People

Hala edited

Principle Investigator

Unknown

Elena Oancea received her BS in Physics and her MS in Biophysics from University of Bucharest, Romania. She obtained a PhD in Cell Biology from Duke University Medical Center and her completed her postdoctoral training from Harvard University Medical School and Children’s Hospital in Boston. When not in the lab, she enjoys sailing with her husband and daughters as well as tending to her growing plant collection.

Graduate Students

img_7536.jpgJessica Scales is an MPP PhD candidate focussed on characterizing the G-protein coupled signaling mechanisms in uveal melanoma. She was a SURF/HHMI Research Fellowship Recipient at Juanita College where she received her BS in 2015. Jess then worked as a post baccalaureate at the National Cancer Institute before her studies at Brown. When not in the lab, Jess enjoys painting and hiking with her dog.

PXL_20210626_223118121.PORTRAIT (2)Hala Haddad is a Neuroscience PhD candidate who studies the role of opsin 3 (OPN3) in neurons. She earned her BS in Psychology from Hunter College in 2017. Hala uses electrophysiology and live-cell imaging to find functional signaling roles for OPN3 in the brain. She is also a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipient. When not in the lab, Hala enjoys hiking and going to the beach with her friends.

Undergraduate Students 

Graduate Alumni

Joshaya Trotman (2022) — MS, Biotechnology

    •  “Characterization of Proteins Involved in Melanogenesis”

Salwa Hafez (2021) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    •  “Regulators of the UVA-Evoked Signaling Pathway in Human Epidermal Melanocytes”

Donald Koroma (2021) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    •  “Identification and Characterization of Novel Melanogenic Proteins”

Lauren Olinski (2020) — PhD, Molecular, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry

    • “Expression and Function of Extraocular Opsin 3 in Mammalian Skin and Brain”

Rana Ozdeslik (2017) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    • “Characterization of Opsin 3 in Human Skin Cells”

Hawasatu Dumbuya (2017) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    • “Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling Critical for UVA Phototransduction in Human Epidermal Melanocytes”

Kirk Haltaufderhyde (2015) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    • “Transcriptomic Investigation of Human Pigmentation”

Nicholas Bellono (2015) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    • “Ionic Signaling in Pigmentation”

Julia Najera (2012) — PhD, Neuroscience

    • “Seeing From the Skin: Characterization of the Ultraviolet Light Indued Phototransduction Pathway in Human Epidermal Cells”

Nadine Wicks (2011) — PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

    • “Ultraviolet Light Phototransduction in Human Skin”

Undergraduate Alumni

  • Margaret Dushko (????) —
  • Sarah Pierce (????) —
  • Benjamin Moon (????) —
  • Adam Kopp (????) —
  • Adriano Taglietti (????) —
  • Renee Edelman (????) —
  • Brooke Spencer (????) —
  • Erica Lin (2019) — BS, Applied Mathematics-Biology
  • Gloria Nashed (2020) —
  • Catalin Chung (2022) — BS, Applied Mathematics-Economics and Biology
  • Alexandra Trouilloud (2022) — BS, Biology

Past Research Staff

  • Iliana Escobar-Franco
  • Jacob Spinale

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