Vivian Jou    |    PhD Student, MCO, Harvard University

Vivian grew up in Chicago, IL before moving to San jose, CA in high school and then made the move to the east coast to attend Johns Hopkins University, where she received a bachelor’s in science for Molcular and Cellular Biology. Her undergraduate research focused on single molecule imaging and tracking of chromatin remodelers in live yeast cells in Dr. Carl Wu’s lab. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Harvard’s Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) program and has joined the Lehoczky lab to better characterize the cellular and molecular aspects of mouse digit tip regeneration.

Sophia Peña    |   Technician

Sophia grew up in North Carolina and later moved to Massachusetts after being accepted into Wellesley College to study biochemistry. Under the guidance of Dr.Heather Mattila, Sophia explored communication in Asian honey bee colonies as a response to attacks by giant hornets. Beyond research, Sophia successfully changed the biochemistry curriculum while at Wellesley in order to address the ways science perpetuates systems of oppression. Ultimately Sophia hopes to do research in Mexico City.

Miranda Gavitt    |   PhD Student, MCO, Harvard University

Miranda grew up in Dallas, Texas before moving to Massachusetts to study Biological Physics at Brandeis University. Her undergraduate research explored the mechanisms of viral capsid disassembly in the lab of Dr. Tijana Ivanovic. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Harvard’s Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) program. Outside of the lab you can find her hiking or playing board games.

Michael Raymond   |   Postdoc

Mike grew up in the Boston area before moving to Troy, NY to earn his BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His undergraduate and Master’s research under Dr. Leo Q. Wan explored inherent left/right asymmetry in cells. He then worked at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on biological potency assay redevelopment and optimization. Mike later earned his PhD in Molecular Cell and Organismal Biology from the University of Massachusetts Boston in Dr. Catherine McCusker’s lab, where he studied the mechanisms driving patterning competency and plasticity in connective tissue cells during axolotl salamander limb regeneration. Outside of science, he tries to stay active and is a marathon runner training for his next race.

Jack Smerczynski  |   Technician

Jack grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts and earned his Bachelor's in Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Here, he was a teaching assistant for many classes like Advanced Immunology and performed viral genetics research for three years with Dr. Maureen Ferran. During Jack's undergraduate career, he also used mouse models to measure inflammation in fibrotic and cirrhotic livers at Seres Therapeutics for six months. Jack hopes to go to graduate school in the near future and perform cutting-edge genetic and infectious disease research (maybe abroad!)

Samantha Rathbun  |   Technician

Sam grew up in Sandwich, MA, and earned her Bachelor’s in Honors Biology from the University of Massachusetts Boston where she pursued undergraduate research investigating the changes in DNA methylation during limb regeneration in the Mexican Axolotl in the laboratory of Dr. Catherine McCusker. She later was accepted into the inaugural cohort of the ENGAGE-Bio Post-Baccalaureate program at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole. Here, she performed research to understand the development and resolve the embryonic origin of Neuroendocrine Merkel cells in the little skate in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Gillis. Sam hopes to attend graduate school in the near future and perform innovative regeneration research.