MEET OUR SCIENTISTS
Leadership Committee
Ann Marie Lawson
Ph.D. Student, GIP Leadership Committee
Email: amlawson@med.umich.edu
Research Interests: I study the evolution of large, repetitive DNA sequences called palindromes. I am investigating how many of these palindromes are shared across mammals and why they have persisted throughout evolution.
Sheila Marte
Ph.D. Student, GIP Leadership Committee
Email: martes@umich.edu
Research Interests: My lab studies a family of genes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that are required to make proteins. I am interested in studying how mutations in glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GARS1) cause human disease and lead to differences in patient symptoms.
Anthony Nguyen
Ph.D. Student, GIP Leadership Committee
Email: antnguye@umich.edu
Research Interests: I study genes that have different copy numbers across dog breeds and human patients, looking for associations with breed-defining traits and disease.
Ilakkiya Venkatachalam
Ph.D. Student, GIP Leadership Committee
Email: ilakkiya@umich.edu
Research Interests: Every cell in our body has the same genetic information (DNA), but each cell selectively uses only some of this information. I study the proteins that regulate gene expression in cells.
Mentors
Allison Cale
Ph.D. Student, GIP Mentor
Email: acale@umich.edu
Research Interests: I study a group of genes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, which code for enzymes that are necessary for making all the proteins in our bodies. I study how mutations in some of these genes lead to a disease characterized by neurological and motility issues; because these genes are well-conserved, I can do this using model organisms like yeast and worm!
Dominic Bazzano
Ph.D. Student, GIP Mentor
Email: dbazzano@umich.edu
Research Interests: I study a protein that is important for the production of male and female gametes (sperm and egg), yet absence of this protein affects male fertility more severely than in females. My experiments are geared towards understanding the differential requirement of this protein in gametogenesis using genetic and biochemical approaches.
Emily Koch
Ph.D. Student, GIP Mentor
Email: emckoch@umich.edu
Research Interests: I study the structure and function of tRNA-derived Short Interspersed Elements (SINEs) to better understand key structural factors that facilitate retrotransposition. As a result, I hope to gain insight into evolutionarily conserved relationships between tRNA-derived SINEs by analyzing both closely-related and diverged mammals.