Personnel

Katherine W. Rogers, Ph.D.

Lead Investigator, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Phone: 301-451-2633
Email: katherine.rogers@nih.gov

Katherine obtained a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Wyoming, where she used C. elegans to study developmental genetics in Dr. David S. Fay’s lab. She then joined Alexander F. Schier’s lab at Harvard University for her Ph.D. work focusing on the role of the Nodal/Lefty activator/inhibitor system in germ layer patterning. For her postdoctoral research she joined Patrick Müller’s group at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, where she examined signaling molecule movement and signaling interpretation in zebrafish embryos.

William K. Anderson, B.S.

Research Specialist, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Phone: 301-873-2942
Email: william.anderson4@nih.gov

Will obtained a B.S. in Marine Biology and in Aquaculture from the Florida Institute of Technology, where he studied fish and invertebrate biology and aquaculture. He then went on to work at NIH’s Shared Zebrafish Facility, where he performed husbandry, health management, and evaluative projects for the zebrafish colony there.

Leanne E. Iannucci, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral researcher, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Email: leanne.iannucci@nih.gov

Leanne obtained a B.S. in Biological Engineering and M.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University where she worked in Dr. Lawrence Bonassar’s lab developing a collagen-based tissue engineering platform to recreate the bony attachment site (enthesis) of the knee meniscus. She then joined Dr. Spencer Lake’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis for her Ph.D. work where she developed and validated a polarized light-based imaging modality for real-time evaluation of collagen structure in musculoskeletal soft tissues, like tendon and ligament.

Selvaraj Velanganni, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral visiting fellow, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Email: selvaraj.mariathomas@nih.gov

Selvaraj obtained a B.Sc. in CBZ (Chemistry, Botany, Zoology) and an M.Sc. in Genetics from the University of Mysore where he learned the basics of Genetics and Developmental Biology using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. He worked in Dr. Shyamala’s lab as well as Dr. Krishna’s lab on two different projects involving the model organism D. melanogaster. Then he joined Kirankumar’s lab at SRM Institute of Science and Technology for his Ph.D. in Genetic Engineering focusing on developing different strategies to enhance the CRISPR-Cas9 targeted mutagenesis in zebrafish.

Catherine E. Rogers, B.S.

Graduate Student, Unit on Developmental Signaling, NIH – Johns Hopkins University Graduate Partnership Program
Email: catherine.rogers@nih.gov

Catherine obtained a B.S. in Bioengineering from Stanford University. During her undergraduate studies, she researched planarian regeneration in Bo Wang’s lab and acorn worm body plan development in Chris Lowe’s lab. She then joined the Unit on Developmental Signaling as a postbac and began testing optogenetic signaling activators in zebrafish embryos. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the NIH-JHU GPP.

Micaela R. Murphy, B.S.

Post-baccalaureate fellow, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Email: micaela.murphy@nih.gov

Micaela obtained a B.S. in Biology from Villanova University, where she studied the neuronal circuits that control innate mating behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster in Dr. Troy Shirangi’s lab. For her senior thesis, she utilized trans-Tango, an anterograde synaptic tracing tool, to identify the postsynaptic partners of a female-specific neuronal population.

Matt T. Monaghan, B.S.

Post-baccalaureate fellow, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Email: matt.monaghan@nih.gov

Matt obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry from the Clemson University Honors College. In his undergraduate research for Departmental Honors in Genetics and Biochemistry, he studied pathogenic free-living amoebae via a mix of wet- and dry-lab methods under Dr. Jim Morris. He also studied the computational biomechanics of carotid stenosis in Ethan Kung’s lab through the EUREKA! program.

Caitlin E.T. Donahue, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral fellow, Unit on Developmental Signaling
Email: caitlin.donahue@nih.gov

Caitlin obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry from Roanoke College where she worked in the labs of Dr. Timothy Johan and Dr. Richard Keithley to develop new methods for generating enzyme-coated microelectrodes. Caitlin then joined Dr. Katharine White’s lab at the University of Notre Dame for her Ph.D. where she worked on the characterization and application of a new optogenetic tool to increase intracellular pH.