Lead Investigator: Matthew R. Meiselman, Ph. D. Molecular Biology
Matthew is a molecular biologist focusing on neurobiology and hierarchical control of physiological systems by the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems with 10 years of experience in the field. Matthew began training at Northwestern University, where he worked under Dr. Kathleen Green and Dr. Piotr Kulesza as a cancer biology research technician. There he grew enthralled with the scientific process and adopted the long-term goal of becoming an independent researcher. Matthew went on to obtain his PhD in the lab of Dr. Michael Adams at the University of California-Riverside. He transitioned from cell culture to endocrine systems and endocrine modulation of neuronal activity. Using the genetically tractable fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, he mapped out hormonal interaction in Drosophila’s gonadotropic hormone cycle, showing that developmental hormones ecdysone, ecdysis triggering hormone, and juvenile hormone persist into the adult stage to govern reproduction.
After graduating UCR, Matthew decided to move from the endocrine system to the brain to better understand behavioral states. Under Dr. Nilay Yapici at Cornell University, Matthew investigated neural control over insect diapause. His results provided the first evidence of a neural substrate for temperature-dependent modification of reproductive output. Identification of cold-sensitive DN3 neurons is an entry point to a circuit regulating reproductive dormancy, which is a wide-ranging, crucial, and poorly-studied phenomenon.
Research Technician: Melissa Morgan, Ph. D. Analytical Chemistry
Melissa graduated Magna cum laude from the College of Wooster in Ohio where she obtained a B.A. in Chemistry, worked in the laboratory of Dr. Paul Edmiston, and simultaneously captaining the varsity volleyball team. Melissa went on to get her Ph. D. in analytical chemistry at University of California-Riverside in the laboratory of Dr. Cynthia Larive. Her thesis, Artemia selina as a bioindicator of aquatic ecosystem stress, required the development of new tools in metabolomics. Since graduating she has been a postdoctoral associate, and more recently a team leader at Sonder Research. She works part time with the goal of identifying reproduction-modulating volatiles in flies and mosquitoes.
Post-Baccalaureatte Student: Paulina Smith, B.S. Cell and Molecular Biology
Paulina worked in Dr. Laurel Raftery’s fruit fly genetics and developmental biology lab for the duration of her undergraduate years at UNLV, where she conducted experiments to study the BMP signaling pathway and its role in centripetal migration during fly oogenesis. In this lab, she gained the skills necessary to contribute to graduate-level research, as well as a strong foundation in genetics and molecular biology. As an undergrad, she was privileged to partner with the UNLV college of engineering to investigate the effects of anthropogenic activity on threatened species in her native Mojave Desert under the guidance of Dr. Moses Karakouzian. Most recently, her post-bacc research has consisted of intensive training under Dr. Qian Liu in bioinformatics and machine learning. Her long-term goal is to earn her PhD in neurobiology and contribute to the body of scientific knowledge as an independent researcher.
Undergraduate Students: Amber To, Biology, Pre-Professional Concentration
Amber is a third-year undergraduate student at UNLV and is on a pre-med track. She is currently working on the vector behavioral tick project in this lab, in which ticks are exposed to different lighting and temperature conditions. Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in medicine, seeking to specialize in anesthesiology.