MEET THE LAB
Anne Carlson, Ph.D.
Principle Investigator
I received my Ph.D. from the University of Washington, and worked with Bertil Hille and Donner Babcock studying the preparation of sperm for fertilization. For my postdoctoral studies, I focused ion channel structure and function in the laboratory of William Zagotta. I am now interested in the earliest signaling events of fertilization as well as the regulation of Cl- channels including the Ca2+-activated Cl- channel TMEM16a. Anne was the recipient of the 2018 Paul F. Cranefield Award from the Society of General Physiologists.
Katie Wozniak
Graduate Student
Katie graduated from Duquesne University in 2014 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. Her undergraduate research focused on optimizing methods for robotic liquid handling systems utilized by the Division of Laboratory Sciences at the CDC. Her current research focuses on understanding the first moments of zygote development, with hopes of using this information to design novel contraceptives. Katie has been awarded both the Mellon Fellowship and the Margaret A. Oweida Fellowship to support her graduate studies. Katie is also the recipient of a Larry Ewing Trainee Travel Fellowship from the Society for the Study of Reproduction, a Travel Grant to attend the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, and an Outstanding Presenter award from the Pitt Grad Expo.
Wase Tembo
Graduate Student
Wase graduated from Lake Forest College in 2015 with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Biology. Her undergraduate research focused on the role of alpha synuclein mutations in Parkinson’s disease pathology using yeast as a model. Her current research focuses on understanding how acidic phospholipids, such as PIP2, regulate gating of the Ca2+-activated Cl- channel TMEM16a. Wase has been awarded an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship to support her graduate studies. Additionally, Wase is the recipient of a Student Research Achievement Award at the 2019 Biophysics Meeting. Finally, Wase was also the recipient of a fellowship to attend the 2018 Center for the Physics of Living Cells Summer School, a Travel Grant to attend the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, and an Outstanding Presenter award from the Pitt Grad Expo.
Rachel Bainbridge
Graduate Student
Rachel graduated from West Virginia University in 2017 with a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Psychology. Her undergraduate research focused on plant response to abiotic stressors. Her current research focuses on uncovering the cascade of events that occurs when the sperm meets the egg.
Madison Boehm
Undergraduate Researcher
Madison is a sophomore at Pitt and joined the lab spring semester of 2019. Together with Madelyn and Catherine, Madison is examining the role of transition metals in Xenopus laevis fertilization and early embryonic development.
Madelyn Czekalski
Undergraduate Researcher
Madelyn is a sophomore at Pitt and joined the lab summer of 2018. Together with Kavya and Meghan, Madelyn is examining the role of transition metals in Xenopus laevis fertilization and early embryonic development. Madelyn was funded by a HHMI summer research fellowship, a Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Fellowship (CURF) Spring 2019, and was the 2018 recipient of the Bentley-Kephart outstanding freshman award!
Meghan Hanson
Undergraduate Researcher
Meghan is a junior at Pitt and joined the lab fall of 2017. Together with Kavya, Meghan is studying the role that transition metals may play in fertilization and early embryonic development in Xenopus laevis.
Catherine Luu
Undergraduate Researcher
Catherine is a sophomore at Pitt and joined the lab fall of 2018. Catherine is on the transition metal team!
Kavya Pasumarthy
Undergraduate Researcher
Kavya is a junior at Pitt and joined the lab spring of 2018. Together with Meghan, Kavya is examining the role of extracellular ions in Xenopus laevis fertilization and early embryonic development. Kavya is funded by an HHMI summer research fellowship.