Department of Biology

There are currently 24 graduate students in the laboratories of the Department of Biology.

Stephen Baker

Stephen started at Georgetown in 2010, joining the labs of Drs. Hamilton and Wimp where he plans to work at the interface of community ecology and population genetics. He is studying the consequences of habitat fragmentation of the salt marsh foundation species, Spartina patens, and its specialist herbivore leaf-hoppers. Stephen is from Richmond, Virginia where he attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology. In his limited spare time he enjoys fly fishing in the Appalachians and Bluegrass music.

Sweta Batni

Sweta is a 2nd year PhD candidate in the Global Infectious Diseases Program working in Dr. Heidi Elmendorf’s Lab in the Department of Biology. Her current research focuses on giardia pathogenesis using rational drug design methods including High Throughput Screening (HTS) to identify small molecule inhibitors of giardia attachment.

Prior to matriculating at Georgetown University in 2010, Sweta worked as an analyst researching issues at the nexus of global health security and international health policy. Originally from Phoenix, Sweta moved to Baltimore in 2005 and earned a joint Master of Health Science (MHS) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health Policy from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.

Outside of the laboratory, Sweta enjoys going to live music shows and playing tennis.
 

Anna Bennett

Anna received her BS in Animal Science from Purdue University in December 2003 and her MS in Genetics from Iowa State University in August 2006. Anna's Master's research involved analysis of differential gene expression in the bone marrow of broiler and layer chickens as a means of investigating bone mineral density differences and osteoporosis in layers. After completing her MS, Anna worked as a Research Associate at Texas A&M University for a laboratory which focused on Monodelphis domestica (grey short-tailed opossum) genetics.

Anna joined Dr. Chris Elsik's lab in January 2008 as a PhD candidate with interests in bioinformatics and computational biology. She is investigating alternative splicing and gene prediction.

Away from school, Anna enjoys baking, homebrewing, traveling, gardening and worksharing at a local organic farm. 

Chao Chen

Chao received her Bachelor's degree from Wuhan University in China. She is now working on the project of SoxC genes' role in cerebral cortex development in the lab of Dr. Maria Donoghue. The Sox gene family encodes a large group of transcription factors, classified by sequence homology into groups A through E. All Sox proteins contain a high mobility group (HMG) box, a region responsible for protein-protein interactions as monomers form dimers in order to bind DNA. SoxC group genes have been implicated in several processes during neural development, but the specific roles played by SoxC genes in the mammalian cerebral cortex remain unclear. Chao's research focuses on the roles of two SoxC genes, Sox4 and Sox11, in cerebral cortical development.
 

Beginning in the Spring of 2012, Chao will also be taking on the role of Vice President of BOGS for Georgetown University.

Meredith Clifford

After graduating from Williams College in 2004, Meredith worked for a few years at the NIMH before starting graduate school at Georgetown in 2006. She is in her fifth year in the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience and is working on her thesis research in Dr. Maria Donoghue's lab which has its focus on the development of the brain. The goal of her project is to understand the role of intercellular signaling molecules in the process of neuronal maturation in the developing cortex.

Meredith won a 1st place award for her project Eph/ephrin signaling directs dendritic elaboration in the developing neocortex during the Student Research Days competition at the GU Medical School in April, 2011.  Outside of the lab Meredith likes to participate in triathlons and road races.

Congratulations to Meredith for the successful defense of her Ph.D. dissertation in January of 2012!

Aaron Howard

Aaron came to Georgetown in 2006 from Grove City College where he received his B.S. in Biology and Education with a minor in History. He works with Edward Barrows on pollinator mediated floral-display evolution in Milkweed plants, and the pollination biology of several locally endangered plants. Aaron has received grants from the Washington Biologists’ Field Club (WBFC), Sigma Xi Grant in Aid, and Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, VA.

In his free time he enjoys playing tennis, basketball, the guitar, Guitar Hero (or Rock Band), pina coladas and long walks in the rain.

Congratulations to Aaron for the successful defense of his Ph.D. dissertation in December of 2011!

Xin Huang

Xin comes from the southern coastal province of Fujian in China. After earning his B.S. at China Agriculture University, he went to Xiamen University for research work on gene expression levels of mouse brain exposed to tributyltin, a commonly used antifouling paint. He joined Dr. Peter Armbruster’s lab in 2011, attempting to address the evolutionary response of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, to the wide latitudinal range in North America, and the underlying molecular mechanism.

Besides lab work, he enjoys biking, photography, movies, and exploring the new environment of the Greater DC area.

