University of Pittsburgh
Former O'Donnell Lab Students
Collin Krasowski
Originally from: Buffalo, NY
B.S. in Biological Sciences from Duquesne University (May 2016)
Present in Lab: May 2015 - July 2016
Currently attending Daemen College PA School in Amherst NY
Collin is a former undergraduate researcher from the O'Donnell lab and was focused on understanding how α-arretins contribute to trafficking of the mammalian potassium transporter, Kir2.1. Kir2.1 is important for maintaining potassium homeostasis in cardiac cells and so this project has important clinical implications. Collin is attending the Daemen College PA School in Amherst NY as of the fall of 2016.
Tova Finkelstein
Originally from: Baltimore, MD
Present in Lab: January 2015 - August 2017
Currrently pursoing a Biochemistry Major at Barnard College of Columbia University
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Tova was one of the first high school students to work in the O'Donnell Lab, using a computational approach to identify potential cargo pairs with the α-arrestin Ldb19. During her time in lab Tova successfully cloned multiple new GFP-tagged cargo for α-arrestins and defined many new α-arrestin-regulated cargoes. She is pursuing a major in biochemistry at Barnard College, with the ultimate goal of pursuing a Ph.D. within scientific research.
Hilary Serbin
Originally from: Pittsburgh, PA
Present in Lab: August 2015 - August 2016
Currently pursuing a Biology Major at the University of Pittsburgh
Hilary was a high school student working in the O'Donnell Lab, and used a computational approach to identify potential cargo pairs with the α-arrestins Aly1 and Aly2. Hilary's data clearly defined two new cargo for Aly1 and Aly2 and has lead to a new model for Aly1- and Aly2-mediated cargo selection. She is currently studying biology at the University of Pittsburgh in hopes of later pursuing a MD.
Taylor Robinson
Present in Lab: May 2016 - August 2016
Currently attending The Ellis School
Taylor was a high school student working in the O'Donnell Lab for the summer of 2016, and used a computational approach to identify and clone potential cargo pairs for the α-arrestin Ldb19. She is currently a senior at The Ellis School.
Joshua Pirl
Present in Lab: January 2015 - June 2015
Currently attending Brown University
Josh was a high school student working in the O'Donnell Lab, and during his time in lab he worked on identifying the role of ubiquitination in regulating a-arrestin function. Josh recently returned to the URP program at Duquesne in the summer of 2016 and worked in Nathan Clark's lab at the University of Pittsburgh on a collaborative project to use computational approaches to identify cargo recognition motifs for α-arrestins. He is currently a sophomore studying biology at Brown University.
Beatrice Milnes
Present in Lab: May 2016 - November 2016
Currently attending Taylor Alderdice High School
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Beatrice was one of the high school students working in the O'Donnell Lab, using a computational approach to identify and clone potential cargo pairs for the α-arrestin Ldb19.
Devin Greene
Present in Lab: September 2016 - December 2016
Currently pursing a Biology major, Minors in Math and Biochemistry at Duquesne University
Devin was one of the O'Donnell Lab undergraduate volunteers (geared towards gaining experience within a lab setting).
Present in Lab: January 2016 - December 2016
Currently pursing a Biology Major at Duquesne University
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Patrice was an undergraduate researcher in the O'Donnell Lab, and used a computational approach to identify potential cargo pairs with the α-arrestin Ldb19.
Patrice Clemenza
Alexiy Nikiforov- Rotational Student
Originally from: Minsk, Belarus
B.S. in Biology from University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg Campus (2010)
Currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences Duquesne University
Present in Lab: January 2017 - April 2017
Alexiy was the O'Donnell lab's rotational graduate student for the spring of 2017. His rotational project focused on using a computational approach to identify potential cargo pairs with the α-arrestin Ldb19.
Gretchen Pratt
Originally from: Erie PA
Currently pursing a Biomedical Engineering Major and Math Minor at Duquesne University
Joined the lab: September 2016
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Gretchen is one of the O'Donnell Lab undergraduate volunteers and was involved in quantifying microscopy images and learning about statistical analyses as part of a larger project aimed at defining new arrestin cargoes.
Benjamin Robinson- Research Technician I
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA
B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh (2015), Minors in Chemistry, Theater (Acting)
Present in lab: January 2016-September 2017
Ben was the first lab technician for the O'Donnell Lab and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Drexel University in the Spiliotis Lab. During those rare times he was not doing science, he enjoyed theater and film critiquing, tea sampling, and card magic.
