Our team.

Tania Rozario (PI)

Tania Rozario got her BA from Wesleyan University, CT, PhD from the University of Virginia and completed her postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Phillip A. Newmark at the Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI. She joined the University of Georgia in 2021 as an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and the Department of Genetics. Her work established H. diminuta as a tractable model organism for the study of stem cells with the goal of uncovering how these monstrous parasites achieve feats of growth, regeneration, and reproduction.

Izzy Skipper (Lab Technician)

Izzy got her BSc from the University of Georgia and is our tapeworm-wrangler extraordinaire! Among many things, she is working on understanding how Wnt signaling regulates stem cells and regeneration.

 

Corey Rennolds (Postdoc)

Corey got this PhD studying annelids at the University of Maryland and has now joined the flatworm family. He is working on characterizing molecular markers of stem cell subpopulations and understanding their potency and plasticity.

Cierra Gladfelter (Graduate Student)

Cierra got her BSc from the Colorado School of Mines. She is interested in exploring early stages of germ cell development in H. diminuta with a particular focus on the role of nanos.

Elise Nanista (Graduate Student)

Elise got her BSc from the University of Georgia in Biological Sciences, worked as a technician in the lab and we are delighted to welcome her back as a graduate student!. Elise’s focus is on uncovering the germ cell niche.

Chandler Lowe (Graduate Student)

Chandler got this BSc from Piedmont University. He will be working on understanding stem cell extrinsic signals that initiate and maintain the generation of segments, focusing on Notch-Delta signaling.

Lanni Poythress (Undergraduate Researcher)

Lanni is exploring how cell proliferation is affected by different amputation paradigms with the goal of uncovering how the tapeworm head regulates stem cell behaviors.

Alexis Uwakwe (Undergraduate Researcher)

Alexis (together with Luke) is mining our single cell sequencing atlas to uncover stem cell subpopulations, progenitors, and tissues specific markers. Her studies will enable us to understand differentiation trajectories of stem cells, and how they change during regeneration.

 

Luke You (Undergraduate Researcher)

Luke (together with Alexis) is mining our single cell sequencing atlas to uncover stem cell subpopulations, progenitors, and tissues specific markers. His studies will enable us to understand differentiation trajectories of stem cells, and how they change during regeneration.

Thank you to our alumni!

Olufemi (Femi) Akinkuotu (post-doc)

Thank you for your past and continuing work on establishing transgenesis in our tapeworm. Best of luck in your Assistant Professor position at Texas Tech University!

Logan Armstrong (undergrad)

Thank you for your contributions to describing stem cell subpopulation makers, especially those fgfrs! Best of luck in med school in Augusta!

Rachel Nelson (undergrad)

Thank you for your contributions to describing stem cell subpopulation makers. Best of luck in med school at Louisianna!

Mohamed Ishan (post doc)

Thank you for working out so many critical staining techniques for us in just 6 month! Best of luck in your new position at Emory University!

Medha Guduru (undergrad)

Thank you for working out the cellular identity of polarized Wnt signaling components. Best of luck in med school in Augusta!

Trevor Haskins (Masters student)

Thank you for your contributions to understanding how Wnt signaling components are expressed along the tapeworm A-P axis and for those pesky drug screens! Best of luck in your future endevours.

Brittany Chopra (lab tech)

Thank you for all the support you gave the lab and for your contributions to improving culture conditions for tapeworm reproduction. Best of luck in grad school at the K. Billmyre lab (UGA)!

Grace Conrad (undergrad)

Thank you for your work on germ cell markers. Best of luck in medical consulting!