People

Program: Plant Biology

Graduation Year: 1982

Thesis Advisor: Joseph J. Varner

Thesis Title: "An Inquiry into the Function of Hydroxyproline-Rich Cell Wall Glycoprotein"

Program affiliation
General

Research summary
Molecular mechanisms of cell motility and cytoskeleton assembly

Key words
cell motility, cytoskeleton, actin, intermediate filament, microtubules, septin, cell migration

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Disease mechanisms and treatments for inherited childhood neurodegeneration

Key words
Batten Disease, Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis, NCL, Lysosomal Storage Disease, pathogenesis, pre-clinical therapies, enzyme replacement, gene therapy

Program affiliation
Immunology
Human and Statistical Genetics

Research summary
The Cooper laboratory is focused on investigating the molecular and immunologic basis of inborn errors of immunity. We are particularly interested in understanding novel genetic causes of these diseases in children with immune dysregulation syndromes.

Key words
inborn errors of immunity, genetics, primary immunodeficiency STAT3, TLR8, Pediatrics

Program: Molecular Cell Biology

Graduation Year: 2015

Thesis Advisor: Colin G. Nichols

Thesis Title: The Functional Role of Cantu Syndrome Associated KATP Channel Mutations

Program: Genetics

Graduation Year: 1996

Thesis Advisor: Craig S. Pikaard

Thesis Title: Genetic and Physical Characterization of the Nucleolus Organizing Regions and Associated Telomeres in Arabidopsis thaliana

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
We study how different types of neurons encoding somatosensory modalities are assembled into functional circuits in both humans and model organisms.

Key words
pain, optogenetics, imaging, electrophysiology

Program: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Current advisor: Rachel M. Penczykowski, PhD

Undergraduate university: University of South Alabama, 2024

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Neurosciences
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
(1) transcriptional networks in the retina; (2) the mechanistic basis of color vision; (3) the cis-regulatory basis of human uniqueness and neuropsychiatric disease

Key words
neurobiology, genomics, transcriptional networks, systems biology, photoreceptors, brain, neuropsychiatric disease, disease, cis-regulation

Program: Molecular Cell Biology

Graduation Year: 2007

Thesis Advisor: Ross L. Cagan

Thesis Title: Epithelial Morphogenesis and Tissue Pattering within the Developing Drosophila Retina