Whitney Edwards (she/her), PI
Whitney earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where she studied signaling pathways that influence pituitary gland development. She then accepted a SPIRE postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she combined her passion for teaching, mentoring, and research. As a SPIRE Fellow, she worked as a visiting professor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T), and her research focused on employing proteomic-based approaches to investigate fundamental mechanisms of embryonic heart development.
Gregory Miner (He/Him), Research Associate
Greg is a Research Associate in the Edwards Lab. Greg received degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Washington at Seattle and his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign .His PhD research focused on protein-lipid interactions and how these interactions are regulated, specifically in the context of vacuolar membrane fusion. During his postdoctoral research he investigated the role of lipid binding proteins in mediating organelle contacts and lipid transfer. One fun fact about Greg is he is a voracious reader; his favorite author currently is Stephen Erikson.
Khalid Tejan-sie (He/Him), Research Technician
Khalid, a Research Technician in the Edwards lab, recently graduated from NC State University with a B.S. in Bioprocessing Sciences. He is currently interested in using R for data analysis and visualization with plans to pursue graduate school in Biostatistics or Epidemiology in the future. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games and spending time with friends and family.
Shenice Harrison (She/Her), CBP Curriculum Graduate Student
Shenice is a PhD student in the Cell Biology and Physiology curriculum. She received her MS degree in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. During her master’s program, Shenice specialized in investigating the complex host-pathogen interactions related to the congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi infections. Before pursuing her master’s degree, Shenice was a McNair Scholar and earned her BS degree in Biology and Chemistry from Johnson C. Smith University. During her undergraduate years, she researched the seroprevalence of T. cruzi infections in brown rats in Grenada. In her current role within the lab, Shenice is engaged in unraveling the mysteries of protein myristoylation and its role in cardiac development. Shenice is a multifaceted individual with a love for musical instruments. She has an impressive repertoire, playing five distinct instruments: the alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tuba, mellophone, and French horn.
David Cully (He/Him), GMB Curriculum Graduate Student
David is PhD student in the Genetic and Molecular Biology curriculum. David’s previous research experience includes investigating mechanisms of, lipid metabolism and membrane trafficking. In the Edward’s lab his is studying the role of protein prenylation in heart development and congenital heart disease. David is a coffee coinsure- he currently has five different devices for brewing coffee and is collecting more!
Savannah O’Brien (She/Her), Undergraduate Researcher
Savannah O’Brien (She/Her), Undergraduate Researcher
Savannah, an Undergraduate Researcher in the lab, is a senior at UNC, studying biology and gender studies with a minor in chemistry. She enjoys volunteering as a birth doula and hopes to work in the field of reproductive healthcare as a physician one day. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing with her very cute dog.
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Ellie Hummel (She/Her), Undergraduate Researcher
Ellie, an undergraduate student in the lab, is a senior at UNC, studying health policy and management with minors in chemistry and Spanish. On campus, she is involved with Compostmates, Carolina Outing Club, and Dementia Friendly Carolina. She eventually hopes to work on the intersection of healthy aging, medicine, and public health. In her free time, she loves being outside and listening to new music!
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Nina Kornchankul (She/Her), Undergraduate Researcher
Nina is an undergraduate researcher and a student at UNC, originally from New Jersey. She is studying Biology on the pre-med track with minors in Health and Society & Medicine Literature, and Culture. She is also EMT certified and enjoys volunteering her time to help underserved communities. In her free time she enjoys traveling to new places, playing sports, and cheering on UNC’s sports teams.
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Dimitri Bikas (He/Him), Undergraduate Researcher
Dimitri is an Undergraduate Researcher with the McAllister Heart Institute (MHI) Summer Internship Program. He is a senior at UNC, currently pursuing a B.S. in Quantitative Biology and a B.A. in Hispanic Linguistics. He intends to enter a PhD program following graduation, with interests in anatomy, cell biology and physiology. He enjoys being outside, spending time with family, reading and learning new languages.