Karen Acosta
Mentor: Elizabeth Rhoades, PhD

Mentor Comment: Karen's work in the lab has really laid the groundwork for several exciting projects in the lab. Her rigorous, thorough and creative characterization of tau's PRR underscores how important this overlooked region of the protein is in regulating tau function. She is also our go-to person for questions about protocols, fixing instruments, and institutional memory. Karen has an extremely bright future in front of her and I'm looking forward to seeing how far she goes!

Yuxi Ai
Mentor: Bin Tian, PhD
2022 Blavatnik Family Fellowship Recipient

Thesis Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF CRISPR/CAS13 SYSTEMS AND ANALYSIS OF TIMP2 ALTERNATIVE POLYADENYLATION IN RAS SIGNALING

Faviolla Baez-Cruz
Mentor: Michael Ostap, PhD

Thesis Title: Drosophila Class-I myosins that can impact Left-Right asymmetry have distinct ATPase kinetics
Mentor Comment: Faviolla determined the kinetic mechanisms of two cytoskeletal motors important for organismal development. The experiments were very difficult due to the motors being "temperamental" - but through her hard work and perseverance, her research revealed important new insights into the mechanochemical diversity of myosins!

Michael Cory
Mentor: Rahul Kohli, MD, PhD

Thesis Title: Sending out an SOS: Understanding Bacterial Stress through Biochemistry and Structure
Research and Lab Description: The Kohli lab studies the dynamics of DNA in various biological processes – from nucleotide modification to DNA repair, and how further understanding these processes can be leveraged for new biotechnologies and therapeutics. My thesis research focused on the biochemical and structural underpinnings of the bacterial SOS response – a DNA damage response pathway implicated in antibiotic resistance.
Post PhD Plans: I am currently a Synthetic Biology HIVE fellow at Harvard Medical School, studying how we can engineer microbes for more sustainable methods of rare earth metal extraction and purification.
Mentor Comment: Michael’s thesis work was notable for the elegant manner in which he has employed and integrated protein engineering, chemical biology, and biophysical approaches toward the goal of resolving a key complex that underlies acquired antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The structure of this complex has eluded the field for decades, and its solution was a credit to his creativity, fearlessness, and persistence, skills that will serve him well as he continues to tackle challenging new questions in synthetic biology.

Andrea Detlefsen
Mentor: Trevor Penning, PhD

Jean Etersque
Mentor: Mark Sellmyer, MD, PhD

Thesis Title: A modular molecular scaffold to capture and control target activity
Research and Lab Description: My current research is centered in chemical biology and translational molecular imaging. In the Sellmyer lab I developed radiopharmaceuticals for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging, which is a whole-body patient diagnostic technique, and radiotherapy. Specifically, I developed PET radiotracers for imaging bacterial infections. I also worked on the development of a radioligand therapy for targeted cell death for cancer treatment. My other work centered on the development of a bifunctional small molecule-degrader system for post-translational control of protein abundance in cells.
Post PhD Plans: Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, NY in the lab of Joan Massaguè studying cancer metastasis.
Mentor Comment: Jean had stellar PhD thesis entitled, “Applications of an enzyme-ligand pair as a modular molecular scaffold to capture and control target activity.” She published a first author paper in Nature Communications, and left a powerful mark on the Sellmyer Lab, our BBCB graduate group, and through her extra-curricular activities at Penn which included PGWISE and IDEAL. She is going to a post-doctoral position at the Joan Massagué lab at MSKCC. Go Jean!

Fred Fregoso
Mentor: Roberto Dominguez, PhD

Thesis Title: Mechanisms of Arp2/3 complex inhibition, synergistic activation, and branch regulation
Mentor Comment: Fred joined the BMB graduate group in the fall of 2019 and joined the Dominguez lab for his thesis work about a year later. During January 2020, the US was hit by the COVID pandemic, which had a profound impact on our students, including Fred. Fred first embarked on a project related to formins. However, at the time the conditions were not fully ready for this project, which has since been successfully inherited by another BMB student in the lab, Nick Palmer. On the other hand, work on the Arp2/3 complex, started by yet another BMB student, Austin Zimmet, appeared ready for Fred to continue making contributions in this area, and he thus started working on this project toward the end of 2020. 

Fred has been remarkably productive, co-authoring 4 papers, including a highly cited review on Arp2/3 complex published in Trends in Cell Biology and three research papers. He is the first author on two Nature Communications papers, dealing with the Arp2/3 complex regulators Cortactin and Arpin, and contributed to another study on Arp2/3 complex activation by dimeric NPFs published in PNAS. A fifth manuscript, dealing with another Arp2/3 complex regulator, Coronin-7, is being prepared for submission with Fred as first author.  

