Personnel

Principal Investigator:

Shawn Ahmed, PhD

PROFESSOR, GENETICS AND BIOLOGY 


Trained Mentor under Office of Graduate Education UNC Chapel Hill

Haven Trained  

 

Postdoctoral Fellows:

coming soon

 

Research Technicians:

Ambika completed a Master’s degree in Genomics and Molecular Biology from West Virginia State University in Institute, WV, where she studied genomics of Capsicum fruit color. Ambika has an undergraduate degree in Agriculture and Animal Sciences at the Institute for Agriculture and Animal Sciences in Rupandehi, Nepal.

Maddie completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. She is completing a Master’s degree in Biostatistics from NC State University.

Rotation students:

Ben completed his undergraduate degree in Physics at Vassar College. He worked for three years as a research technician in the Ahmed lab before beginning graduate school at UNC

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Eli Waite (Chem) – 2022 to present

Vi Pham (Chem) – 2023 to present

Arzan Upadhyay (Chem) – 2023 to present

 

Niha Kanumuri (Ncsi / Biol)- 2023 to present

Sara Boburka (Qbio) – 2024 to present

 

past Postdoctoral Fellows:

Evan Lister-Shimauchi (PhD, University of California, Irvine) – 2017 to 2023 – funded by my NIH grant GM043048; telomere biology; currently Microbiologist at TechDigital, NC

 

Maya Spichal (PhD, Pasteur Institute with Romain Koszul) – 2015 to 2019 – funded by DFG German fellowship; germ cell biology; currently a postdoctoral fellow with Craig Mello, University of Massachusetts Medical School

 

Bree Heestand (PhD, Baylor College of Medicine with Adam Antebi) – 2013 to 2019 – funded by my NIH grant GM043048; germ cell/RNA biology; currently Director of Fit Lab Studies, Raleigh, NC

 

Stephen Frenk (PhD, Cambridge University with Jon Houseley) – 2015 to 2018 – funded by my NIH grant GM083048; currently Team Leader, Achilles Therapeutics, London UK

 

Kathryn Kretovich Billmyre (PhD, Duke University with John Klingensmith) – 2015 to 2017 – funded by Ellison Award & NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellowship; currently Assistant Professor at Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens

 

Matt Simon (PhD, University of North Carolina with Shawn Ahmed) – 2014 to 2015 – funded by NIH grant GM66228; Currently Project Director at Rare Disease Translational Center, the Jackson Laboratory.

 

Stacy Alvares (PhD, University of Washington, Seattle) – 2008 to 2012 – funded by SPIRE postdoctoral fellowship program; currently Adjunct Professor, Bellevue College, WA

 

Aisa Sakaguchi (PhD, Nagoya University, Japan) – 2007 to 2010 – currently Assistant Professor, Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Osaka University, Japan

 

Theresa Zucchero (PhD, University of Iowa) – 2005 to 2007 – SPIRE teaching fellow – funded by NIH SPIRE training grant; currently Senior Research Scientist, Rho

 

Bettina Meier (PhD, University of Munich) – 2001 to 2005 – funded by my NIH grant GM66228; currently Bioinformatician, Fios Genomics, Edinburgh, UK

 

Iuval Clejan (PhD, Boston University) – 2001 to 2005 – funded by my NIH grant GM66228 and by a UNC Lineberger Cancer Center Postdoctoral Fellowship; currently Tech Engineer, Open Space Community, GA

 

 

past PhD students:

Felix Peng (joint student with talented chromosome imaging investigator Paul Maddox) – 2013 to 2016 – funded by my NIH grant GM066228, left with Master’s; currently Foreign Service Officer and Diplomat, US Department of State

 

Denis Titov – 2015 to 2016 – funded by my NIH grant GM043048, left experimental biology to pursue other interests

 

Jacinth Mitchell – 2009 to 2015 – funded by my Ellison grant; currently looking for a position

 

Matt Simon – 2009 to 2014 – funded by my NIH grant GM66228; currently Project Director at Rare Disease Translational Center, the Jackson Laboratory 

 

Morgan Brady – 2011 to 2014 – funded by my NIH grant GM66228; currently Associate Research Scientist at The Jackson Labs 

 

Luciana Leopold – 2008 to 2014 – funded by my Ellison grant, currently Senior Medical Writer at OPEN Health Communications, NC

 

Ludmilla Shtessel – 2006 to 2012 – funded by my NIH grant GM66228; currently Clinical Scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, NC

 

Mia Lowden – 2003 to 2008 – funded by NIH NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship Award for Minority Students, and by minority supplement to my NIH grant GM66228; currently Chief Diversity Officer, National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH

 

Julie Hall (Boerckel) – 2002 to 2007 – funded by my NIH grant GM66228; Professor at Biology Department, Lincoln Memorial University, TN

 

 

past Research Technicians:

