People
Mollie Manier
PI
I am one of those nerdy people who grew up catching frogs and salamanders in the backyard and loved reading my older brothers’ high school biology textbooks. I moved around a lot as a kid, starting in the midwest and migrating to the east coast, where I finished high school in Princeton, NJ. I went to UC Berkeley as an undergrad, where I met my mentor, Harry Greene (now at Cornell University). There, I entrenched myself in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and became enraptured with museum collections, field work, and natural history. It was in David Wake’s evolution course where I first learned about population genetics. Soon after, I left for Corvallis, Oregon to work with Steve Arnold on the metacommunity landscape genetics of two garter snake species and a toad.
Toward the end of my dissertation, I decided to shift gears away from selectively neutral microsatellite allele frequencies and instead study functionally important traits and their genetic basis. I switched systems and moved to Hopkins Marine Station on the Monterey Bay to work in Steve Palumbi’s lab on the evolution of sea urchin sperm morphology and associated patterns of gene expression. In my second postdoc at Syracuse University, I continued my studies of sperm evolution in Drosophila, which is more amenable to genetic studies. There, I collaborated with Scott Pitnick, John Belote, and Steve Dorus on a multifaceted research program investigating the functional significance, evolutionary genetics, and molecular basis of male and female traits involved in postcopulatory sexual selection.
My current research extends my work at SU into the realm of genomics, transcriptomics, and evolutionary and developmental genetics with the goal of understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying variation in sperm and female sperm storage organ length in Drosophila.
Mollie Manier
PI
I am one of those nerdy people who grew up catching frogs and salamanders in the backyard and loved reading my older brothers’ high school biology textbooks. I moved around a lot as a kid, starting in the midwest and migrating to the east coast, where I finished high school in Princeton, NJ. I went to UC Berkeley as an undergrad, where I met my mentor, Harry Greene (now at Cornell University). There, I entrenched myself in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and became enraptured with museum collections, field work, and natural history. It was in David Wake’s evolution course where I first learned about population genetics. Soon after, I left for Corvallis, Oregon to work with Steve Arnold on the metacommunity landscape genetics of two garter snake species and a toad.
Toward the end of my dissertation, I decided to shift gears away from selectively neutral microsatellite allele frequencies and instead study functionally important traits and their genetic basis. I switched systems and moved to Hopkins Marine Station on the Monterey Bay to work in Steve Palumbi’s lab on the evolution of sea urchin sperm morphology and associated patterns of gene expression. In my second postdoc at Syracuse University, I continued my studies of sperm evolution in Drosophila, which is more amenable to genetic studies. There, I collaborated with Scott Pitnick, John Belote, and Steve Dorus on a multifaceted research program investigating the functional significance, evolutionary genetics, and molecular basis of male and female traits involved in postcopulatory sexual selection.
My current research extends my work at SU into the realm of genomics, transcriptomics, and evolutionary and developmental genetics with the goal of understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying variation in sperm and female sperm storage organ length in Drosophila.
Michael DeNieu
Postdoc
Growing up in Colorado, I spent much of my time outdoors hiking and fishing, giving me a great appreciation for the natural world. In particular, I was interested in the reasons why animals and other organisms behave the way that they do. As an undergrad at St. Mary's College of California, I became interested in understanding the evolutionary forces that shape not only behavior, but also morphology and interactions between species. I worked on these questions using a variety of organisms, including turkey vultures, field mice, and plant viruses.
I had always intended to work in the field doing behavioral research, but my interest in genetics and evolution brought me to Michigan State University for my dissertation. There, I worked on a system using mantid predation on Drosophila in order to investigate questions about the process of evolution. Instead of observing adapted populations and inferring conclusions about patterns of natural selection, I used experimental evolution to observe the adaptive process and test for patterns directly. This approach allowed me to integrate my interests in evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and genetics.
Now as a postdoc at GW, I am again working on an integrative project investigating the effects of the gut microbial community on cognition, behavior, and immunity. It is increasingly recognized that commensal microbes have profound effects on their hosts, and we are using Drosophila as a model to understand some of the mechanisms mediating this interaction.
Postdoc
Growing up in Colorado, I spent much of my time outdoors hiking and fishing, giving me a great appreciation for the natural world. In particular, I was interested in the reasons why animals and other organisms behave the way that they do. As an undergrad at St. Mary's College of California, I became interested in understanding the evolutionary forces that shape not only behavior, but also morphology and interactions between species. I worked on these questions using a variety of organisms, including turkey vultures, field mice, and plant viruses.
I had always intended to work in the field doing behavioral research, but my interest in genetics and evolution brought me to Michigan State University for my dissertation. There, I worked on a system using mantid predation on Drosophila in order to investigate questions about the process of evolution. Instead of observing adapted populations and inferring conclusions about patterns of natural selection, I used experimental evolution to observe the adaptive process and test for patterns directly. This approach allowed me to integrate my interests in evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and genetics.
