon Pierce
  • Thesis Project : Genetic Determinants of Telomere Length in a Bangladeshi Population and Disparities in Genetic Susceptibility to Prostate Cancer Initiation
  • Cody Hernandez, PhD Cellular and Molecular Biology (2015-2021)
  • Thesis Advisor: Jonathan Staley
  • Thesis Project: Mechanism and Physiological Role of Prp22 in Mediating 3’ss Selection

Roy Morgan, PhD Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology (2015-2022)

  • Thesis Advisor: Barbara Kee
  • Thesis Project: Transcriptional Regulation of NKT Cell Development by Ets1 Transcription Factor 

Selina Baeza-Loya, PhD Neurobiology (2016-2022)

  • Thesis Advisor: Ruth Anne Eatock
  • Thesis Project: Investigating the Contribution of Sodium Channel Diversity to Vestibular Ganglion Neuron Firing Patterns
 

Elaine Kouame, PhD Immunology (2016-2022)

  • Thesis Advisor: Bana Jabri
  • Thesis Project: The Role of Reovirus in Oral Tolerance and Celiac Disease. 

Evelyn Campbell, PhD Microbiology (2016-2022)

  • Thesis Advisor: Cathy Nagler
  • Thesis Project: An Investigation on the Role of TLR4 signaling on Saa induction and allergy development 

Martin Sepulveda, PhD Immunology (2017-2024)

  • Thesis Advisor: Marisa Alegre
  • Thesis Project: Gut-Restricted Microbiota Effect on Distal Skin Graft Outcomes

Edgar Correa, PhD Cell and Molecular Biology (2017-2024)

  • Thesis Advisor: Paschalis Kratsios 
  • Thesis Project: Sex-Specific Motor Neuron Development and Maintenance

Victor Mendoza, PhD Molecular Metabolism & Nutrition (2018-2023)

  • Thesis Advisor: Lev Becker
  • Thesis Project: The Immune System & its Role in Diabetes and Heart Disease

Julian Bertini, MS Medical Physics (2019-2023)

  • Thesis Advisor: Tim Carroll 
  • Thesis Project: Using Susceptibility Weighted MRI to Quantify Oxygen in the Brain

Corey Smith, PhD Medical Physics (2014-2019)

  • Thesis Advisor: Patrick La Rivière
  • Thesis Project : Image Reconstruction in Fluorescence Microscopy

Gabrielle Watkins, PhD Neurobiology (2014-2021)

  • Thesis Advisor: Christian Hansel
  • Thesis Project: Synaptic and Intrinsic Mechanisms of Learning in the Cerebellum

Juan Manuel Vazquez, PhD Human Genetics (2015-2020)

  • Thesis Advisor: Vincent Lynch
  • Thesis Project: The Role of Gene Duplication in Peto’s Paradox in Long-Lived Lineages

Eric McLean, MS Cellular and Molecular Biology (2015-2020)

  • Thesis Advisor: Jingyi Fei
  • Thesis Project: Single-Cell Analysis of sRNA Expression during Salmonella Infection

Matthew Perez-Neut, PhD Cancer Biology (2015-2021)

  • Thesis Advisor: Yingming Zhao
  • Thesis Project : Identification of Novel Histone Mark Reader Proteins

Erick X. Bayala, PhD Integrative Biology (2015-2022)

  • Thesis Advisor: Marcus Kronforst
  • Thesis Project: How to Paint a Butterfly? The Developmental Basis of Butterfly Color Pattern Variation 
 

Alexis Thomas, PhD Microbiology (2016-2023)

  • Thesis Advisor: Pheobe Rice
  • Thesis Project: Determining the Regulation of SCC Element in Staphylococci Spp

Nadya Ali, PhD Evolutionary Biology (2017-2022)

  • Thesis Advisor: Rachel Santymire
  • Thesis Project: Understanding Population Viability and the Mechanisms Behind Infertility in the Black-Footed Ferret (Mustelid nigripes)
 

Maile Hollinger, PhD Immunology (2017-2024)

  • Thesis Advisor: Anne Sperling
  • Thesis Project: Protection Against Allergic Inflammation using Bacterial Exopolysaccharides

Sarah Ann King, PhD Developmental, Regeneration, & Stem Cell Biology (2018-2023)

  • Thesis Advisor: Wu Xiaoyang
  • Thesis Project: Designing Skin Grafts/Tissue Engineering

Anthony Osuma, PhD Neuroscience (2018-2024)

  • Thesis Advisor: Paschalis Kratsios
  • Thesis Project: Effects of Disrupted Oxygen Homeostasis on Hippocampal Physiology

Briana Banks, PhD Cancer Biology (2019-2024)

  • Thesis Advisor: Matthew Brady
  • Thesis Project: Determining the Effect of Chronic Psychological Stress during Puberty and Early Adulthood on Mammary Development

Jorden Lane, PhD Immunology (2019-2024)

  • Thesis Advisor: Daria Esterhazy
  • Thesis Project: Understanding how lymphatics shape immune microenvironments