Lab Members

Mary Munson, PhD

Professor and Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion

Assistant Vice Provost for Health Equity

Office: LRB 905
Lab: LRB 970

Tel: 508-856-8318
  
Mary Munson was a double major in Chemistry and Biology at Washington University (St. Louis), receiving her bachelor's degree in 1989. In 1996, she received her Ph.D. from Yale University in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, where she was awarded both American Heart Association and NIH postdoctoral fellowships. She joined the faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology in 2001. The lab is highly collaborative and currently supported by funding from NIGMS for her exocytosis research and funding from NIAID for the VPS45 project. In 2015, she was awarded the inaugural Bassick Family Worcester Foundation Award for her nuclear export project.

In addition to her passion for research, she has also been involved with teaching and curriculum development for the GSBS, and is the recipient of several Dean’s awards for her outstanding contributions to curriculum development and student mentoring. She is the current Faculty advisor for our student SACNAS chapter. She is a leader of the Diversity Action committee in the BMB department, and organized and leads the  GSBS Faculty Focused on Inclusive Excellence committee, to engage and educate GSBS faculty to promote diversity, equity and inclusion on our campus, in our labs, and in our broader scientific communities. She is currently the co-chair of the ASCB’s Women in Cell Biology committee and a co-investigator of the ASCB’s AMP MOSAIC program for select K99 scholars. She is a Trained Facilitator for “Entering Mentoring,” a program sponsored by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) to enable her to be a strong and supportive mentor to enable mentees to reach their full potentials in exciting and successful scientific careers. She is a co-leader for the new Investigator Career Advancement Program for fostering the success our our tenure-track junior faculty (iCAP). In recognition of her work, she received the 2022 Chancellor's Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion, and was appointed as Assistant Vice Provost in the Office of Health Equity.  

Other Affiliations

Leonora Martinez-Nunez, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

I earned my Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Microbiology at the Center of Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE) in Baja California, Mexico (2016). As a postdoc, my work focuses on studying the architecture of the Exocyst complex across morphogenetically diverse eukaryotes. Additionally, I have a great interest in Scientific Illustration and Science Visualization. Visit my portfolio here.

Illustration featured in the Introduction to the June 2020 Special Issue of Protein Science, entitled “Cellular Dynamics”

Favorite lab equipment:  ultracentrifuge
Favorite Buffer:  PE buffer, 80% ethanol by volume
Favorite Candy:  Reese’s
Favorite Music:  90’s grunge
 

Mike Feyder

Graduate Student

After graduating from Emmanuel college, I worked at Brown University as a research tech for 2 years before coming to UMass Chan. I work on structural biology of the exocyst complex, mapping out interactions with SNAREs and trafficking proteins using cryo EM, and other biophysical techniques.

Favorite Lab equipment:  FPLC
Favorite Lab buffer:  Liquid nitrogen, because I'm so cool 
Favorite candy:  Skittles
Favorite music:  Hip hop 

Kristyn Norris

Graduate Student

I graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in Biochemistry (2016). In lab, I work on the VPS45 project, connecting genotype and phenotype on a variety of different levels. I perform characterization and functional analysis of neutrophils and other cell types that have been modified using CRISPR/Cas9. I am also studying the VPS45 protein and how the mutations are affecting it using an array of biochemical techniques to look at function and conformation.

Favorite Lab equipment:  that one pipette aid that actually works
Favorite Lab buffer:  pH 2 Glycine Buffer, I deal out harsh burns 
Favorite candy:  Skittles
Favorite music:  Classic “dad” rock and punk rock 
 

Peter Opara-Nadi

Research Associate

Before coming to UMASS Chan, I earned my B.S. in Biology and minored in Chemistry at Georgia College & State University (2021). In lab, I am currently working to answer the fundamental mechanistic questions regarding proteins that regulate membrane trafficking and the consequences of mutations. 

Favorite lab equipment: Drummond motorized pipette controller
Favorite candy: Mike & Ike’s
Favorite music: R&B

Brenda Thomas

Lab Technician

I earned my B.S in Biology and minored in Chemistry from Worcester State University. I am focusing on the impact of the dysfunctional VPS45 protein and understanding its role in Severe Congenital Neutropenia (SCN). Both biochemistry and neutrophil biology are applied in researching this study.  

Favorite Lab equipment: Confocal Microscope  
Favorite candy: Snickers 
Favorite music: Gospel music