Celebrating BMB Graduates

Please join us in our celebration as we highlight our BMB graduates.
The profiles are sectioned by degree type:


Doctor of Philosophy

Laura Agosto-Rosa

Laura Agosto-Rosa
Mentor: Kristen W. Lynch, PhD

Thesis Title: Role of pre-mRNA alternative splicing on protein diversity and epigenetics
Research and Lab Description: Dr. Lynch’s lab studies the mechanisms and consequences of regulated alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation during immune responses (e.g. T cell activation, viral infection, immunotherapy). My thesis work studied the interplay between pre-mRNA regulation (particularly alternative splicing), epigenetics and protein diversity in the context of T cell stimulation.
Post PhD Plans: Currently, I’m doing a short-term post-doc in Dr. Lynch’s laboratory to finish up some on-going work. Afterwards, I will move to a scientist/investigator position in biopharma. 
Mentor Comment: Laura has been the backbone of the lab for many years.  She first started working in my lab as an undergraduate in the summers of 2013 and 2014 and then officially joined as a PhD student in 2016.  She took on several projects during her PhD, all of which she drove from conception to completion, and her work brought new expertise and interests into the lab – including mass spectrometry and epigenetics.  She also brought in many decorations and baked goods to ensure the lab was a welcoming environment where everyone is celebrated.  Glad she is staying on awhile as a postdoc as the lab wouldn’t be the same without her!

Kiara Berrios

Kiara Berrios
Mentor: Rahul M. Kohli, MD, PhD
Saul Winegrad Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Thesis Title: Engineering controllable and efficient base editors by targeted manipulation of DNA deaminases
Mentor Comment: Kiara is a spectacular experimentalist, energized a team of collaborators and laid the groundwork for a new area of exploration in the lab. Her PhD work showed outstanding depth and breadth, with reports that have made a major impact and will continue to shape her field in important ways.

Sarah Bond

Sarah Bond
Mentor: Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, PhD

Thesis Title: Copper as a Novel Regulator of PERK
Mentor Comment: I feel so fortunate that Sarah decided to pursue her PhD with me. Sarah is all the things you want a scientist to be: curious, dedicated, meticulous, enthusiastic, hard-working and independent with just the right balance of skepticism and receptiveness to her data. She led a project that took the lab into new biochemical technologies, new concepts in enzyme regulation and new paradigms of cellular signaling. I have truly enjoyed our collaboration and our friendship. I look forward to seeing her bright future as a scientist.

Carl Edwin Fluck

Carl Edwin Fluck
Mentor: Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, PhD

Thesis Title: Structural studies of TRPV5 modulation
Post PhD Plans: Edwin will be a cryo-EM manager at Weill Cornell Cryo-EM Core Facility
Mentor Comment: Edwin is an outstanding student who achieved a lot in the short period of time in the laboratory. He joined in 2018 and his dedication to research and hard work resulted in authorship on seven published manuscripts. Edwin is a very motivated, enthusiastic, intelligent, and respectful person. He has his mind and heart dedicated to research and he will be greatly missed by Moiseenkova-Bell’s lab!!!

Rina Fujiwara

Rina Fujiwara
Mentor: Kenji Murakami, PhD

Thesis Title: Structural and biochemical insights into the transition from transcription initiation to elongation

Krystal Haislop

Krystal Haislop
Mentor: Kristen W. Lynch, PhD

Thesis Title: Interrogating PSF's RNA-binding interface
Mentor Comment: Krystal is adventurous both in the lab and out.  Within the lab, she took on the challenging goal of using biophysical techniques to map a poorly behaved protein-RNA interface.  Outside of the lab, she took on large boulders, long road races, biking across trolley tracks, and much rehab from injuries.  Wishing her much health and happiness in her next adventures!

Martin Iwanicki

Martin Iwanicki
Mentor: Bohdana Discher, PhD

Thesis Title: The Development of Novel Genetically Encoded Voltage Indicators Using De Novo Designed Proteins

Simon Kelow

Simon Kelow
Mentors: Roland L. Dunbrack, PhD & Kim A. Sharp, PhD

Thesis Title: Unsupervised learning of protein backbone conformations informs antibody structural bioinformatics and design

Nicole Kerstetter

Nicole Kerstetter
Mentors: Trevor Penning, PhD & Kim A. Sharp, PhD

Thesis Title: Expanding the Breadth of Drug Discovery through Experimental and Computational Techniques
Mentor Comment: Nikki did an outstanding job in her thesis. She mastered many techniques and skills from protein preparation, nano-encapsulation technology, high resolution NMR, protein modeling and simulations. She had the courage and perseverance to overcome many difficulties to produce an innovative and broad ranging thesis that pushed the technology of drug discovery forward. ~Kim

Yekaterina Kori

Yekaterina Kori
Mentor: Benjamin A. Garcia, PhD
Graduate Training in Medical Science (GTMS) Certificate

Thesis Title: Profiling of Protein Post-Translational Modifications Through Proteomic and Genomic Approaches Reveals Critical Biological Regulation.
Mentor Comment: Yekaterina took on a very difficult project that had many components to master and understand, and she did so with amazing tenacity. For the first time, we now know about a specific histone H3.3 variant modification that has a function during cellular differentiation.

