Zhang Lab @ Danforth
Lab Alumni
Cheyenne Anderson
Education:
Missouri Baptist University, BS in Biology, 2018, Biochemistry & Chemistry Minor
Zhang lab former position:
Laboratory Technician, September 2018 - August 2021
Current position:
WUSTL DBBS graduate student, since 08/2021
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardee
William H. Danforth Plant Sciences Fellowship Awardee
About: Cheyenne received her B.S. in Biology from Missouri Baptist University in May 2018. During her time there she was involved in a research team to develop a protocol to preserve long-term viability of the microalgal species, Chlorella protothecoides. Additionally, she served as a laboratory teaching assistant for genetics, general chemistry, and anatomy labs. In her free time, Cheyenne enjoys being active outdoors, playing tennis, travelling, and thrift shopping.
Will McHargue
Education:
University of Missouri, Columbia
BS in Biological Engineering, 2016
Mathematics and Spanish Minor
Zhang lab former position:
Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Manager, November 2016 - August 2020
Current Position:
WUSTL DBBS graduate student, since 08/2020
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardee
William H. Danforth Plant Sciences Fellowship Awardee
About: Will received his bachelor's degree in biological engineering (emphasizing in biomedical engineering and biophotonics) from the University of Missouri, Columbia. During his time there, he was involved with several research teams including computational ecologists, herpetologists, and R&D engineering companies. In all of these positions, much of his work focused on computational data analysis and automated data collection pipelines. In the summer of 2015, Will participated in the Danforth Center's Summer REU Program where he worked in Doug Allen's Lab investigation carbon fixation pathways in soybeans using isotopic labeling and mass spectrometry technologies. Will started in the Zhang Lab in November of 2016 and will be working as a lab manager and lab technician while frequently focusing on bioinformatics pipelines and data analysis. Will enjoys running, swimming, and climbing. He additionally enjoys music and tinkering with electronics.
Celine Xia
Education:
M.S. Auburn University, Dec 2019
B.S. Huazhong Agricultural University, July 2017
Zhang lab former position:
Laboratory Technician, January 2020 - March 2022
Current Position:
WUSTL DBBS graduate student, since 08/2022
About: Celine received her master’s degree in from Auburn University in 2019. Her research was improving Romaine lettuce growth in the greenhouse hydroponic systems. With high temperature and humidity in summer time, lettuce grew too fast in the greenhouse hydroponics systems, which caused calcium ion deficiency in the young growing tips. Physiological disorders like tipburn and bolting happened and damaged the lettuce marketable value. To mitigate tipburn and bolting, Celine increased the horizontal air flow speed in the DWC system and decreased root-zone solution temperature in NFT system to slow down growth rate to help calcium efficiently translocated to young leaves. At Zhang’s lab, Celine will work as a lab technician to start a hydroponics system in the greenhouse of Danforth plant science center. Celine likes travel, sports and music.
Ningning Zhang
Education:
Ph.D. Molecular Biosciences, Arkansas State University
M.S. Biotechnology, Arkansas State University
B.S. Bioengineering, Qindao Agicultural University
Zhang lab former position:
Postdoctoral Associate, May 2017 - November 2021
Current position:
Research Scientist at Bayer
About: Ningning received her PhD in Molecular Biosciences in May of 2017 by dissecting the O-glycosylation process of plant cell wall structural glycoproteins and reengineering the plant cell wall for improved biomass processability. She started in the Zhang Lab as a postdoctoral research associate in the same month to study how photosynthetic organisms respond to their environment by using cutting-edge technologies. Specifically, Ningning is using the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, as a model system to better understand how photosynthetic cells sense and respond to high temperatures. A genome-saturating, indexed, algal mutant library and a quantitative phenotyping tool are used to conduct high-throughput genetic screening for mutants with interesting phenotypes. In her free time Ningning likes to work with plants, especially cacti. She also likes staying active by running frequently and playing pingpong.
Cooper Hostetler
Education:
McDaniel College, BS in Biology, 2020
Zhang lab former position:
Master Student, January 2021 - May 2022
Current position:
Marketing Specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific
About: Cooper received his bachelor’s degree in biology from McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. As an undergrad, Cooper worked in his mentor’s lab researching zebrafish development before he developed a strong interest in plant biology and biotechnology. He then participated in the Danforth Center’s Summer REU program where he worked in Doug Allen’s lab on a project related to soybean metabolism. Cooper is interested in studying how plants sense and respond to environmental stresses. In his free time he enjoys reading, playing games, being outside, and golf.
