Former Lab Members
Postdoctoral Fellows
Kate Laws, PhD 2016-2022
PennPORT Postdoctoral Fellow
Research and Outreach: The role of axon guidance pathways in non-neuronal tissues, DrosoPHILA High School Outreach
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Biology, Randolph Macon College
Edward Waddell, Ph.D 2019-2021
IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow
Research and Outreach: Motor neuron development, DrosoPHILA High School Outreach
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Holy Family University
Madhavi Gorla, Ph.D 2015-2020
Research: Regulation of Commissural Axon Guidance in the Developing Mammalian Spinal Cord
Current Position: DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow, Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University Hyderabad
Elise Arbeille, Ph.D. 2014-2018
Research: The role of Brain Tumor in regulating axon growth and guidance at the midline.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Physiology, Aix-Marseille University
Timothy Allen Evans, Ph.D. 2007-2013
Research: Diversification of Robo Receptor Function
Funding: NINDS F32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, 2009-2011
Current Position: Associate Professor of Biology, University of Arkansas
Juan Pablo Labrador, Ph.D. 2003-2008
Research: Transcriptional Regulation of Motor Axon Guidance
Funding: Human Frontiers Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2003-2005
Current Position: Associate Professor/Lecturer in Genetics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Xueping Fan, Ph.D. 2002-2003
Research: Robo Receptor Signaling
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Boston University Medical School
Graduate Students
Yixin Zang, Ph.D awarded 2022
Dissertation Title: To Cross or not to Cross: Uncovering Novel Regulators of Axon Guidance at the Midline
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University, Mentor: Gywneth Card
Karina Chaudhari, Ph.D awarded 2021
Dissertation Title: Mechanisms of Axon Guidance Receptor Regulation and Signaling During Midline Crossing
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University, Mentor: Alex Kolodkin
Samantha Russell, Ph.D awarded 2021
Thesis Dissertation: Netrin-Independent Frazzled Functions in Oogenesis and Axon Guidance
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill University, Mentor: Eric Lécuyer
Kevin Wiles, MS, 2021
Research: Axon Guidance Molecules in intestinal stem cell biology.
Current Position: Transitioning to Data Science/Software Engineering
Celine Santiago, Ph.D. Awarded 2016
Thesis Dissertation: Regulation of axon guidance receptor expression and activity during neuronal morphogenesis
Funding: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2012-2015
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow. Mentor: David Ginty, Harvard University
Louis Flexner Neuroscience Thesis Prize Awarded 2016
Tom Kadesch Genetics Thesis Prize Awarded 2016
Saul Winegrad Award for Outstanding Dissertation in Cell and Molecular Biology Awarded 2017
Melissa Hernandez-Fleming, Ph.D. Awarded 2016
Thesis Dissertation: Sema-1a reverse signaling promotes midline crossing in response to secreted Semaphorins
Funding: NINDS F31 Graduate Research Fellowship, 2013-2015
Current Position: Technical Sales Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Rebecca Chance, Ph.D. Awarded 2015
Thesis Dissertation: Between Slit and repulsion: cell and molecular mechanisms underlying Robo-mediated midline guidance
Funding: NINDS F31 Graduate Research Fellowship, 2010-2013
Current Position: Translational Scientist, INCYTE Pharmaceuticals
Alexandra Neuhaus-Follini, Ph.D. Awarded 2015
Thesis Dissertation: The intracellular domain of the Frazzled/DCC receptor is a transcription factor required for commissural axon guidance
Funding: T32 Training Program in Genetics
Awards: AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
Current Position: Merit Review Officer PCORI
Mike O’Donnell, Ph.D. Awarded 2012
Thesis Dissertation: Signal transduction mechanisms in commissural axon guidance: the role of intracellular tyrosine kinases in Netrin-DCC/Frazzled axon attraction
Funding: T32 Training Program in Developmental Biology
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Yale University
Hope Coleman, VMD, Ph.D. Awarded 2008
Thesis Dissertation: Proteolytic processing of the guidance receptor Roundabout regulates its activity
Funding: T32 Training Program in Developmental Biology
Current Position: Veterinarian, Co-Owner Art Museum Veterinary Center, Philadelphia
Ming Li, Ph.D. awarded 2008
Thesis Dissertation: Slit down-regulates CrGAP function to mediate axon repulsion in the embryonic Drosophila CNS
Current Position: Science Exchange Officer, Chinese Academy of Science
Long Yang, MD, Ph.D. awarded 2008
Thesis Dissertation: Regulation of Robo-mediated axon repulsion at the Drosophila Midline
Louis Flexner Neuroscience Thesis Prize Awarded 2009
Current Position: Staff Physician & Partner in Pathology, Carroll Hospital Center
David Garbe, Ph.D. awarded 2007
Thesis Dissertation: Integration and regulation of attractive and repulsive axon guidance at the Drosophila Midline
Funding: T32 Training Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, T32 Training Program in Genetics
Current Position: Director of Outreach and Education, Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research
Research Specialists
Nicholas O'Neill
2014-2016
Research: Genetic Screens for factors that promote axon growth across the midline
Current Position: Graduate Student, Bixby Lab, University of Miami
Katherine Blocklove
2016-2019
Research: The role of microtubule binding proteins during axon guidance at the midline
Current Position: Graduate School bound!
Undergraduate Students
Ethan Rohrbach
2015-2017
Research: The control of midline axon guidance by transmembrane and secreted Semaphorins.
Current Position: Graduate Student in Neuroscience, UCLA
Henry Zhou
2016-2018
Research: The control of midline axon guidance by TAP, the Drosophila homolog of Neurogenin.
Current Position: Medical Student, Columbia University