Sravya Kotaru

Sravya Kotaru
Mentor: Josh Wand, PhD

Thesis Title: Establishing the Foundations for Biophysical Studies of Allostery in Parkin E3 Ligase
Mentor Comments: Sravya has overcome several significant barriers to complete her PhD dissertation: the pandemic, her mentor moving from Penn to Texas and she following, and a very hard scientific problem. Through creative work and incredible persistence, she has conquered a recalcitrant protein and made great advances in our understanding of the biophysical basis of the function of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin. These advances will undoubtedly form the foundation for discovery of Parkin’s role in early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Bravo!

Richard Lauman

Richard Lauman
Mentor: Benjamin A. Garcia, PhD

Thesis Title: Mass Spectrometry Methods for Studying RNA Modifications and RNA-Protein Interactions. 
Mentor Comment: Richard has worked very diligently over the years on projects that most in my lab would not touch. We’re known as a protein mass spec lab, but thanks to Richard’s efforts, we now can say we can analyze RNA comprehensive as well. His efforts have the possibility to really open up this growing area in the MS field.

Erin Masucci

Erin Masucci
Mentors: Erika Holzbaur, PhD and Michael Ostap, PhD

Thesis Title: Kinesin-4 Motor Teams Effectively Navigate Dendritic Microtubule Arrays via Track Switching and Regulation of Microtubule Dynamics
Mentor Comment: Erin Masucci developed novel cellular, single-molecule, and computational approaches to discover the mechanisms by which cytoskeletal motors and their tracks coordinate to move neuronal cargos in preferred directions. Specifically, her work revealed how a kinesin motor establishes long-range, directional transport on mixed polarity microtubules in mammalian dendrites.

Mariel Mendoza

Mariel Mendoza
Mentors: Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D. & Benjamin A. Garcia, PhD

Thesis Title: Understanding the role of nuclear acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 in maintaining histone acetylation
Mentor Comment: Mariel completed her doctoral work in the laboratories of Dr. Shelley Berger and Dr. Ben Garcia, developing a deep technical and theoretical knowledge of epigenetics and proteomics. Mariel uncovered a novel role for histone post-translational modifications by showing that histone proteins can serve as important reservoirs of intermediary metabolites for gene regulation. A hardworking, extremely generous and cheerful person, Mariel has been a pillar of both laboratories and her graduate program. We will miss her!

Lenitza Nieves Lopez

Lenitza Nieves Lopez
Mentor: David Cormode, DPhil

Thesis Title: Exploring Novel Materials to Be Used as DEM Contrast Agents for Breast Cancer Screening
Mentor Comment: Dr. Nieves' studied the development of novel contrast agents for the early detection of breast cancer. Dr. Nieves developed new chemistries to synthesize silver telluride and molybdenum sulfide agents. She performed translational studies on these agents, setting the stage for their potential use in the clinic. Lenitza is a productive and highly reliable person, who produces excellent work. I am sure that she will be a tremendous success in her future endeavors!

Trevor van Eeuwen

Trevor van Eeuwen
Mentor: Kenji Murakami, PhD

Thesis Title: Structural insights on TFIIH in transcription and DNA repair

Robert Warneford-Thomson

Robert Warneford-Thomson
Mentor: Roberto Bonasio, PhD

Thesis Title: Investigation of RNA-protein interactions in PRC2 function and development of a high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 testing platform
Mentor Comment: Robert has been an essential member of our team from the very beginning. He has made important contributions to the field of RNA-mediated regulation of chromatin functions and those contributions speak for themselves. In addition, Robert is the best lab citizen ever, incredibly generous with his time and advice. He is also a joy to work with. Always calm and pleasant, never angry. Because of this, his impact on the lab goes well beyond his publications. Almost every project in the lab has benefited from Robert's work and it will be hard to continue without him (but we will make it)! Perhaps the best example of Robert's generosity was his willingness to help with the COVID testing efforts at Penn. Caught by the pandemic in the middle of his second major thesis project, Robert did not hesitate to volunteer to join the rapid assay task force, a team of researchers at Penn tasked with developing cheap and rapid testing protocols to monitor COVID infections among the workforce. His work contributed to the development of the COVID-SAFE initiative at Penn. So not only has his altruism helped all of the Bonasio Lab members over the years, but I would argue it benefitted the entire Penn community. Thanks Robert and enjoy your well-deserved Ph.D.!

Sanjula Wickramasinghe

Sanjula Wickramasinghe
Mentor: Elizabeth Rhoades, PhD

Thesis Title: Single Molecule Approaches to Studying Tau Function and Dysfunction
Mentor Comment: Sanju is a very talented experimentalist who can coax beautiful single molecule FRET data out of challenging proteins.  On top of that, she has a talent for fixing broken and misbehaving instruments.  We miss her already!


Combined Degree, MD-PhD

Tong Wang

Tong Wang
Mentor: Rahul Kohli, MD, PhD

Thesis Title: Discovery and application of cytosine carboxymethylation
Mentor Comment: Tong’s thesis work epitomizes what can happen when vision, creativity, and persistence all combine. Beyond having developed an unprecedented enzymatic reaction and employing it in an entirely novel technological platform, he was driven to make everyone else around him in the lab better.