Skip to main content

Former Lab Members

Research Faculty

Ajeet Singh, Ph.D. (2016-2020)

Position in the lab: Research Assistant Professor
Research: MicroRNA regulation of gastrointestinal stem and progenitor cells
Next position: Research Assistant Professor, Hershey Medical Center at Penn State

Staff Scientists

Rebecca Cubitt (2017-2023)

Position in the lab: Technician and mouse colony manager
Research: All projects in the lab involving mouse models
Next position: Research Technician, Breeding Insight

Matt Kanke, Ph.D. (2015-2022)

Position in the lab: Bionformatics Analyst
Research: Computational genomics support including single-cell analysis
Next position: Bioinformatics Scientist, Genome Analysis Unit, Amgen

Ramja Sritharan, M.S. (2017-2020)

Position in the lab: Technician
Research: Fibrolamellar carcinoma, cancer signaling pathways, ChRO-seq technology
Next position: PhD Student, Mount Sinai

Wendy Pitman, Ph.D. (2016-2019)

Position in the lab: Bioinformatics Analyst
Research: Single cell sequencing analysis, QTL analyses
Next position: Retired

Lisa Kurtz, Ph.D. (2012-2017)

Position in the lab: Research Specialist, Lab Manager
Research: Role of Liver MicroRNAs in Lipid Homeostasis
Next Position: Research Specialist, Berg Lab, UNC Chapel Hill

Graduate Students

Jon Villanueva, Ph.D. (2017-2023)

Position in lab: Biomedical and Biological Sciences PhD Student
Research: Gene regulation in colorectal cancer using organoids
Next position: Post-doctoral Fellowship, Jason Spence Lab, University of Michigan

Adam Francisco, Ph.D. (2017-2022)

Position in the lab: Biomedical and Biological Sciences PhD Student
Research: Discovery of aberrant pathways in fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next position: Post-doctoral Fellowship, Hening Lin Lab, Cornell University

Ben Keith, Ph.D. (2016-2020)

Position in the lab: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD Student
Research: Genome-scale RNA-based sub-typing of Crohn’s disease
Next position: Senior Bioinformatics Scientist, AstraZeneca

Rowan Beck, Ph.D. (2016-2020)

Position in the lab: Genetics and Molecular Biology PhD student
Research: MicroRNAs as a link between arsenic exposure and diabetes pathophysiology
Next position: Senior Scientist, R.J. Reynolds Company

Tim Dinh, Ph.D. (2015-2019)

Position in the lab: Genetics and and Molecular Biology PhD Student
Thesis: Genome-scale approaches to identifying novel regulators of fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next Position: Pathology Resident, University of Michigan

Alisha R. Coffey, Ph.D. (2014-2018)

Position in the lab: Genetics and and Molecular Biology PhD Student
Thesis: Systems approach reveals novel genetic and microRNA links with cardiometabolic
disease and associated risk factor TMAO
Next Position: Research Associate, Lineberger Bioinformatics Core, UNC Chapel Hill

Bailey Peck, Ph.D. (2013-2017)

Position in the lab: Genetics and and Molecular Biology PhD Student
Thesis: Dietary and Microbial Control of MicroRNAs in the Intestinal Epithelium
Next Position: Post-doctoral Fellowship, Seeley Lab, University of Michigan

Jeanette Baran-Gale, Ph.D. (2012-2017)

Position in the lab: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD Student
Thesis: Contributions of MicroRNAs to Cellular Gene Expression Dynamics
Next Position: Post-doctoral Fellowship, Ponting Lab, University of Edinburgh

Sara Selitsky, Ph.D. (2012-2016)

Position in the lab: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD Student
Thesis: Novel Small RNAs in Chronic Viral Hepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Next Position: Research Associate, Lineberger Bioinformatics Core, UNC Chapel Hill

Post-doctoral Fellows

Yu-Han (Amy) Hung, Ph.D. (2017-2022)

Position in the lab: Post-doctoral Fellow
Research: Gene regulation in gut development and liver biology and disease
Next position: Principal Scientist, Translational Bioinformatics Group, Bristol Myers Squibb

Rodica (Petruta) Bunaciu, Ph.D. (2018-2019)

Position in the lab: Post-doctoral Fellow
Research: Liver microRNAs, MAPK signaling in fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next position: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Kutztown University

Nevzat (Nev) Kazgan, Ph.D. (2015-2017)

Position in the lab: Post-doctoral Fellow
Research: MicroRNAs and Crohn’s Disease
Next Position: Senior Research Associate, Syneos Health

Mi Zhou, Ph.D. (2016-2017)

Position in the lab: Post-doctoral Fellow
Research: RNA Biology and Bioinformatics
Next Position: Research Associate, Kim Lab, UNC Chapel Hill

Undergraduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

Mary Winnicki, B.S. (2021-2023)

Position in lab: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Research: MicroRNAs in colorectal cancer
Next position: TBD

Carlos Po, B.S. (2021-2022)

Position in lab: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Research: Fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next position: Research technician, MSKCC

Yutong Zhu, B.S. (2021-2022)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Research: Analysis of ChRO-seq data in fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next position: PhD Student, Computational Biology Program, Cornell University

Emily Liu, B.S. (2020-2021)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Research: Gene expression analysis in fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next Position: Undergraduate Student, Cornell University

Lawrence Kwong, B.S. (2019-2021)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Research: Mutation-specific microRNA profiles in colorectal cancer
Next Position: MD Student, Weill Cornell Medical College

Andrew Massa, B.S. (2017-2020)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Research: The role of specific microRNAs in fibrolamellar carcinoma
Next Position: MD Student, Columbia University

Grace Cho (2017-2018)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Scholar
Research: Assisting Amy Hung with the miR-29/liver project
Next Position: Undergraduate Student, Cornell University

Jonathan Villanueva, B.S. (2016-2017)

Position in the lab: Post-baccalaurate Research Scholar
Research: Non-coding RNAs in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma
Next Position: PhD Student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Cornell University

Ennessa Curry, B.S. (2016-2017)

Position in the lab: Post-baccalaurate Research Scholar
Research: MicroRNA Regulation of Intestinal Stem Cell Behavior
Next Position: PhD Student, UNC Chapel Hill

Eva Vitucci, B.S. (2015-2016)

Position in the lab: Post-baccalaurate Research Scholar
Research: Role of CA12 in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma
Next Position: PhD Student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, UNC Chapel Hill

Kevin Currin, B.S. (2014-2015)

Position in the lab: Post-baccalaurate Research Scholar
Research: Genomic and Epigenomic Context of MicroRNAs
Next Position: PhD Student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, UNC Chapel Hill

John Sincavage (2015-2016)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Scholar
Research: Role of miR-30 in the Control of Proliferation in Intestinal Epithelial Cell Models
Next Position: MD Student

Sydney Feinstein (2014)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Scholar
Research: Role of miR-30 in the Control of Proliferation in Intestinal Epithelial Cell Models
Next Position: Undergraduate Student, Hamilton College

Brendan Bulik-Sullivan (2012)

Position in the lab: Undergraduate Research Scholar
Research: Identification of Disease-Associated Genetic Variants in MicroRNA Loci
Next Position: Research Analyst, Daly Lab, Broad Institute

Skip to toolbar