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Meet the Arndt lab

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Karen Arndt, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Karen received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley under the direction of Michael Chamberlin, studying mechanisms of transcription elongation and termination in prokaryotes.  She then performed postdoctoral studies in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School in the lab of Fred Winston where she shifted her focus to eukaryotic transcription and added genetic approaches to her skillset. Karen is passionate about mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in the lab. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her kids, traveling, and hiking. 

Margaret "Peg" Shirra, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher

After receiving a Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School (Ulla Hansen’s Lab), Peg returned home to Pittsburgh. Her roommate in graduate school received her Ph.D. in Dr. Winston’s lab and after many late-night conversations, she became interested in yeast genetics as an extension of her graduate work studying eukaryotic transcription. Joining Dr. Arndt’s lab was the perfect merger of circumstances that has continued since 1996. She loves assisting both the undergraduate and graduate students in furthering their careers and more recently also managing the day-to-day operations in the lab. Outside of the lab, Peg spends time with her parents and husband, exploring the local and near-local food and brewery scene. 

Sanchirmaa Namjilsuren

Ph.D. Student

Sanchirmaa studied at National University of Mongolia for two years before transferring to the University of Southern Mississippi and received a B.S in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. She is interested in understanding how an essential transcription elongation factor Spt5 regulates co-transcriptional processes and how its post-translational modifications modulate its behavior. Recreationally, she likes trying out new recipes, reading books, watching anime and hiking.

Sarah Tripplehorn

Ph.D. Student

Sarah received a B.S. in Biology with Concentrations in Molecular Biology and French from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. She is interested in understanding how CHD nucleosome remodelers are recruited to genes in yeast and mESCs. Her hobbies include traveling with friends, reading, and indoor biking.

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Alex Francette

Ph.D. Student

Alex received a B.S in Molecular Biology/Biotechnology and a B.S. in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry from the Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He is currently working on understanding the roles of the Paf1C transcription elongation factor in the regulation of gene expression and chromatin state. In his free time, Alex enjoys hiking and playing guitar.

Tasniem Fetian

Ph.D. Student

Tasniem received her B.S in Biomedical Sciences majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Science and Technology at Zewail City in Egypt, where she is originally from. She is interested in unravelling the molecular mechanisms through which histone and nucleosome modifications regulate gene expression and other essential chromatin functions. Outside the lab, she likes being in nature and trying out bakeries around Pittsburgh.

Aakash Grover

Ph.D. Student

Aakash received a B.S in Biotechnology with a minor in Chemistry from Shiv Nadar University, India. With an interest in studying chromatin and transcription, he is working on understanding the role of H2B mono-ubiquitylation in regulating transcription. Outside the lab, Aakash likes to read fiction novels and jam to Bollywood songs.  

Mitchell Ellison, PhD

Bioinformatics Consultant

Mitch  performed his PhD studies  in the Arndt lab and earned his PhD from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh in 2020. He is currently a Bioinformatics Scientist in the Tissue Typing Lab at UPMC. Mitch also works part-time as a Bioinformatics Consultant for both Ariel Precision Medicine and the Arndt Lab.

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Hannah O'Dwyer

Undergraduate student

Sanhita Kutumbaka

Undergraduate Student

Jinrui Huang

Undergraduate Student

Sameer Vidwans

Undergraduate Student

Lab Alumni

Brendan McShane

Current Position:  PhD student, University of Washington

Elizabeth Hildreth, PhD

Current Position:  Quality Manager for La Cumbre Brewing Company in Albuquerque, NM

Christine Cucinotta, PhD

Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University

S. Branden Van Oss, PhD

Post-Graduation Position: NIH postdoctoral fellow, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Elizabeth Raupach, PhD

Current Position: Research Associate, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ

Brett Tomson, PhD

Current Position: Associate Director of Research Operations, Novartis

Manasi Mayekar, PhD

Current Position: Senior Scientist II, AbbVie

Kristin Klucevsek, PhD

Current Position: Teaching Associate Professor of Scientific Writing, Duquesne University

Elia Crisucci, PhD

Post-Graduation Position: postdoctoral researcher, University of Pittsburgh

Anthony Piro, PhD

Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, Max Planck Institute

Marcie Warner, PhD

Current Position: Teaching Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Maggie Braun, PhD

Current Position: Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs, Mellon College 
of Science, Carnegie Mellon University

Kathryn Sheldon, PhD

Current Position: Project Manager, Penn State Hershey Institute for Personalized Medicine

J. Vaughn Spencer, PhD

Most Recent Position: Intellectual Property Attorney

Patrick Costa, MD-PhD

Current Position: Physician

Qing Liu, PhD

Post-Graduation Position: postdoctoral researcher, Johns Hopkins University

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