Ben McCarthy – 2021 to 2024 – currently graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill

Emily Mathew – 2021 to 2024 – currently at Medical School at US Air Force Academy

Shiyan Wang – 2022 to 2023 – currently pursuing Master’s in Biostatistics 

Michael Lippencott – 2019 to 2021 – currently Graduate Student at University of Colorado Anschutz

Braxton Harris – 2016 – 2018 – currently Research Associate at UNC Neuroscience Center

Charlie Longtine – 2015 to 2017 – currently Graduate Student at Harvard University

Yan Liu – 2001 to 2005 – currently Research Associate at the NIH

 

 

past Rotation Students:

David Cully (Winter, 2023)

Clayton Harry (Fall, 2022)

Fred Koitz (Spring, 2022)

Patrick Havlick (Fall, 2015)

Chris Uyehara (Spring, 2015)

Denis Titov (Spring, 2015)

Philip Coryell (Fall, 2013)

Jordan Kardos (Summer, 2013)

Mike Conlin (Summer, 2013)

Garret Berry (Fall 2012)

Mariah Hanson (Fall 2011)

Morgan Brady (Fall 2011)

Brian Bower (Spring 2010)

Jacinth Mitchell (Spring 2009)

Matt Simon (Spring 2009)

Christian Burr (Spring 2007)

Curtiss Hewitt (Fall 2005)

Nevzat Kazgan (Spring 2004)

Andrea Chaput (Fall 2004)

Kui Kwon Kim (Fall 2004)

Keith Woods (Spring 2003)

Patrick Reynolds (Fall 2003)

Jan LaRoque (Fall 2003)

Nathan Montgomery (Spring 2002)

 

past Undergraduate Students:

Brittany Marcus – 2023 to 2024

Chris Ewart – 2022 to 2024

Maggi Mugi – 2021 to 2023

Riyasha Gautam – 2021 to 2023

Deborah Agorua – 2022 to 2023

Emily Matthew – 2019 to 2021

Pagnanaeth Tin – 2021

Xiao Wen Chen – 2021

Olivia Mwangi – 2021

Dat Tran – 2019 to 2021

Margaret Wu – 2019 to 2020

Lanna Jin – 2019 to 2020

Minh Nguyen (Chemistry Department) – 2017 to 2019

Seeun Jung – 2017 to 2019

James Horng – 2017 to 2018

Ruwaydah Sideek – 2017 to 2018

Aylin Memili – 2016 to 2018 – currently Medical Student, UNC Chapel Hill

Michael Dinh – 2016 to 2018 – currently Medical Student, UNC Chapel Hill

Wilfred Wong – 2015 to 2018

Zijin (Annie) Lin – 2016 to 2017

Katharine Coomer – 2016 to 2017

Zamira Figuereo – 2016 to 2017

Ayush Kaushish – 2016 to 2017

Tina Xiang – 2014 to 2016

Priyanka Srinivas – 2015 to 2016

Isabel Kenny – 2013 to 2015 – currently Graduate Student at Duke University

Ricky Ho – 2014 to 2015

Shengmei Yin – 2013 to 2014

Kathryn Yiwen Wu – 2012 to 2014

Soobin Seong – 2011 to 2014 – currently consultant at The Chartis Group, VA

Jaslina Paintal – 2013

Florence Tang – 2013 – UNC undergraduate exchange student from Singapore

Anna-Lisa Doebley – 2011 to 2013 – currently MSTP student at University of Washington, Seattle 

Ah Jung Jeon – 2012 – UNC summer exchange student from Singapore 

Zhi Wen Eyo – 2012 – UNC summer exchange student from Singapore

Shivani Garg (UNC School of Public Health) – 2012 

Hannah Chacon – 2010 to 2012 

Chen Cheng (Chemistry Department) – 2008 to 2012 – currently Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oxford

Michael Ropero – 2011

Tiffany Lee – 2010 to 2011

Gaea McCaig – 2009 to 2011

Elizabeth Cotton – 2009 to 2011

Ashley Hedges – 2007 to 2010

Kristy Cho (Chemistry Department) – 2008 to 2009

Vahini Chundi – 2008 to 2009

Lauren Garwood – 2007 to 2008

Robert Patrick Summers – 2007 to 2008

Teresa Lee – 2005 to 2007 – currently Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Carolyn Hollands – 2005 to 2006

Matt Eckler – 2004 to 2006 – currently Investment Analyst, Arrowmark Partners

Qi Peng (Biology and Biomedical Engineering) – 2003 to 2006 

Chris Smelick (Biochemistry) – 2003 to 2005

Aidan Spring – 2004 (Summer exchange student from Kings College, Dublin) 

Sarah Mense – 2002 to 2004 

Yan Zhao – 2002 to 2004 

Joshua Eudailey – 2002 to 2004

Jasper Harris – 2001 to 2003, currently Biostatistician, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Durham, NC