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).

Dorthy Fang

dorthy.fang@yale.edu

Dorthy Fang received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from Columbia University. Prior to starting graduate school, she worked as an assistant scientist at Phanes Therapeutics, Inc. in San Diego. When not in the lab, she enjoys food of all shapes and sizes, jamming to new music, and photosynthesizing outdoors.

Lauren 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.

Luke Devereux

luke.devereux@yale.edu 

Luke graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and minors in Chemistry, African Black Diaspora Studies, and LGBTQ Studies. At Depaul, they studied small molecule inhibitors of herpesvirus entry with Dr. Sarah Connolly, and they also attended internships at Tufts University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Oregon. At UO Luke worked with Dr. Jeff McKnight on mapping transcription factor binding to DNA which inspired him to continue studying the biochemistry behind gene regulation. Outside the lab, Luke likes long distance cycling, backpacking, and reading/writing on disability theory, queer theory, and racial justice. 

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.

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! 

Eddy Tzintzun-Tapia

eddy.tzintzun-tapia@yale.edu 

Eddy Tzintzun-Tapia was born and raised in North Carolina before moving to New Haven for his undergraduate studies. He received his undergraduate degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology from Yale University. There, he researched in Dr. Paul Turner’s lab, studying the evolution of bacteriophage adsorption in response to bacteriophage resistance. Outside the lab, Eddy enjoys long walks, skateboarding, trying new foods, social media, and photography.

Josh Beale is a first-generation, low-income student originally from Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania who is majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. While at Yale, he has previously researched the effects of debt on mental and physical wellbeing with Dr. Harper at the Yale School of Medicine, and he currently works in Dr. Nachtergaele’s lab doing research on RNA modifications on the lncRNA MALAT1 in the context of human cancer. Beyond research and academics, he is an amateur guitarist, avid hiker, home cook, VP of the Yale Undergraduate Student Dairy Organization, President of the MCDB Student Association, and Head FroCo for Ezra Stiles College.