Jessica LaMae Whited, PhD
Jessica holds a BA in Philosophy and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri. She earned her PhD at MIT, where she studied neuronal architecture in Paul Garrity's lab. As a postdoc in Cliff Tabin's lab at Harvard Medical School, Jessica focused on developing tools to more thoroughly investigate axolotl limb regeneration, and she established a breeding colony of axolotls. These animals were the seeds of the Whited Lab's first home in Brigham and Women's Hospital. Now at Harvard University, Jessica is an Assistant Professor, a Principal Faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, an Associate Member of the Broad Institute, a Smith Family Foundation fellow, a March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Scholar, an NIH New Innovator Awardee, and the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She is also a team member of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University. A native of Michigan, Jessica's interest in biology started with butterflies and time in the woods. Outside of lab, Jessica's usually hanging out with her twin 10-year-old boys.
Jessica holds a BA in Philosophy and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri. She earned her PhD at MIT, where she studied neuronal architecture in Paul Garrity's lab. As a postdoc in Cliff Tabin's lab at Harvard Medical School, Jessica focused on developing tools to more thoroughly investigate axolotl limb regeneration, and she established a breeding colony of axolotls. These animals were the seeds of the Whited Lab's first home in Brigham and Women's Hospital. Now at Harvard University, Jessica is an Assistant Professor, a Principal Faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, an Associate Member of the Broad Institute, a Smith Family Foundation fellow, a March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Scholar, an NIH New Innovator Awardee, and the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She is also a team member of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University. A native of Michigan, Jessica's interest in biology started with butterflies and time in the woods. Outside of lab, Jessica's usually hanging out with her twin 10-year-old boys.
Will Ye
Will is our lead animal husbandry technician. He is a graduate of Tufts University and a wizard at power tools. Will had extensive previous experience with aquatic animals while at the New England Aquarium. His hometown is New York City.
Nicholas Leigh, PhD
Nick graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, PA with a B.S. in Biology. He also holds a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Roswell Park Cancer Institute/SUNY Buffalo. Nick is interested in learning how the immune system impacts the initiation and progress of limb regeneration. He enjoys reading, fishing, and playing soccer. Nick is the recipient of the NIH F32 NRSA award.
Duygu Payzin
Duygu is a graduate student in the BBS program at Harvard Medical School. She earned her B.S. degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Bilkent University, and holds an M.S. degree in Molecular Biology from Koc University. In her spare time, Duygu enjoys reading, doing yoga and traveling, and she is passionate about animal welfare.
Konstantinos "Kostas" Sousounis, PhD
Kostas joined the lab in the summer of 2016 to lead our collaborative project with Mike Levin's group at the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts. He completed his PhD work at the University of Dayton in the lab of Dr. Panagiotis Tsonis. After a postdoctoral research position in the lab of Dr. Joanna Jankowsky at Baylor, Kostas is now reunited with salamanders. Kostas is the recipient of the Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship and the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award.
Garrett Dunlap
Garrett is currently a student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD program at Harvard University. Previously, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a BS in Biology and a minor in Political Science. Outside of lab, Garrett writes for Harvard’s Science in the News and is involved in the Graduate Student Science Policy group. Additionally, he enjoys spending time running, cooking, and traveling.
Garrett Dunlap
Garrett is currently a student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD program at Harvard University. Previously, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a BS in Biology and a minor in Political Science. Outside of lab, Garrett writes for Harvard’s Science in the News and is involved in the Graduate Student Science Policy group. Additionally, he enjoys spending time running, cooking, and traveling.
Jose Martinez Fernandez
Jose is an undergraduate at Harvard University studying Human Development and Regenerative Biology. He grew up in Camaguey, Cuba and currently lives in Winthrop House. His interests outside of the study of regeneration include cartooning for the Harvard Crimson and working to aid poor communities in Latin America.
Anna Henricks
Anna Henricks, originally from Lakeland, Florida, is a sophomore at Harvard studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. After graduation, Anna hopes to take a year off to work in the nonprofit field before pursuing a career in pediatric medicine. On campus at Harvard, Anna is involved in a number of dance companies and works as a student mentor at the Harvard Ed Portal. She also works with Harvard Model Congress to run government simulations for high school students around the world.
Michael Elgart, PhD
Michael received his BSc and Masters degree from the department of Genetics & Molecular Medicine at Tel-Aviv University. His research dealt with the plasticity of an organ development via the eye model system. He then proceeded to investigate plasticity during development at the whole organism level, while doing his PhD in the Weizmann Institute. He is fascinated by the biological processes of plasticity, adaptation and their culmination in the form of regeneration. He is an adult so has no time for hobbies, but he used to love South-American literature and Deep Learning.