In addition to his scientific successes, Fred has been an outstanding citizen in the Dominguez lab and at Penn. He co-chaired the Penn INSPIRE network, acted as a graduate student representative of the Physiology Department’s DEI committee, and assumed leadership roles in Penn’s Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science. In the Dominguez lab, he organized the Cytoskeleton Journal Club and helped train undergraduate and graduate students.  

Throughout his stay in the Dominguez lab, the one trait that has characterized Fred more than any other is his endless enthusiasm for science and his drive to better himself. Fred comes from humble beginnings, as the child of a working-class family of Mexican emigrants, growing up in a challenging area of Los Angeles. He has had to overcome numerous financial and environmental obstacles to become, against many odds, the success story he is today. Fred serves as a living example that given the opportunity, young people from underprivileged communities can surpass our expectations and thrive. 

The Dominguez lab has been fortunate to have Fred as a colleague and a friend, and while we will be sad to see him go, we know he will be successful and anticipate celebrating his many future successes.

Pam Gallo
Mentor: Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, PhD

Thesis Title: TRPV2 ION CHANNEL DYNAMIC PROXIMITY PROTEOME REVEALS FUNCTIONAL LINKS OF CALCIUM FLUX WITH CELLULAR ADHESION
Research and Lab Description: I worked for Dr. Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, the Beckman Center for CryoEM director at Penn. Her lab is centered around structural biology, but I primarily studied protein neighborhood dynamics of the TRPV2 ion channel using proximity proteomics. 
Mentor Comment: Pam was a dedicated and determined student who made a lasting impression in the lab. Despite facing challenges with her project, she approached it with unwavering determination and resilience. Her commitment to seeing her project through to the finish line was truly admirable. Pam's hard work and perseverance enabled her to accomplish a lot during her time in the lab and publish a great manuscript. Her presence will be greatly missed, and her contributions will be remembered fondly by all who had the pleasure of working with her.

Craig Gambogi
Mentor: Ben Black, PhD

Thesis Title: The Role of Centromere Function in Human Artificial Chromosome Formation
Research and Lab Description: The Black lab’s research focuses on a fundamental understanding of chromosome biology. Recently, we have applied this understanding to develop new technologies for the treatment of disease and synthetic biology. My research has focused on using a basic understanding of the centromere, a locus on the chromosome necessary for equal segregation of chromosomes during mitosis, to develop human artificial chromosomes (HACs). HACs have the potential to expand the genome engineering toolbox, greatly expanding our ability to bring much needed care to patients through production of biologics and gene therapies. 
Post PhD Plans: I plan to continue to conduct challenging and impactful research in the pharmaceutical industry.
Mentor Comment: Craig’s central achievement was to design, build, and successfully test the world’s first single-copy human artificial chromosome. We should leave it to the leaders in synthetic biology and chromosome engineering to describe the high impact of this work. Here are some quotes. From George Church (Harvard): “It is very important work. Just as in computing we need computers with more and more memory, there is great need to expand our storage capacity in genetic engineering.” From Jef Boeke (NYU): “It is an enormous achievement…The difference between the [artificial] chromosomes of 1997 and the current ones [Craig’s] is like that between a Ford Model T and a Tesla.” From Kelly Dawe (UGA): he mentions how Craig’s advance brightens the horizon on how “It may soon be possible to include artificial chromosomes as part of an expanding toolkit to address global challenges related to healthcare, livestock, and the production of food and fiber.”

Michael Gilbert
Mentor: Shelley Berger, PhD

Thesis Title: Neuropeptides specify and reprogram elaborate division of labor in leafcutter ants

Alex Indeglia
Mentor: Maureen Murphy, PhD
Graduate Training in Medical Science (GTMS) Certificate

Thesis Title: P53 is Part of the Citrulline-nation: PADI4 is a regulator of the p53 pathway and tumor suppression
Research and Lab Description: PADI4 regulates the p53 pathway and tumor suppression through citrullination and immune activation
Post PhD Plans: Postdoc fellowship, Harvard Medical School
Mentor Comment: Alex is a pure “triple threat”.  She is a fantastic experimentalist who is also a wonderful writer and clear and passionate speaker.  On top of this, she is also one of the kindest and most collegial scientists you will ever meet.  It has been a honor and a pleasure to mentor her and watch her grow as a scientist and a human being, and I keenly await all of the wonderful science that she will produce in the coming years.  The Murphy lab, and BMB, will miss her very much.

