People

Sigrid Nachtergaele, PhD

sigrid.nachtergaele@yale.edu

Sigrid (aka Siggy) received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in Biochemistry and Chemistry, while also working in the lab of Rustem Ismagilov and competing on the women’s soccer team. She did her PhD in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford, working in the lab of Rajat Rohatgi on mechanisms of Hedgehog signaling. Her PhD work developed novel chemical tools to uncover new modes of sterol-mediated regulation of this critical developmental pathway. She headed back to the University of Chicago for a post doc with Chuan He, diving into the world of RNA and working on identifying the functions and regulation of mRNA modifications. When not in the lab, she enjoys sports (playing and spectating), the outdoors (especially the beach!), and playing with Duplo or Play-Doh (usually with her kids).

Dr. Muhammad Ramiz Uddin, PhD

muhammadramiz.uddin@yale.edu

Ramiz received his undergraduate degree in Pharmacy from Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, followed by a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He then moved to the University of Oklahoma, where he completed his PhD in Biochemistry under the supervision of Dr. Helen Zgurskaya. His doctoral research focused on dissecting the structural and mechanistic basis of multidrug efflux pumps in Gram-negative bacteria, integrating biochemical, biophysical, and computational approaches to understand pump assembly, conformational regulation, and small-molecule inhibition. Ramiz is now a postdoctoral associate in the Nachtergaele lab, where he is expanding his research into RNA biology and metabolic regulation, building bridges between drug resistance mechanisms and RNA-based pathways. Beyond the lab, he enjoys traveling, exploring new cities, cooking, watching soccer, playing cricket, and spending time outdoors.

Dr. Yi Pan, PhD

y.pan@yale.edu

Loren Wilson

lauren.wilson@yale.edu

Lauren attended Palomar College before transferring to the University of Arizona, where they graduated with a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biochemistry. There, they worked in Ross Buchan’s lab studying the regulation of mRNA decay. Now, they are continuing their RNA obsession in the Nachtergaele lab, where they investigate the role of RNA modifications in the assembly of nuclear bodies. When they’re not actively thinking about RNA, Lauren enjoys science fiction, karaoke, and learning to play the accordion.

Clara Wang

clara.wang@yale.edu 

Clara attended Mount Holyoke College where she majored in Biology and minored in Chinese. At Mount Holyoke, she studied bacterial sRNA-protein interactions in Dr. Katie Berry’s lab. After graduating, she worked as a postbaccalaureate research fellow at the NIH in Dr. J. Robert Hogg’s lab studying the mechanisms of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, knitting, and baking! 

Emily Dangelmaier

emily.dangelmaier@yale.edu

Emily graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology. While completing her undergraduate degree, Emily explored diverse areas of biomedical research in labs at Colgate University, Harvard Medical School, and the NIH. Prior to starting graduate school, she worked as a postbaccalaureate research fellow at the National Cancer Institute at the NIH in the lab of Dr. Ashish Lal, where she studied long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the context of colorectal cancer, which inspired her interest in RNA biology. When not in the lab, Emily loves going to the beach, doing puzzles, and playing with her dog, Lacy.

Ashton Bollinger

ashton.bollinger@yale.edu

Ashton attended Susquehanna University, where she received a BS in Biochemistry. She conducted undergraduate research in the lab of Dr. Geneive Henry, where she synthesized and characterized a library of novel organic compounds with antioxidant properties. She then worked as a research associate at the Clinic for Special Children in Lancaster, PA, studying rare genetic disesases in Amish and Mennonite populations. Outside the lab, she enjoys watching movies, cross-stitching, and exploring New Haven with her dog!

Isabel Hardy

isabel.hardy@yale.edu

Isabel graduated from Amherst College with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics. There, she worked in Ashley Carter’s lab studying the biochemical mechanism underlying the histone-to-protamine transition during sperm cell formation. When not in lab, Isabel loves running, music, and dancing!

Keely McClellan

keely.mcclellan@yale.edu

Keely graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. While at BC, she conducted research in Dr. Huiqing Zhou’s lab, developing methods for the directed evolution of methyltransferases. Throughout this time, she also worked in Dr. Cassandra Hayne’s lab at the University of Chicago, investigating the novel characteristics of a tRNA splicing enzyme. Outside of being in the lab, she also enjoys running, listening to music, and playing boardgames with her friends and family!

Shriya Krishna

shriya.krishna@yale.edu

Shriya graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology, where she began exploring biomedical research through work at Sellux Diagnostics, Inc. and Massachussetts General Hospital. After graduating, she worked as a postbaccalaureate research fellow at the NIH in Dr. Shalini Oberdoerffer’s lab studying mechanisms of RNA modifications in mRNA translation. Outside of lab, Shriya enjoys reading, crocheting, and exploring coffee shops in New Haven!

Renee Pascoe

renee.pascoe@yale.edu

Renee graduated from Lafayette College with a bachelor’s degree in Integrative Engineering with a Bioengineering focus. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in Yih-Choung Yu’s lab on computer simulation of the cardiovascular system and its interactions with left-ventricular assist devices. In her free time, Renee loves crafting, reading, traveling, and trying new restaurants.

Ece Serdaroglu