People
Sean Ryder, Ph.D.Professor and Vice Chair of Outreach Bio: Sean Ryder graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. He studied the mechanisms of RNA folding and catalysis in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in 2001. He performed post-doctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute, where he was awarded a Damon Runyon fellowship to study post-transcriptional regulation and RNP assembly. He joined the faculty of the UMass Chan Medical School in 2005. His current research focuses on the role of RNA-binding proteins in the regulation of gene expression during differentiation and development, with a focus on reproductive biology and early embryogenesis. His work couples quantitative methods, molecular genetics, and high throughput approaches to map regulatory networks at the systems level. He received a Scholar Award from the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research in 2006, and a Basil O’Connor Award from the March of Dimes in 2008. Favorite Molecule: RNA |
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Hannah BrownResearch Associate
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School B.S. from University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
Joined the lab in March, 2022
Phone: 508-856-3568
E-mail: Send an email
Favorite Molecule: Acetone, it looks like a person!
How did you get into science: Various experiments and projects from middle school biology, including using a light microscope for the first time to view protists in pond water.
What do you do for fun: Art and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Peren CoskunGraduate Student B.Sc. Sabanci University, Instanbul, Turkey
Joined the lab in October, 2016 Phone: 508-856-3568 E-mail: Send an email Favorite Molecule: Water because water is life |
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Sharon NoronhaResearch Associate B.S. from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Joined the lab in October, 2021 Phone: 508-856-3568 E-mail: Send an email Favorite Molecule: Glucose is pretty neat. |
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Haik VarderesianResearch Associate
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School B.S. from College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
Joined the Lab in June, 2022
Favorite Molecule: Ghrelin
How did you get into science: Science Fair projects in the 5th and 6th grade and a special interest in botanics which developed into an interest in biochemistry.
What do you do for fun: Read and Workout
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Alumni
Mennatallah (Menna) Albarqi, Ph.D.,Graduate Student, 2016-2021, Post-doctoral fellow with Stephen Artandi at Stanford
Katianna Antkowiak, Research Associate, 2016-2021, Research Associate at Velocity Sciences
Carina Clingman, Ph.D., Graduate Student, 2009-2014, Business Owner / Entrepreneur, Recruitomics.
Brian Farley, Ph.D., Graduate Student, 2006-2012, Completed an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship with Kathy Collins, UC Berkeley. Currently the Director of Scientific Computing at Twist Bioscience.
Ebru Kaymak, Ph.D., Graduate Student, 2009-2016, Currently a post-doc with Ollie Rando at UMass Chan Medical School.
Suparna Laha, Ph.D., Graduate Student, 2015, Currently a faculty member at Yenepoya University, Mangalore, India.
Lisa McCoig, Research Associate, 2005-2008, Lisa left my lab to become a graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill. She left graduate school before finishing due to health reasons. She worked as a research technician at Duke before she ultimately succumbed to Crohn’s disease. We miss her dearly.
John Pagano, Ph.D., Graduate Student, 2006-2010, Completed an ACS Postdoctoral Fellowship with John Lis, Cornell University. Currently a Senior Manager of Biologics Clinical External Manufacturing at Bristol Myers Squibb
Cara Weismann, Ph.D., Postdoc, 2014-2016, Completed a AAAS-sponsored science policy fellowship at the NIH. Currently the Director of the Program of Excellence in MPS Diseases, Orphan Disease Center, Gene Therapy Program, University of Pennsylvania
Ruth Zearfoss, Ph.D., Research Scientist, 2006-2014, Currently the Editor-In-Chief at Cell Reports Methods.
Former Interns
David Moquin: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, MQP Research, 2006-2007
Robert Stefani: Undergraduate Intern, Brown University, 2008
Kingsley Essien: Undergraduate Intern, Providence College, 2007-2010
Samantha Hay: Undergraduate Intern / Research Technician, Syracuse University, 2010-2012
Daniel Hartman: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, MQP Research, 2010-2011
Emily Johnson: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, MQP Research, Summer 2011-2013
Charlene Pizzementi: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, 2011-2012
Alyssa Donohue: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, MQP research, 2013-2014
Cedric Lawrenz: Undergraduate Intern, U. Minnesota, Summer 2014
Cole Robert: High School Intern, Doherty, Worcester, MA, Summer 2014
Marykate Duska: Undergraduate Intern, Hampshire College, 2015
Rachel Prescott: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, MQP Research, 2015-2016
Kevin Fortier: Undergraduate Intern, Framingham State, 2015-2016
Jenna Libera: Undergraduate Intern, Clark University, 2016-2017
Michelle Heeney: Undergraduate Intern, UMass Amherst, 2016-2017
Zahra Kahzal: Undergraduate Intren, WPI, MQP Research, 2016-2017
Rick Metters: Undergraduate Intern, WPI, Summer 2017
Julia Hunt: Undergraduate Intern, UNH, Summer 2018
Hannah Snell: Undergraduate Intern, Hampshire College, Summer 2018