Jackson Moore
Present in Lab: June 2017 - August 2017
Currently attending Taylor Alderdice High School
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Jackson was one of the high school students working in the O'Donnell Lab, using a computational approach to identify and clone potential cargo pairs for the α-arrestin Ldb19.
Lan Anh Le
Present in Lab: June 2017 - August 2017
Currently attending SciTech
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Lan Anh was one of the high school students working in the O'Donnell Lab, helping to create gene deletions to understand the regulation of the potassium channel Kir2.1.
Mike Hall
Present in Lab: May 2016 - August 2017
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​Mike Hall joined the O'Donnell lab for the summer of 2017 following his completion of the Cell and Molecular Biology 2 Lab course. He continued investigating the top candidates from the genetic screen performed during the lab course as well as assisting in replicating the screen itself. Mike was also able to pitch in on the Evolutionary Rate Covariation project by quantifying image data and providing support to lab members during his time.
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Kaitlyn Michalow
Originally from: Washington PA
Currently pursuing a Biology Major and Minor in Biochemistry at Duquesne University
Present in lab: September 2015-December 2017
Kaitlyn was a current undergraduate researcher in the O'Donnell lab and was using a computational approach to identify potential cargo pairs with the α-arrestin Ldb19. She plans to attend medical school after graduation, and would like to specialize in cardiology. When not in the lab, she engages in a variety of active (volleyball, running, and gym workouts) and inactive (professional Netflix and food connoisseur) pursuits, all while finding time to play classical music on her violin.
Originally from: Istanbul, Turkey
B.S. in Biology from Hacettepe University (2007)
M.S. in the Department of Medical Biology and Genetics from Gazi University (2016)
Currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences Duquesne University
Present in lab lab August 2017-December 2017
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Emine was working on the Evolutionary Rate Covariation (ERC) project helping to validate new α-arrestin cargos by assessing the localization and abundance of GFP-tagged cargo proteins lacking specific α-arrestins. Before Duquesne she worked as a middle school science teacher several years. She loves hiking and discovering nature and new places.
Emine F. Kahveci- Rotational Student
Faba Malik
Originally from: Pittsburgh, PA
Currently pursing a Biology Major, Minors in Arabic and Spanish at Duquesne University
Present in Lab: January 2015- July 2018
Faba was the senior undergraduate researcher in the O'Donnell lab and was focused on the role of ubiquintation in regulating Aly1- and Aly2-mediated protein trafficking. Her future plans include pursing a D.MD/Ph.D program, with the goal to join Doctors Without Borders and ultimately open her own clinic. When not in the lab, she enjoyed learning two additional languages to add to the four she already knows, simultaneously reading books while listening to bad pop music, or preparing for the great power and responsibility she will possess as one of next semester's RAs.
Abdullah Malik
Originally from: Pittsburgh PA
Currently pursing a double major in Biology and Entrepreneurship at Duquesne University
Joined the lab: May 2016
Abdullah joined the O'Donnell Lab in May of 2016 after serving as the Student Assistant. He is working on the Evolution Rate Covariation (ERC) project helping to validate new α-arrestin cargos by assessing the localization and abundance of GFP-tagged cargo proteins lacking specific α-arrestins.
Abdullah plans to enroll in either medical school or graduate school after completing his undergraduate work. He has a twin sister, roots for the Patriots despite his location in Pittsburgh, and is in the process of writing his first book (details are sketchy, but the rumor is it involves a post- apocalyptic civil war on future-earth).
Originally from: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Currently pursing a degree in Neuroscience and Spanish at Dickinson College
Joined the lab: May 2018
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Justina became part of the lab as a Neuroscience Fellow through the Summer NURE program at Duquesne. She assists graduate student Natalie Hager on a portion of her project that seeks to understand the role of alpha arrestins in the regulation of the mammalian potassium transporter, ROMK, which is expressed in the kidney. Her future plans include pursuing an MD/PhD to hopefully be an orthopedic surgeon with a PhD in Neuroscience that will give insight about post-surgery pain management. When not occupied with science, Justina likes to ride horses, paint, and eat BBQ chips.