Jing Jin

 Jing comes to Georgetown from Jiangsu, China. After receiving her BS from the University of Science and Technology of China, Jing came to the US to pursue a Ph.D. degree. She is now working in Dr. Elena Casey’s lab focusing on the neural development in Xenopus laevis.

Aleksander Keselman

Alex received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College. Before Georgetown, he spent two years at the NIA/NIH in Baltimore as a Post-Bacc IRTA. While there he received a reward for a poster session that he did. Alex has joined the Dr. Steven Singer laboratory and will be studying the host response to Giardia infection.

His outside interests include playing the guitar and long walks on the beach.

Ewa Krzyszczyk

Ewa is from the UK, with well defined Polish roots. She has her BSc in Zoology/Marine Zoology and an MSc in Marine Mammal Science from the University of Wales, Bangor. She has a strong background in cetacean research and has worked in many field sites.

In January of 2006, Ewa started working as a Research Associate and Database Manager for Prof. Janet Mann and the Dolphins of Monkey Mia Research Foundation, where her responsibilities included creating and organizing a new database, incorporating old data into the new database, photo-identification of Shark Bay dolphins, maintaining the organizations website, collection of survey data in Shark Bay and much much more!!

She has recently become a graduate student in Prof. Mann's laboratory.  She is primarily interested in techniques for aging animals and the physiology and behavior of cetaceans in their juvenile period, with specific emphasis on endocrinology.

Jenny Maloney

Jenny received both her B.S. in 2007 and her M.S. in 2009 in Biology from Middle Tennessee State University. Her Masters work focused on studies on Trypanasoma cruzi in Tennessee. In the summer of 2008, Jenny interned with the Tennessee Department of Health Vector-Borne Diseases Lab. She is interested in studying host-parasite relationships, and is working in the lab of Dr. Steven Singer studying the host immune response to Giardia infection.

In her spare time, she enjoys going to concerts and hiking.

Eric Patterson

Eric joined the Department of Biology in the fall of 2007 to study the behavior of wild bottlenose dolphins under the direction of Prof. Janet Mann. Eric received his Bachelors degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.  As a PhD student in Janet Mann's laboratory he will be exploring the social transmission of foraging behaviors. 

In addition, he is currently working on the development of a new blow sampling technique to assess wild cetacean diets using fatty acid signature analysis.  In his first year at Georgetown, Eric received the Animal Behavior Society Cetacean Behavior and Conservation Award and the American Society of Mammologists Grant in Aid of Research.  In 2009, Eric received an Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Fellowship. 

Outside of school, Eric has organized and participated in several intramural sports with the department’s team Tenacious DNA including flag football, softball, and volleyball. He also plays for the University of Colorado’s flag football team in Capitol Alumni Network league.  Eric enjoys reading, cooking, photography, running, camping, and hiking with his 4 year old yellow lab, Belle.

Theodore J. Picou III

Theodore (Trey) earned his B.S. from Georgetown University in 2011 and is now a PhD student in Dr. Heidi Elmendorf’s lab. His undergraduate research involved studying the attachment dynamics of the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia and he intends to pursue this area during the coming years. Specifically, he researches the parasite’s interaction with fluid and how the resulting fluid mechanics facilitate attachment. In general, he is interested in the intersection of biology and physics and searches for the physical principles responsible for biological phenomena. Outside of the laboratory he enjoys computer science and ardently follows the New Orleans Saints. The latter comes as no surprise considering he was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Lillian Power

Lillian graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2008 with a B.S. in Zoology and a minor in Art History. She comes to Georgetown after spending the last two years as a field technician for Dr. John Lill at GWU, and a lab technician for Georgetown’s very own Dr. Gina Wimp, where she helped develop a microsatellite library for two insect species in order to investigate the degree to which habitat fragmentation affects genetic variability.

Lillian joined Dr. Martha Weiss’ lab in 2010, and is interested in exploring the crossroads of behavior and genetics in an ecological context. She is particularly interested in the impressive migration of the Monarch butterfly, and plans to examine the patterns and mechanisms driving behavioral plasticity in what is generally accepted as a genetically driven behavior.

Lillian has thoroughly enjoyed her move to the east coast, and tries to take advantage of all the wonderful things D.C. has to offer. When not studying, she loves to explore the many art museums in the area and spend time with friends.

Banu Saritas-Yildirim

Banu is a PhD student working under supervision of Dr. Elena Casey. Her studies involve understanding the roles of protein degradation in nervous system development. She was born and raised in Turkey where she got her Bachelor’s of Science degree in both Biology and Biology Education at Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Banu came to Georgetown University after earning a Master’s of Science degree in plant molecular biology at University of Maryland, College Park.

