Michael Welte, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator
Fun Fact: Michael currently owns 55 fly-themed t shirts and wears one almost everyday.
Pakinee Phromsiri – Graduate Student
“I want to know how development is affected when histone variant H2Av is improperly regulated.”
Fun Fact: Pakinee’s hobbies include baking treats for the lab and making our lovely fly t-shirts.
Roger White – Graduate Student
“I am studying the mechanism of fatty acid uptake and the regulation of fatty acid trafficking.”
Fun Fact: Roger has both played and coached American football.
Alicia Shipley – Graduate Student
“I am working to elucidate the dynamics of histone variant H2Av exchange on lipid droplets.”
Fun Fact: Alicia is the lab’s provider of daily Dad Jokes.
Minhao Chen- Graduate Student
“I am studying the mechanisms of lipid droplet formation and regulation in ovaries under stress.”
Fun Fact: Minhao doesn’t like anything that tastes sweet.
Naduni De Silva- Graduate Student
“I study the mechanism of Importin 9 in H2Av chaperoning.”
Fun Fact: Nadi is a die-hard fan of K-pop groups BTS, GOT7, and Monstax.
Noah Reger- Graduate Student
“I am studying the role of the histone variant H2Av in developmental timing.”
Fun Fact: Noah’s favorite literary work is Faust by Goethe.
Brian Jencik – Laboratory Technician
Fun Fact: Brian has 18 siblings.
Caleb Borick- Undergraduate Researcher
Fun Fact: Caleb schedules his sleep in 90-minute increments to avoid waking up during deep sleep periods.
Somes Jacobson- Undergraduate Researcher
“I am studying the developmental effects of heat shock factors on Drosophila wing discs.”
Fun Fact: Somes grew up on an urban farm.
Brendan Mahaney- Undergraduate Researcher
Fun Fact: Brendan has broken his wrist three times in the same spot.
Justin Anderson- Undergraduate Researcher
Rohan Nanduri- Undergraduate Researcher