Graduate Students

Kayla Komondor, Ph.D.

Graduate Student (2019-2024)

Kayla graduated from Robert Morris University in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Her undergraduate research focused on spermicide and HIV preventative medicine and were performed at Magee-Womens Research Institute. Kayla’s dissertation research is focused on applying biophysical techniques to study developmental biology. Kayla’s dissertation research is supported by an NIH-funded fellowship. Kayla was awarded an honorable mention for her NSF GRFP application. In 2022, Kayla received a travel award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction to attend their annual meeting in Spokane, Washington, and in 2024 she received a travel award from the Biophysical Society to attend their annual meeting in Philadelphia. Kayla is now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

Rachel Bainbridge, Ph.D.

Graduate Student (2017-2022)

Rachel graduated from West Virginia University in 2017 with a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Psychology. Her undergraduate research focused on plant response to abiotic stressors. Her current research focuses on uncovering the cascade of events that occurs when the sperm meets the egg. Rachel’s dissertation research was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Mellon Foundation and by a NIH-funded fellowship. Rachel was the recipient of the Outstanding Presenter award for the 2021 Pitt Grad Expo, the 2021 Mary P. Edmonds Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Publication, and the 2022 Elizabeth Dillon Travel Award. Dr. Bainbridge is now a postdoctoral fellow at the NIH.

Wase Tembo, Ph.D.

Graduate Student (2015-2020)

Postdoctoral Fellow (2020-2021)

Wase graduated from Lake Forest College in 2015 with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Biology, and her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020. Her current research focuses on understanding how acidic phospholipids, such as PIP2, regulate gating of the Ca2+-activated Cl- channel TMEM16a. During her graduate studies, Wase was the recipient of an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship, the 2019 and 2020 Student Research Achievement Award from the Biophysical society, a fellowship to attend the 2018 Center for the Physics of Living Cells Summer School, a Travel Grant to attend the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, and an Outstanding Presenter award from the Pitt Grad Expo.

Katie Wozniak, Ph.D.

Graduate Student (2014-2019)

Katie graduated from Duquesne University in 2014 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and performed undergraduate research in the Division of Laboratory Sciences at the CDC. Katie’s dissertation research focused on understanding the first moments of zygote development. To support her graduate studies, Katie was awarded both the Mellon and the Margaret A. Oweida Fellowships. Katie was also the recipient of a Larry Ewing Trainee Travel Fellowship from the Society for the Study of Reproduction, a Travel Grant to attend the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, and an Outstanding Presenter award from the Pitt Grad Expo. After finishing her graduate studies in the Department of Biological Sciences, Katie spent time as a visiting research associate, developing authentic research experiences for undergraduates at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Wozniak became a postdoctoral fellow at Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico after the graduating with her Ph.D.

Research Professor

Joel Rosenbaum, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor

Joel received his Ph.D. in 2011 working with Dr. Rich Gardner at the University of Washington. His dissertation studies described a novel form of protein quality control specific to the nucleus. For his postdoctoral studies, he worked with Dr. Rachel Klevit at the University of Washington using NMR spectroscopy to study the structure and interactions of small heat shock proteins. He continued his postdoctoral work in a collaboration between Dr. Kara Bernstein and Dr. Andy Vandemark at the University of Pittsburgh to characterize interactions between DNA repair pathways. In the Carlson lab, Dr. Rosenbaum used protein biochemistry and structural biology to study ion channels.

RESEARCH TECHNICIANS

Dominique Summerville

Research Technician (2019-2022)

Dominique graduated from Princeton University in 2019 with a B.A in Biology. His undergraduate research focused on quorum sensing in bacteria. In the Carlson lab, Dominique specialized in molecular biology and the application various biophysical assays to study fertilization and ion channels. He is now pursuing a graduate degree in science!

Brianna Mayfield

Research Technician (2015-2016)

Following her time in the Carlson Lab, Bri received her Masters Degree from the University of West Virginia

Undergraduate Students

Eirlys Barbara

Undergraduate Researcher

Eirlys is a senior at Pitt and joined the lab spring semester of 2020. Together with a team of undergraduate researchers, Eirlys is uncovering the role of transition metals in Xenopus laevis fertilization and early embryonic development. Eirlys is currently a research technician at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Beatrice Milnes

Undergraduate Researcher (2020-2022)

Beatrice is a senior at Pitt and joined the lab spring semester of 2020. Together with a team of undergraduates, Beatrice is uncovering the role of transition metals in Xenopus laevis fertilization and early embryonic development. In support of her research, Beatrice has been awarded the Horowitz Fellowship and the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Her research gave the foundation for her B.Phil. Bea is currently an NSF-funded graduate student at the University of Washington.

Paushaly Sau

Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2022)

Pasuhaly officially joined the lab spring 2020 and was part of the transition metal team. Paushaly is heading to graduate school at Oxford.

Ethan Lorence

Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2020)

Meghan Hanson

Undergraduate Researcher (2017-2020)

Madison Boehm

Undergraduate Researcher (2019)

Madelyn Czekalski

Undergraduate Researcher (2018-2019)

Madelyn was funded by a HHMI summer research fellowship, a Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Fellowship (CURF) Spring 2019, and was the 2018 recipient of the Bentley-Kephart outstanding freshman award. Currently Madelyn is pursuing her Master’s degree in the Physician Assistant Studies program at the University of Pittsburgh.

Catherine Luu

Undergraduate Researcher (2018-2019)

Kavya Pasumarthy

Undergraduate Researcher (2018-2019)

Kavya was a part of the transition metal team and her research was supported by a HHMI summer research fellowship. Kavya is attending medical school at Western Michigan University.