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Justina Warnick
Originally From: Pittsburgh PA
Currently attending University of Pittsburgh
Joined the lab: July 2016
Uthman was a high school student who worked in the O'Donnell Lab, and used a computational approach to identify potential cargo pairs with the α-arrestin Ldb19. Uthman currently attends the University of Pittsburgh pursuing research and premed. When not in the lab, he enjoys watching and playing basketball (in both the virtual and real world), computer coding, and learning more about subjects like physics and math.
Uthman Fadu
Austin Summers
Originally From: South Carolina
Currently attending Sci-Tech High School
Joined the lab: June 2018
Austin is a high school student working in the O'Donnell Lab, and helping graduate student Wes Bowman analyze candidates from his ScUbI screen. Austin intends to pursue either a masters degree or PhD in biology. When not in the lab, he enjoys drawing and playing soccer.
Originally from: Pittsburgh, PA
B.S. in Biological Sciences from University of Pittsburgh (2010)
Currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Duquesne University
Present in the lab: April 2018-December 2018
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Dave worked on the Evolutionary Rate Covariation (ERC) project helping to validate new α-arrestin cargos by assessing the localization and abundance of GFP-tagged cargo proteins lacking specific α-arrestins. Future plans include doing a post-doc, and then running his own research lab. In his spare time Dave enjoys skiing, playing the guitar and piano, kayaking, and spending time with his wife and new born son.
Dave Macar
Max Dahlen
Originally from: Poolsville Maryland
Currently pursuing a degree in biochemistry with a minor in chemistry and American history at the University of Pittsburgh
Joined the lab: January 2019
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Max joined the lab in January of 2019 during his senior year. He worked on the Evolutionary Rate Covariation (ERC) project that validates new α – arrestin cargos by analyzing and quantifying the localization and saturation of GFP-tagged cargo proteins lacking specific α – arrestins. When Max was not quantifying he likes to salsa dance and read a good book.
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Karandeep Chera (Junior)
Originally from: Pittsburgh, PA
Currently pursing a degree in Biology with a minor in mathmatics at Duquesne University
Joined the lab: January 2018
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Karandeep joined the lab in January of 2018 during his sophomore spring semester at Duquesne University. His current focus is aiding graduate student Ray Bowman in completing a screen of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ubiquitin Interactome (ScUbi) gene deletion library as well as investigating candidates from previous screens of the same library. a-Arrestins play a pivotal in the selection redistribution of proteins, often in response to cues from the extracellular environment. This library helps to identify specific a-arrestin regulators associated with the ubiquitination, a post-translational modification which plays a role in modifying a-arrestin function. Thus, ScUbi contains all of the non-essential genes annotated as important for ubiqutination and ubiqutin interaction.
Karandeep plans to enroll in medical school after completing his undergrad work. He is a huge Steelers fan, which you could easily tell by walking into his dorm. When not in the lab he likes to play basketball, football, and soccer. However, when he is feeling lazier he is a movie fanatic.
Originally from Newtown, PA
B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh (2018)
Joined lab: March 2018
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David is the lab's second technician and joined the lab full time in May 2018. After graduating from University of Pittsburgh, he wanted to grow his molecular biology experience as well as give himself time between undergraduate and graduate studies. David is considering either going to graduate school to pursue a PhD in neuroscience or attending seminary to become a pastor. Currently, David is working to find how hexose transporters interact with alpha arrestins under different conditions as well as making sure the lab doesn't burn down. Outside of lab David enjoys running, hiking, reading, and finding new restaurants in Pittsburgh to try.
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David Augustine- Research Technician I
Joseph Crooks
Originally from: Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Currently pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences and a Certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine
Joined the lab: January 2019
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Joseph joined the lab in January 2019 during his sophomore year after spending a year as a Research Assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital and attending Northeastern University. He has not yet been assigned to a research project in the O’Donnell lab but has been assisting on many, and he will soon be paired with a graduate student based on his research interests. In the future, he plans to attend medical school after completing his undergraduate studies. In his free time, he is training to become an EMT and plays intramural soccer at the University of Pittsburgh. Joseph also loves the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine and enjoys reading books on astrophysics when he is not working in the lab.
Jameson Davis - Research Technician III
Originally from Bethesda, MD
B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pittsburgh (2019)
Joined lab: June 2019
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Jameson was a research technician in our lab. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, he joined us full-time in June 2019. Jameson plans to pursue graduate studies in cell and molecular biology in the future. He worked to define novel functions for the alpha-arrestins that have emerged as a result of our Evolutionary Rate Covariation (ERC) analysis. Outside of lab, Jameson likes sailing and playing chess.
