Trainees
2025 SBDS Trainees
Lucia Wagner, Pathology, Experimental Pathology
Systems Genetics of Osteoblast Activity
My research seeks to elucidate the genetic architecture underlying osteoblast (the “bone building” cell) function in order to better understand bone mineral density (BMD), a key determinant of osteoporosis risk. Utilizing the genetically diverse Diversity Outbred (DO) mouse strain, I integrate genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to identify candidate causal genes and construct gene regulatory networks. Overall, this work aims to clarify how BMD-associated genomic loci mediate bone formation through osteoblasts and identify conserved genetic regulation between mice and humans, ultimately advancing the knowledge database of potential osteoanabolic therapies for osteoporosis.
Primary Mentor: Charles Farber, PhD
Secondary Mentor: Ani Manichaikul, PhD
Anna Grace Dickerson, Neuroscience
Elucidating control of energy balance and fertility using neural network modeling of cell-cell interactions with a logic-based machine learning prediction framework
My research focus is to map and quantitatively characterize kisspeptin’s interactions with surrounding cells and to build a logic-based machine learning model to predict functional network
dynamics with single-cell resolution.
Primary Mentor: Edward Nieh
Secondary Mentor: Jeff Saucerman
Caitlin Sullivan, Biomedical Engineering
Glycosylation Signatures and Hofbauer Cell Dynamics as Determinants of Maternal-Neonatal Immune Transfer
Brief description of Research Focus: My research focuses on understanding how IgG Fc-glycosylation and placental macrophages, known as Hofbauer cells, modulate transplacental antibody transfer. Through integration of experimental and computational methods, my goal is to elucidate mechanisms of antibody transfer and incorporate them into mechanistic models that can serve as testbeds for rational prenatal vaccine design and inform strategies to enhance neonatal immunity.
Primary Mentor: Sepideh Dolatshahi
Secondary Mentor: Karen Hirschi
Samuel Doak, Chemical Engineering
Spatial-transcriptomic heterogeneity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonies in a swim plate model
The complexity of infectious diseases demands a system-level approach to fully capture all the spatiotemporal changes gene expression and metabolism as an infection progresses. By studying how Pseudomonas aeruginosa transitions between motile and sessile states in a spatially heterogeneous environment, I aim to uncover regulatory and metabolic networks that drive virulence—work that requires computational tools and data integration strategies central to systems biology.
Primary mentor: Roseanne Ford
Secondary Mentor: Jason Papin
Robert Heussner, Biomedical Engineering
Modeling cell lineage dynamics throughout mouse brain development
I am interested in developing computational models that predict changes in cellular states and organization from high-dimensional single-cell data. In this project, I aim to understand system-level responses to prenatal alcohol exposure and evaluate potential therapeutic interventions.
Primary Mentor: Eli Zunder
Secondary Mentor: Jeff Saucerman
Adam Bates, Biomedical Engineering
Understanding the effects of diet and microbe-derived metabolites on colorectal cancer
Diet and the gut microbiome both play important roles in the development and progression of colorectal cancer. One way the gut microbiome impacts colorectal cancer is through metabolic byproducts that can impact both the tumor itself and the tumor microenvironment. The goal of my research is to better understand how different diets 1) shift the composition of byproducts that are secreted by the microbiome and 2) shape the impact of these byproducts on colorectal cancer.
Primary Mentor: Jason Papin
Secondary Mentor: Dave Kashatus
Ify Nwolah, Biomedical Engineering
Investigating Casein Kinase 2 (CSNK2A1) as a network driver of fibrosis
My research objective is to develop and experimentally validate a computational model that comprehensively characterizes the network mechanisms through which CK2 drives myofibroblast transformation.
Primary Mentor: Jeff Saucerman
Secondary Mentor: Kristen Naegle
Past Year Cohorts
2024
Jeffrey Hsu, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics
Audrey Kidd, Biomedical Engineering
Lavie Ngo, Biomedical Engineering
Mary O'Sullivan, Biomedical Engineering
William Shao, Biomedical Engineering
Madison Turner, Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MIC)
Yasmina Zeineddine, Biomedical Engineering
2023
Gabe Hanson, Biomedical Engineering
Russell Hawes, Biomedical Engineering
Shay Ladd, Biomedical Engineering
Kris Pas, Biomedical Engineering
Jamel Simpson, Biophysics
Lionel Watkins, Biomedical Engineering
Yonatan Degefu, Biomedical Engineering
Candace Lei, Biomedical Engineering
Catalina Alvarez Yela, Biomedical Engineering
2022
Tien Comlekoglu, Biomedical Engineering
Remziye Erdogan, Biomedical Engineering
Mario Garcia, Biomedical Engineering
Emma Glass, Biomedical Engineering
Nathan LeRoy, Biomedical Engineering
Conner Moore, Biomedical Engineering
Contact Us
Connie Pace
Administrator, Systems & Biolecular Data Science Training Program
UVA BME | MR5 Room 2010
Phone: 434 243-7660