She enjoys going to new places and taking pictures. The "Copper Man" picture representing her here is taken in Quebec City, Canada.

Maggie Stanton

Maggie entered the Ph.D. program in 2006 after receiving BS degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Maryland. She is generally interested in the complex cognition, behavior, and society exhibited by large-brained animals such as dolphins and primates. As a Ph.D. student of Janet Mann, Maggie is investigating the social development and future fitness consequences of early social patterns of bottlenose dolphin calves (Tursiops sp.). Maggie was named a University Fellow in 2006 and received a Washington Explorer's Club Exploration and Field Research Grant in 2008.

Before coming to Georgetown Maggie was a research assistant in the New York Aquarium's Behavioral and Cognitive Research Laboratory and also interned for a field study of bottlenose dolphins in the Lower Florida Keys. When not doing research, Maggie enjoys rock climbing, horseback riding, and going running with her dog.

Congratulations to Maggie for the successful defense of her Ph.D. dissertation in December of 2011!

Elizabeth Steidle

Elizabeth received a BS in biology from Randolph Macon College and an MS in biology from James Madison Univerity in 2010. She has joined the laboratory of Dr. Ronda Rolfes to investigate molecular mechanisms of signaling in yeast.

Her outside interests include going to the beach, drinking wine and reading novels (preferably all at the same time). She enjoys listening to good music and playing soccer when she has the chance. 

Shu Tao

Shu comes from the Chongqing Municipality of the People’s Republic of China. After graduating from Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, he entered the PhD program in Department of Biology of Georgetown University in fall 2008. Now he is working in Dr. Chris Elsik’s lab and taking great interest in investigating microRNA targets prediction and how the microRNA targets evolve in insects.

During his spare time, he enjoys swimming, basketball, soccer and body building.

Jean Tsai

Jean joined the PhD program in 2007 with a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a BA in Studio Art from the University of Arizona. She is generally interested in spatial patterns, mating systems, animal behavior, herpetology, and conservation ecology. Her previous research experiences include studying factors affecting springsnail distribution (with Dr. A. Elizabeth Arnold and Cheryl Craddock), heat shock effects on aphids (with Dr. Nancy Moran), habitat alteration impacts on brown anoles (with Dr. Erin Marnocha), eastern fox snake population demographics and distribution (with Kristin Stanford), and Costa Rican herps (DANTA, Dr. Thomas LaDuke). Currently, she is working with Prof. Martha Weiss. 

Her awards include the Clare Luce Boothe Fellowship (2007-2009), Georgetown University Center for the Environment Grant (2008), Explorers Club Exploration Fund Grant (2008), and the American Society of Mammalogists Grant-in-Aid (2008).

Outside of the lab, Jean enjoys eating, practicing martial arts, oil painting, reading, photography, and traveling.

Andrew Verardo

Originally hailing from Long Island, Andrew moved from Western Massachusetts to join the Department of Biology in 2008 and has since joined the lab of Dr. Elena Casey, where he is currently researching pancreatic development in basal chordates for his qualifying exam.

Andrew is a fan of taiko drumming (see this YouTube video) and soon hopes to start brewing his own beer. Yeast labs, beware!

Megan Wallen

Megan earned her B.S. in 2010 at the University of Michigan where she studied Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She spent the next year working as a field research assistant in Kenya studying the behavior and ecology of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) for a project through Michigan State University. In the fall of 2011 she joined Dr. Janet Mann’s lab as a Ph.D. student and plans to study the behavior of wild bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia. Specifically, she is interested in female social and sexual behavior, maternal strategies, and reproductive success.

After living in a tented camp in the bush for a year, Megan is enjoying being able to explore all the perks of D.C. and city life. When not studying, she likes to hike, read, travel, and follow Michigan football.
 

Niteace Whittington

Niteace joined the Department of Biology in the fall of 2008 after receiving her BS degree from Temple University in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA. She has joined the laboratory of Dr. Elena Casey.

Although she loves lab work, Niteace also likes to draw and crochet in her spare time.
 

Christopher Williams

Chris graduated from Frostburg State University in spring of 2006, and started in the Department of Biology Program at Georgetown in the Fall of 2006. He works in Dr. Heidi Elmendorf's lab and is interested in understanding methods of gene regulation in the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia.  He received the Healy Fellowship (2006-2011) and also was named an ASM Robert D. Watkins Research Fellow (2008-2011).

When Chris is not working on his research, he participates in intramural sports (football, volleyball, and softball), and he is always preparing for his next triathlon. 

Let's go Tenacious DNA!