Margarita Del Rocio Ramirez
Education:
Fort Valley State University Freshman, Studying Horticulture
Zhang lab former position:
REU Intern, May 2021 - August 2021
Position:
Undergraduate at Fort Valley State University
About: Margarita Del Rocio Ramirez is a freshman majoring in Plant Science-Horticulture at Fort Valley State University, Georgia. During her Freshman year of college, she worked in the Biotech lab provided by her professor Dr. Dhir. Margarita got to learn many skills during her time such as plant tissue culture, DNA isolation, and bacteria culture. Currently, Margarita is interning virtually at the Danforth Center located in St. Louis, Missouri for the summer of 2021. Margarita is a part of Dr. Ru Zhang’s lab where she is doing her research project on a single-celled green alga called Chlamydomonas or “Chlamy” with Erin Mattoon. Margarita enjoys singing, painting, crafting, and exploring the flora around her.
Huong Mai Nguyen
Education:
Yokohama City University, PhD, 2018
Zhang lab former position:
Postdoctoral Associate, November 2019 - July 2021
Current position:
Research scientist at S&W Seeds Company, Texas
About: Huong received her PhD in Life and Environmental science in March, 2018 from Yokohama City University, Japan. During her PhD, she studied on "Identification and functional analysis of novel chemical compounds enhancing plant abiotic stress responses" at Dr. Motoaki Seki's Lab, RIKEN Yokohama. She revealed several interesting chemicals and molecular mechanisms that enhance the tolerance of plant under high-salinity stress responses. In Zhang Lab, she will involve in a project that apply a novel combination of in silico and experimental approaches to predict and validate the structure and function of poorly-characterized and unannotated proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, Setaria viridis and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In the free time, she likes playing with her children, cooking and exploring nearby.
Maureen Wirschell
Education:
University of Massachusetts Medical School, PhD, 2004
Zhang lab former position:
Research Associate, August 2020 - June 2021
Current position:
Faculty at Fontbonne College
About: I have been a scientist studying cell motility in algae for 20 years and I am excited to be using my expertise to address fundamental questions in plant heat stress responses. I live in Illinois with my husband, son, two dogs and two horses. When I am not at work, I enjoy riding my horses, reading and spending time with family.
Eric Becker
Education:
University of Missouri, Columbia, BS in Biological Engineering, 2019
Zhang lab former position:
Laboratory Technician, September 2019 - September 2020
Current position:
Associate Scientist at Pfizer
About: Eric is from the greater St. Louis area and received his bachelor's degree in biological engineering from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 2019. During his time there, Eric was a research assistant in a soybean genomics lab focused on the molecular genetics of plant stress tolerance and the application of genomic technologies for crop improvement. He was also a member of a biomedical research team contributing in the R&D for new and innovative medical devices. In his free time, Eric enjoys spending time in the outdoors, working out, reading, and exploring new places.
Jooyeon Jeong
Education:
Hanyang University, Korea, PhD, 2018
Zhang lab former position:
Postdoctoral Associate, November 2018 - November 2019
Current Position:
Postdoc at UIUC
About: Jooyeon received her PhD in Life science in August of 2018 from Hanyang University, South Korea. During her PhD, she studied on chloroplast signal recognition particle pathway proteins that involved in transport and assembly of light harvesting protein by using CRISPR-Cas9 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In Zhang Lab, she is now working on psychrophilic Chlamydomonas showing sustained cyclic electron flow (CEF) to understand the role and regulation of CEF. She'll also focus on the function of heat shock transcription factors in model Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by generating mutants and analyzing their phenotype. She likes to listen podcasts and sing. And she enjoys to visit Saint Louis Zoo!
Rachel Jouni
Education:
University of Florida, BS Biology
Washington University in St. Louis, PMB grad student
Zhang lab former position:
Rotation Graduate Student, March 2019
Current position:
WUSTL graduate student
About: Rachel is from Florida and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Florida. During her time there she studied evolutionary genetics in Drosophila with a focus on host-virus interactions. In between undergrad and grad school she worked in a tomato breeding lab with a focus on how volatile compounds affect flavor in tomato. She is currently in the PMB PhD. program at Washington University in St. Louis, and her rotation in the Zhang lab focuses on studying the heat response in algae. In her free time she enjoys eating and exploring St. Louis.