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Originally From: Pittsburgh
High School: Taylor Allderdice
Currently attending Carnegie Mellon University
Joined the lab: October 2018
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Sara was a high school student working in the O’Donnell Lab investigating possible analogous function between mammalian and yeast a-arrestins through transforming mammalian a-arrestins into yeast cells. She is currently applying to colleges, and intends to pursue a master’s degree or PhD in biology or physics. Outside of the lab, Sara enjoys working on the school newspaper, playing ultimate frisbee, and spending time with her dog.
Sara Liang (12th Grade)
Ceara McAtee
Originally from: State College, PA
Currently pursing her PhD at Yale University
College: degree in Biology with a minor in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh
Joined the lab: August 2018 - July 2020
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Ceara worked with Natalie Hager in the lab, defining how ROMK, a mammalian renal potassium channel, is regulated by alpha-arrestins. The O'Donnell lab has show that alpha-arrestins regulate another mammalian potassium channel (Kir2.1) expressed in yeast. Alpha-arrestins promote intracellular sorting of Kir2.1 to the cell surface, which is important in cardiac function. ROMK maintains potassium homeostasis in the kidneys. Understanding how alpha arrestins regulate intracellular sorting and endosomal recycling of ROMK has important biomedical implications. Ceara will be working on defining the role of alpha arrestins in controlling ROMK, determining other molecular players involved in alpha-arrestin related sorting pathways, and developing tools for imaging potassium channels and other transmembrane proteins at the cell surface.
Ceara plans to go to graduate school after Pitt. When she's not in lab, she loves the fiber arts -- knitting, crocheting, spinning yarn, lucetting, and felting. Ceara also enjoys reading, baking, and learning Irish.
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Kenny Callahan
Originally from: East Granby, CT
Currently pursuing his PhD at Brown University
College: Degree in Chemistry and Mathematics at Marlboro College.
Joined the lab: May 2018
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Kenny enjoys playing pool, spending time in the woods, and listening to 90's rap. Kenny currently worked with David and Dr. O'Donnell on elucidating the function of the alpha arrestin Rog3 in the hexose transporter 4 pathway. In the future he would like to pursue a PhD in biology and bioinformatics so that he can approach problems from both a wet-lab and mathematical modeling standpoint.
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Rody Kingston- Rotation Student
Contact at: rok53@pitt.edu
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Originally from Douglasville, GA
B.S. in Biology from Morehouse College (2016)
Currently pursuing his PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Rody is the O'Donnell lab's Fall 2020 rotation student and his research will focus on examining how α-arrestins contribute to amino acid homeostasis and subsequent iron balance to influence mitochondrial metabolic function. With a targeted approach using growth assays, microscopy and mass spectroscopy, he will assess 5 amino acid transporters (Mup1, Yct1, Bap2, Bap3 and Avt1) and their contribution to iron starvation phenotypes in 9 of the 14 α-arrestins and Ldb19 deleted yeast cells. Rody will also observe localization of Aft1, a transcription factor that regulates iron-responsive elements. Furthermore, he will measure iron-sulfur cluster formation, which if disrupted, is indicative of mitochondrial dysfunction. When not in lab Rody enjoys exercise, hiking trails, videogames, reading, tv shows and movies, art, and music.
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Originally From: Pittsburgh
Currently attending Yale
Joined the lab: October 2018
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Hannah worked in the O’Donnell Lab as a high school from Taylor Allderdice student tagging yeast alpha-arrestins with mCherry to determine their localization within the cell and co-localization with surface membrane proteins. She attends Yale University for undergrad and intends on pursuing a career in biology or medicine. Outside of the lab, she enjoys being a part of her school’s debate and science bowl teams, playing tennis, and watching Netflix documentaries.
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Hannah Barsouk
Maliha Tayeb
Originally from: Bear, Delaware
Currently pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry and Sociology
Joined the lab: January 2020 - May 2021
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Maliha joined the lab as a lab aid and beginning in August 2020 she began doing research in the O'Donnell lab. Outside of the lab, she is a tutor, a member of a mentoring club known as Breakthrough at Pitt, and a member of Dhirana, which is a club that organizes Indian classical dance competitions. She also enjoys cooking and baking as well as crocheting.
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