Now as a postdoc at GW, I am again working on an integrative project investigating the effects of the gut microbial community on cognition, behavior, and immunity. It is increasingly recognized that commensal microbes have profound effects on their hosts, and we are using Drosophila as a model to understand some of the mechanisms mediating this interaction.
Sabrina Ferrara
PhD Student
As a kid I loved to ask, “WHY?”; curiously seeking to understand and question the world around me. This love of learning took many forms; reading marathons, elaborate art projects, and of course, many hours outside collecting worms in Skippy peanut butter jars and chasing butterflies. Once I realized that through science I could forever explore the incredible unseen complexities of the natural world I was hooked, and left the suburbs of New Jersey to study biology.
I attended Stonehill College, where I majored in Biology and minored in Italian. Through a summer REU at Fordham University I conducted independent research on mosquito ecology, which captured my interest in research through field and lab work. After graduating I decided to don my backpack and set across Europe for 6 months, walking the Camino de Santiago, volunteering in UK gardens, and ultimately finding myself amidst the butterfly specimens at the London Natural History Museum. I was captivated by the diversity of morphological forms and knew I had found my research direction in the form of a question.
I continued on to develop STEM educational programming at the Ridgewood Library while studying butterfly biology and research methods. Most recently I collaborated on research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, investigating the differential regulation of conserved wing patterning genes across Heliconius butterflies with CRISPR/Cas9. I am excited to continue to explore the genetic basis of marcroevolutionary change and develop a research project as a new GWU graduate student.
Tiffini Smith
MS Student
Growing up, I was a military brat that constantly moved up and down the east coast. However, with every move one thing remained the same: my love of learning about everything related to science. As I grew older, I became fascinated with reproductive development, the process of reproduction, as well as factors that may inhibit or alter mating, fecundity, and offspring viability.
I received my undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, where I was introduced to a multitude of different science courses. It was not until my junior year, when I took a course in Immunology and Cancer Biology with Dr. John Ryan, that I began thinking about graduate school. Upon graduating from VCU in 2012, I continued to immerse myself in molecular biology and immunology, while working at VCU in the Bridging Richmond Department. Bridging Richmond focused on researching different aspects of teaching and child development as a way to ensure every child was college-to-career ready.
After a few years of with Bridging Richmond, I decided it was time for me return to school to study the very thing that first sparked my interest in biological science, reproductive development. At George Washington University, I will be researching the development of the female sperm storage organ, the seminal receptacle (SR) in Drosophila and as well as the relationship between SR length and remating rate. Upon completion of my graduate degree I plan to apply to a MD/PhD program.
MS Student
Growing up, I was a military brat that constantly moved up and down the east coast. However, with every move one thing remained the same: my love of learning about everything related to science. As I grew older, I became fascinated with reproductive development, the process of reproduction, as well as factors that may inhibit or alter mating, fecundity, and offspring viability.
I received my undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, where I was introduced to a multitude of different science courses. It was not until my junior year, when I took a course in Immunology and Cancer Biology with Dr. John Ryan, that I began thinking about graduate school. Upon graduating from VCU in 2012, I continued to immerse myself in molecular biology and immunology, while working at VCU in the Bridging Richmond Department. Bridging Richmond focused on researching different aspects of teaching and child development as a way to ensure every child was college-to-career ready.
After a few years of with Bridging Richmond, I decided it was time for me return to school to study the very thing that first sparked my interest in biological science, reproductive development. At George Washington University, I will be researching the development of the female sperm storage organ, the seminal receptacle (SR) in Drosophila and as well as the relationship between SR length and remating rate. Upon completion of my graduate degree I plan to apply to a MD/PhD program.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Fall 2017
Jasmina Abdulla
Alex Barnes (Summer REU Fellow)
Lydia Deaton
Maddy Dixon
Elina Kapoor (Luther Rice Fellow)
Alec Munoz
Daniella Olonilua (Luther Rice Fellow)
Adam Ricker
Maddie Stimson
Frances Sunga
Charmi Trivedi
Sevan Yedigarian
Former lab members
Postdocs
Susi Zajitschek
Felix Zajitschek
Research Assistants
Sarah Josway
Fall 2017
Jasmina Abdulla
Alex Barnes (Summer REU Fellow)
Lydia Deaton
Maddy Dixon
Elina Kapoor (Luther Rice Fellow)
Alec Munoz
Daniella Olonilua (Luther Rice Fellow)
Adam Ricker
Maddie Stimson
Frances Sunga
Charmi Trivedi
Sevan Yedigarian
Former lab members
Postdocs
Susi Zajitschek
Felix Zajitschek
Research Assistants
Sarah Josway