Hee Jong Kim
Mentor: Kenji Murakami, PhD

Matthew Martinez
Mentor: Yi-Wei Chang, PhD
2023 Blavatnik Family Fellowship Recipient

Thesis Title: Cryo-Electron Tomography of Invasive Stage Apicomplexan Parasites
Research and Lab Description: The Chang lab specializes in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to perform in situ structural biology. A large focus of the lab is to apply cryo-ET to study host-pathogen interactions to better understand the large macromolecular machines that are involved in such interactions. In particular, I used cryo-ET to study three parasitic pathogens: Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Cryptosporidium parvum, the causative agents of malaria, toxoplasmosis, and cryptosporidiosis, respectively. By studying cellular structures directly within frozen-hydrated, invasive stage parasites, we discovered new molecular machines and mechanisms employed by these parasites to traverse the extracellular environments and invade host cells. 
Post PhD Plans: I will be starting as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Sanofi
Mentor Comment: Matt is a pioneer in exploring the cellular structural biology of malaria parasites. His efforts have led to exciting discoveries of the molecular mechanisms underlying these parasites' deadly invasion into our cells, providing unprecedented insights into the future design of therapeutic interventions.

Bianca Pingul
Mentor: Junwei Shi, PhD

Mentor Comment: Bianca Pingul has demonstrated exceptional efficiency in pushing forward her scientific work. She started her thesis project in the summer of 2020 and successfully published her findings within two years. Additionally, Bianca plays a key role in fostering a positive atmosphere in the lab, acting as a cheerleader for our team.

Raul Reyes Hueros
Mentor: Sydney Shaffer, MD, PhD

Mary Szurgot
Mentor: Ronen Marmorstein, PhD

Thesis Title: Structure and mechanism of the chaetomium thermophilum HIRA histone chaperone complex

Kahealani Uehara
Mentor: Paul Titchenell, PhD

Thesis Title: mTor de force: Investigating the critical roles of mTorc1 in liver metabolism

Amber Yanas
Mentor: Kathy Liu, PhD

Thesis Title: Unveiling the biophysical choreography of DDX3X and DDX3Y in enzymatic clusters
Research and Lab Description: Kathy Liu's lab, using single molecule techniques to understand the sex bias in human health and disease. 
Post PhD Plans: Separations Scientist at Johnson & Johnson 

Delaine Zundell
Mentor: Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD

Thesis Title: REVERBerations: Uncovering novel REV-ERBα interacting partners
Mentor Comment: Delaine Zundell studied the interactome of the circadian nuclear receptor REV-ERB in mouse liver. Her findings implicated SUMO-3 as a potential target and regulator of REV-ERB in the liver.

Benjamin Creekmore
Mentors: Yi-Wei Chang, PhD & Edward Lee, MD, PhD

Thesis Title: Therapeutic targeting of valosin-containing protein and structural characterization of neurodegenerative disease in situ
Research and Lab Description: Eddie Lee's lab focuses on understanding mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease and Yi-Wei Chang's lab focuses on using cryo-electron tomography to understand structural biology in native contexts. My research combined the expertise of both labs to develop a method to use cryo-focused ion beam milling to image human brain tissue taken directly from autopsy without fixation or prior freezing.
Post PhD Plans: I am returning to medical school to finish my MD then will continue on to medical residency.
Mentor Comment: Ben is a trailblazer, developing methods that allow us to examine human brain tissue with nanoscale resolution. His persistence is already legendary with marathon FIB-milling sessions. This is just the start for Ben in terms of impactful contributions to human neuropathology.

Kathryn Kixmoeller
Mentors: Yi-Wei Chang, PhD & Ben Black, PhD

Thesis Title: Architecture of the human kinetochore on mitotic chromosomes visualized by cryo-electron tomography
Research and Lab Description: The Black lab focuses on the human centromere and kinetochore, and the Chang lab specializes in the technique of cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). In my thesis work, I used cryo-ET to study the architecture of the human kinetochore in context on mitotic chromosomes.
Post PhD Plans: Finishing my MD degree.
Mentor Comment: Katie had an absolutely stunning thesis project that simultaneously breaks down barriers in cryo-ET on one of the most challenging cellular structures for molecular visualization (the mitotic chromosome) and reveals brand new biological insight in an area of research that is connected to one of the fundamental aspects of life (genetic inheritance). One of her mentors (Yi-Wei) has aptly (and many times over the course of her PhD) described Katie as a ‘warrior’ in the lab. She doesn’t just take on challenges, she attacks them with a fury of deep thinking, precision execution, and just plain hard work. It is so clear to all who interact with Katie that she is sparkling with the promise of future success at the highest levels of science, as she continues on her trajectory as a leading scientist/clinician.

Joyce Liu
Mentor: Kathryn Wellen, PhD