Emily Davenport
Education:
Bowling Green State University, BS, MS
Zhang lab former position:
Rotation Graduate Student, July 2018 - September 2018
Current Position:
WUSTL Graduate Student
About: Emily is from NW Ohio on the Lake Erie shores. She graduated from Bowling Green State University with her BS and MS. Her Master's project was a diel study of gene regulation of an in-situ cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie. After her Master's, she took a job with UM in Ann Arbor at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab where she helped introduce the first freshwater Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) into western Lake Erie in an effort to monitor microcystins in Lake Erie. She is now a first year at WashU rotating through the Zhang Lab, with an interest in using bioinformatics to study cell responses and gene regulations. In her spare time I enjoy any outdoor activity, cooking, camping, painting, and karaoke.
SarahStainbrook
Education:
Ph.D. Biological Engineering, Northwestern University
BS Cell and Molecular Biology, Ohio University in Athens
Zhang lab former position:
Research Associate, October 2018 - May 2019
Current Position:
Postdoctoral researcher, Michigan State University
About: Her graduate work focuses on engineering the properties of the prototypical MAP Kinase pathway in yeast for use in biosensor diagnostics. In the Zhang lab, Sarah will use the grass Setaria viridis as a model organism for photosynthesis in C4 plants such as maize and sorghum. She will combine traditional genetic approaches with engineering techniques to improve the thermostability of C4 photosynthesis, making C4 plants more tolerant of high temperature stresses. In her free time, Sarah enjoys cooking, running, opera and knitting.
Sarah Pardi
Education:
Loyola Marymount University, BS in Biology, 2018
Washington University in St. Louis, PMB grad student
Zhang lab former position:
Rotation Graduate Student, January 2019 - May 2019
Zhang lab former position:
WUSTL PMB grad student (Nusinow Lab)
About: Sarah is from the Bay Area in California. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Cum Laude) from Loyola Marymount University in May 2018. There, her research focused on the synergistic affects of mixed populations of rhizobacteria on white sweet clover. In the summer of 2017, she was an REU intern at Harvard Forest where she studied the role of manganese in leaf litter decomposition along oxic-anoxic interfaces. She is now a first year graduate student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program at Washington University rotating in the Zhang lab, with an interest in gene regulation of algal heat response. Sarah is an Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) Scholar. In her free time, Sarah enjoys exploring new places, going on outdoor adventures, and playing tennis.
James Eckhardt
Education:
Gustavus Adolphus College, BA, 2017
Zhang lab former position:
Laboratory Technician, January 2018 - July 2018
Current Position:
Graduate Student at UC-Riverside, since 08/2018
About: James received his bachelor’s degree in Biology (emphasizing in plant biology) from Gustavus Adolphus College in December 2017. While at Gustavus, James conducted research on plant ecology emphasizing statistical modeling and will continue using mass spectrometry to study plant proteomics. During the summer of 2017, he worked in the Zhang lab to optimize the use of environmental photobioreactors to better understand the effects of heat stress on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. James sails, mountain bikes, camps and climbs mountains in his free time. He is hoping to summit his 30th mountain by summer’s end.
Andrew Paton
Education:
University of Arizona
Zhang lab former position:
REU Student, May 2018 - August 2018
Current Position:
Graduate student at Colorado State University
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardee
About: Andrew is working on his bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular/Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona. There he works on tomato developmental genes and patterns in the Frans Tax lab. Afterwards, he plans to pursue graduate school to study algal biofuels. He is excited to be the summer 2018 REU intern for the Zhang lab and to learn about heat stress responses in Chlamydomonas. In his free time Andrew likes to bike, write, act, and scuba dive.
Varun Devraj
Education:
Princeton University, undergraduate student
Zhang lab former position:
High school STARS Intern, June 2018 - July 2018
Current Position:
Undergraduate at Princeton University
About: Varun is a rising senior at Marquette High School in Chesterfield, Missouri. He was selected to participate in the STARS (Students and Teachers As Research Scientists) program, a six week program that pairs a student with a research mentor in the St. Louis area. In the Zhang lab, Varun is working on using the IDEA Spectrophotometer and environmental Photobioreactors to probe various photosynthetic parameters, found from chlorophyll fluorescence and electrochromic shift, in wild type Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In his free time, Varun likes to read, travel, play tennis, and cook.
