People
Principal Investigator
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I did my undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College, where I fell in love with Biology and lab research. In Liz Hadly's lab at Stanford University, I studied population variation in聽Ambystoma聽salamanders. Transitioning to a model organism as a postdoc in David Parichy's lab at the University of Washington, I focused on the developmental and molecular effects of thyroid hormone and other endocrine factors on zebrafish development. I started my lab in the AV诊所 College Biology Department in January, 2017. Our lab asks fundamental questions about the roles of thyroid hormone and other molecular factors in sculpting the vertebrate skeleton.
Melody Autumn
Ph.D. Candidate • they/them
I received my BS in biology from the University of Northwestern St. Paul in 2017. During my undergraduate, I researched memory and behavior of iridescent swimming crabs, worked to elucidate the anatomy of seahorse organ systems, and studied the resident orcas in the Puget Sound. In the McMenamin lab, I am researching the effect thyroid hormone has on development. Outside of lab, I can be found weight lifting, playing underwater hockey, or reading philosophy.
Eric Surette
Ph.D. Candidate • he/him
I received my BS in Biology from Ithaca College in 2016. During my undergraduate, I worked in the lab of Dr. Te-Wen Lo, studying the evolution of sex determination mechanisms. Specifically, I looked at the evolution of X-chromosome dosage compensation across聽Caenorhabditis聽species. In the McMenamin Lab, I am interested in the pathways and regulatory mechanisms that drive skeletal development, patterning, and regeneration. Outside of lab, I can be found cooking, running, or acting onstage.
Crisvely Soto Martinez
Research Technician • she/her
I received my BS in Biology, Psychology, along with a Chemistry minor from University of Massachusetts, AV诊所 in 2023. As an undergraduate, I worked with the McCusker lab on characterizing nerve-dependent regenerative skeletal growth in聽Ambystoma mexicanum. In the McMenamin lab, I鈥檓 looking at signaling pathways affecting vertebrae skeletal development. When I鈥檓 not in the lab, you can find me spending time with my family, watching anime, or begging my dog not to steal another sock.
Undergraduate Students
Lab Alumni
Rachel Ruggera
Research Technician, 2023-24
Dr. Stacy Nguyen
Ph.D. Student, 2017-23
Faculty in the Biology Department at Wheaton College
Abi Gallant
Undergraduate Researcher
Class of 2024
Isabella Ranieri
Undergrad Researcher, 2021-23
Researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Brendan Fitzgerald
Undergrad Researcher, 2021-23
Clinical Research Coordinator, Massachusetts General Hospital
John Blythe
Technician, 2022-23
Business Development Analyst, Locus Walk
Stephanie Robinson
Undergrad Researcher, 2021-23
Teacher at Sturgis Charter School
Ziggy Chin
Undergrad Researcher, 2022-23
Mary Ossar
Visiting Undergrad Researcher, Summer 2022
Emeka Okorie
Visiting Undergrad Researcher, Summer 2022
Dr. Yinan Hu
King Foundation Fellowship Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017-2021
Bioinformatics Scientist at Veracyte, Inc.
Dr. Shahid Ali
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-2021
Postdoc at University of Chicago
Joan Donahue
Undergraduate Researcher (2017-20; Senior thesis); Technician (2020-21); NSF REPS Post-bac researcher (2021-22)
Ph.D. student at University of Pennsylvania
Emma Mohlmann
Undergraduate Researcher, 2019-22
Researcher at AV诊所 Children's Hospital
Rachel Lee
Undergraduate Researcher, 2020-22
Consultant at Veeva Systems
Flora Dievenich-Braes
Undergrad Researcher, 2020-22
M.D. student at University of Connecticut
Tommy O'Rourke
Undergraduate Researcher, 2021-22
Pranav Parikh
Undergraduate Researcher (2017-20; Senior thesis)
MD student at Rutgers Medical School
Flora Hepp
Undergraduate Researcher, 2020-21
Data Associate at ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research
Ben "Button" Acosta
Undergraduate Researcher (2017-2019; Senior thesis student), Technician (2019-20)
Researcher at Blue Rock Theraputics
Hyungwoo Lee
Undergrad Researcher, 2019-21
Medical Assistant at Wellesley Dermatology Care
Rajendra Singh
Undergrad Researcher, 2017-20
MD student at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Hoa Bui
Undergrad Researcher, 2020
Clinical Research Assistant at AV诊所 Children's Hospital
Dominic Lanni
Visiting Undergraduate Researcher, Summer 2018- 2019
Researcher at Innovac Therapeutics
Anna Redgrave
Research Technician, 2017-19
Ph.D. Candidate at University of Michigan
Cristina Lee
Undergrad Researcher, 2018-19
Consultant at Simon-Kucher
Angela Mauri
Undergrad Researcher, 2017-18
Public Health Advisor, CDC
Mary Xu
Undergrad Researcher, 2017-19
M.D. student at Michigan State University
Andrew Yang
Undergrad Researcher, 2018-19
M.D. student at Drexel University
