Akila Moore, Ph.D., Post-doctoral fellow, akilamoore@gmail.com
Akila received her B.A. from University of California at Berkeley in 1997, her MA of Science in 2000 from Cal State L.A, and her Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. She is currently characterizing the role of mitochondrial proteins during meiosis and mitosis and their subsequent roles in embryogenesis. Numerous nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes disrupt early development, leading Akila to propose a mitocheckpoint in C. elegans .
Anna Allen, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow, allenanna@mail.nih.gov
Anna received her B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from George Washington University in 2001, and her Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Biology in 2007. Her Ph.D. research was on the affects of a specific nuclear hormone receptor (HR39) in reproduction and sperm storage in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Allan Spradling at the Carnegie Institution for Science- Department of Embryology. She is continuing to follow her interests in reproduction by studying a conserved cell cycle regulator, WEE-1.3, involved in C. elegans meiosis and oocyte maturation. Over the past years, she has performed an in-depth characterization of this major cell cycle inhibitory kinase, including identifying its spatiotemporal localization, further characterizing the precocious oocyte maturation exhibited upon its depletion, and identifying novel players in the oocyte maturation process by screening for suppressors of the infertility phenotype of WEE-1.3-depleted animals. Her current research is aimed at determining the mechanism by which a number of these suppressors act. Her long-term goals consist of obtaining a faculty position at a college or university where she can be actively involved in teaching and mentoring students, which includes involving students in her own research endeavors.
David Levine, Post-baccalaureate IRTA fellow, levinedn@mail.nih.gov
David received his B.A. from Washington and Jefferson College in 2010 where he majored in Cell and Molecular Biology. He is currently characterizing the role of spe-11, a paternal-effect gene that contributes to early embryonic development. He is preparing a suppressor screen and yeast two-hybrid assay to identify associated genes.
Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow, aimee.jaramillo-lambert@nih.gov
Aimee received her B.S. in 2003 and her Ph.D. in 2010, both in Genetics, from the University of California, Davis. During her graduate career she examined sex-specific differences in meiosis, including DNA replication, meiotic prophase progression, and checkpoints using the model organism C. elegans under the mentorship of Dr. JoAnne Engebrecht, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. For her postdoctoral work she is continuing to investigate cellular processes that ensure the production of viable progeny. Currently, she is starting to further characterize spe-11, a paternal-effect-lethal mutant involved in early embryonic development in C. elegans and carrying out suppressor screens of this mutant. She is also setting up the TALENs system of targeted genome editing for the Golden lab.