Zachary Weber
Education:
University of Missouri-St. Louis, BS in Biology, 2018
Zhang lab former position:
Laboratory Assistant, February 2019 - December 2019
About: Zachary is from Southern Illinois. He graduated from the University of Missouri - St. Louis in December of 2018 with his BS in Biology. At his time there he also was a member of the Pierre Laclede Honors College. During his time there he helped gather information for a guide to spotting Lepidoptera in Missouri that feed on oak trees. Additionally, he also studied the variations between wild type and different mutant c. elegans. In his free time, Zachary writes movie reviews for the Brain Stew, a student/alumni publication of Pierre Laclede Honors College. He also likes to watch movies, be outdoors, travel, and find new restaurants.
Grace Conway
Education:
University of Mississippi, undergraduate student
Zhang lab former position:
High School Student, April 2018 - May 2018
Current Position:
Undergraduate at University of Mississippi
Danny Greenblatt
Education:
University of Michigan
Zhang lab former position:
REU Intern, May 2019 - August 2019
Bonnie Peccola
Education:
St. Louis University, undergraduate student
Zhang lab former position:
High School Student, May 2019
Current Position:
Undergraduate at St. Louis University
Mugdha Sinha
Education:
Washington University in St. Louis, undergraduate
Zhang lab former position:
High School STARS Student, June 2019
Current position:
Undergraduate at WUSTL
Leila Pazouki
Education:
Estonian University of Life Sciences, PhD, 2017
Zhang lab former position:
Postdoctoral Associate, from April 2020 - April 2023
Current position:
Senior Research Scientist at Plastomics
About: Leila Pazouki received her PhD degree in Prof. Ülo Niinemets's group at the Estonian university of life sciences investigating emission, gene regulation and function of terpenoids in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). She is currently working on photosynthesis apparatus and its related genes of psychrophilic and mesophilic green algea. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, spending time in nature and road tripping.
Kayla Ehrlich
Education:
undergraduate at University of Florida
Zhang lab former position:
REU student, May 2023 - August 2023
About: Kayla is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a bachelor's degree in sustainability studies at the University of Florida and will graduate in Spring 2024. They have conducted academic research with their university focused on anaerobic digestion and circular agriculture as well as savanna and dung beetle ecology under the biological engineering and wildlife departments. They are currently working under the soil and water sciences department on a project regarding the CO2 outputs and inputs of oyster reef restoration projects. Kayla is an REU intern with the center and will be conducting research on C. reinhardtii its response to heat stress with the Zhang lab. In their free time, Kayla enjoys birdwatching, hiking, and painting.
Luke Sharpe
Education:
Loyola University Chicago, BS in Biochemistry (minor in Biostatistics), 2023
Zhang lab former position:
Summer intern, June 2023 - August 2023
Current position:
Graduate student at Michigan State University
About: Luke received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Biostatistics from Loyola University Chicago in May 2023. During his time there, he had the opportunity to explore the world of photosynthesis and study the biophysical processes of photosystem production and activity, along with water oxidizing complex turnover efficiency in the red alga Galdieria sulphuraria. In the summer of 2022, he was an REU intern at Southern Methodist University learning theoretical chemistry and modeling photosynthetic exciton transfer. Luke is currently working in the Zhang lab as a summer intern, doing research with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities, live performances, and running.
Cady Bailey
Position:
Lab Technician, October 2021 - August 2023
Education:
Duke University, BS in Biology, 2021
Current position:
Graduate student at Saint Louis University
About: Cady received her B.S. in Biology from Duke University in May of 2021. During her time at Duke, she researched the bioacoustics assessment of oyster reef biodiversity and the impact of C. celata boring sponges on oyster reef biodiversity. She has since spent a season working with the NC State University Sweet Potato and Cucurbit Cultural Management Program. In her free time, she loves to dance, write, bake, and crochet.
Eileen Kosola
Education:
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, BS in Plant and Microbial Biology, 2022
Zhang lab former position:
Lab Technician, July 2022 - September 2023
About: Eileen received her bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in May 2022. As an undergraduate, she was involved in a circadian clock lab, and measured phenotypic and genotypic changes in plant growth under cold stress. Combined with a summer job and later an REU internship at the Danforth center, these experiences helped her discover a strong interest in how the environment impacts plant growth. In her spare time, Eileen enjoys reading, drawing, and watching anime.