Jihee Han
Jihee Han is a junior at Harvard College studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology with a secondary in Germanic and Scandinavian studies. After graduation, she hopes to take two years to explore different career pathways before attending medical school: pursuing higher education in Germany, working for a nonprofit or working in biotechnology/pharmaceuticals. She is originally from Los Angeles, California, and she likes to spend her free time practicing yoga, traveling, baking, and making art.
Kath Courtemanche
Gregory Gundberg
Emily Travers
Emily is a class of 2021 undergraduate at Harvard University pursuing a B.A. in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. Outside of lab, she enjoys reading, taking care of animals, and music.
Annabella Espinoza
Annabella is a class of 2021 undergraduate at Harvard University studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. She is from Houston, Texas. In her free time, Annabella plays alto saxophone in the Harvard University Band, works as a barista at Lamont Cafe, and writes poetry.
Fallon Durant, PhD
Fallon graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience and Biomedical Physics. From there, she received her Ph.D. in Biology from Tufts University with the help of her advisor Dr. Michael Levin. Fallon’s primary research interests work toward understanding how regenerative animals are able to prevent scarring. She believes that by unveiling how axolotls innately antagonize fibrosis, we will be one step closer to the discovery of new therapeutics that could help millions of human patients. In her free time, Fallon is an astronomy educator at the Museum of Science. She also enjoys snowboarding, handbalancing, aerial rope, theater, hiking and yoga.
Madison Hurley
Madison is a University of Maine Graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Marine Science. She has a wide range of knowledge regarding various aquatic species. Her primary role in the lab is assisting with axolotl husbandry. In her spare time, she helps out at a local scuba shop, and she enjoys scuba diving, reading, watching documentaries, and spending time with her two cats.
Hani Singer
Hani received his BS in Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and has extensive clinical experience working in eye surgery offices in the Boston area. As a technician in the Whited Lab, his project is focused on investigating spinal cord regeneration of axolotls. Hani's interests include skiing, tennis, piano and music production.
Burcu Erdogan, PhD
Burcu received her B.S degree in Genetics and Bioengineering from Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey. She studied the role of ETS transcription factors and identified their potential targets involved in neuronal differentiation in the lab of Isil Aksan Kurnaz. Then she stayed there for a bit more to earn her M.S degree. She then came to Boston to work on optic nerve regeneration as a research intern at Larry Benowitz’s lab. She fell in love with Boston and decided to stay to do her PhD. She received her PhD from the lab of Laura Anne Lowery at Boston College and studied how microtubule dynamics are regulated in the neuronal growth cone during axon growth and guidance in developing Xenopus laevis nervous system. Burcu joined the Whited lab in the summer of 2019 and she is very excited to study the role of bioelectrical signaling during axolotl limb regeneration as well as the establishment of positional information in regenerating limb-tail transplants. Outside of the lab Burcu enjoys riding her bike, running, swimming and hiking.
Lab Alumni
Anna Guzikowski (technician; currently grad student at UCSD)
Colleen Carmody (student assistant, Simmons College; currently student researcher in Dr. Matt Harris's lab, HMS)
Samantha Furgason (student assistant, Simmons College; currently a registered nurse)
Neng Thao (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2015; currently Youth Development and Employment Coordinator, Center for Wooden Boats, Seattle)
Mandi Nyambi (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2015; currently MPH student, Columbia U.)
Tzu-Hsing (April) Kuo, PhD (postdoc; currently scientist, Acceleron Pharma, Cambridge, MA)
Tia DiTommaso, PhD (postdoc; currently scientist, SQZ Biotech)
May Barakat (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2016; currently MD/PhD student at University of Illinois-Chicago)
Frankie Davis (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2016; currently Second Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps)
Emily Pate (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2016; currently enlisted in the U.S. Navy)
Janine Kopeski (aquatics technician; currently head coach/aquatics director for a swim team)
Tae Lee, PhD (postdoc; currently at GlaxoSmithKline)
Cameron Waites (HMS MD student, Pursuing Interests in Medicine researcher)
Joel Bateman (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2017)
Nathaniel Dale (high school student; currently undergraduate at Emmanuel College)
Anna Saltman (MS student from BU; beginning medical school in fall 2017)
Donald Bryant, PhD (Harvard BBS program, HHMI Gilliam fellow; defended July, 2017; currently consultant, LEK)
Rachelle Mariano (Harvard BBS program, awarded master's degree; currently programmer in industry)
Kimberly Johnson, PhD (postdoc; currently scientist, Foundation Medicine)
Rachel Oshiro (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2019; now tech at Broad Institute/Feng Zhang lab)
Alan Wong (undergrad researcher, Harvard, class of 2019; now MD/PhD student at Harvard)
