Lab Members

Leslie Vosshall Ph.D. Robin Chemers Neustein Professor Phone: 212-327-7236 E-mail: leslie.vosshall-at-rockefeller.edu Leslie received her A.B. degree in Biochemistry from Columbia College in 1987, and her Ph.D. degree from The Rockefeller University in 1993, mentored by Dr. Michael Young. She conducted postdoctoral research with Dr. Richard Axel at Columbia University. She returned to Rockefeller in 2000 to establish the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior. (Photo: Evan Sung, 2011) Sha-har Admoni HHMI Medical Research Fellow E-mail: Sha-har.Admoni-at-rockefeller.edu Sha-har is a 2009 graduate of MIT, where she majored in Brain and Cognitive Sciences with a minor in Economics. She is a member of the Weill Cornell Medical College Class of 2013, but is taking one year off from medical school to carry out bench biomedical research as part of the HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program. Sha-har is working on Drosophila feeding behavior with Nilay Yapici in 2012-2013. Lindsay Bellani PhD Student E-mail: Lindsay.Dick@rockefeller.edu Lindsay received her B.S. degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. She worked in the lab in Spring 2010 as a rotation student working with Conor McMeniman on the molecular biology of host-seeking behavior in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, with a specific interest in heat sensation. She joined the lab in August 2010 after completing the MBL Neurobiology Summer Course and is working on the mechanisms that mosquitoes use to choose among different human hosts. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Jennifer Bussell Graduate Fellow E-mail: Jennifer.Bussell-at-rockefeller.edu Jennifer earned her A.B. in biological sciences with honors and a specialization in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Chicago in 2004. As an undergraduate, she studied recombination within primate sex chromosomes in Bruce Lahn's laboratory of human genetics. After working with Eléonore Réal on Drosophila pheromones during a rotation in the summer of 2008, she joined the lab in fall 2008 and is studying Drosophila female sexual behavior. (Photo: Allan Zepeda, 2008) Roman Corfas Graduate Fellow E-mail: Roman.Corfas-at-rockefeller.edu Roman rotated in the lab in the Fall of 2009 as a first year PhD student. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College in 2008. He worked with Conor McMeniman on the molecular biology of host-seeking behavior in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, with a specific interest in carbon dioxide and heat sensation. He joined the lab in 2010 and is studying heat sensation in the mosquito. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Matthew DeGennaro Ph.D. Postdoctoral Associate E-mail: Matthew.DeGennaro-at-rockefeller.edu Matt earned a BA in the history and philosophy of science from Bard College and his PhD in developmental genetics from the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at New York University School of Medicine in 2008. His PhD thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Ruth Lehmann concerned germ cell migration and the discovery of redox signaling in this process. In the Vosshall Lab he is working on the genetics of skin odor perception in mosquitoes. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Emily Dennis Graduate Fellow E-mail: emily.dennis-at-rockefeller.edu Emily is a 2011 graduate of the University of Rochester. She received a combined BA/BS in Molecular Genetics and Studio Arts. While an undergraduate, she carried out research in the laboratories of Baek Kim and Jack Werren at the University of Rochester, Zhirong Bao's laboratory at Sloan Kettering, and Maik Huttemann's laboratory at Wayne State University. She rotated in the lab in Fall/Winter 2011-2012, working with Ben Matthews on oviposition behavior and participated in the MBL Neural Systems & Behavior course in the summer of 2012. She joined the lab in August 2012 to work on contact chemoreception and the mechanism of action of insect repellents. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Laura B. Duvall PhD Postdoctoral Associate E-mail: lduvall-at-rockefeller.edu Laura earned a B.A. in Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Behavior at the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She went on to a PhD mentored by Paul Taghert at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 2012. In the Vosshall Laboratory, Laura works on the regulation of mosquito feeding behavior by neuropeptides and their receptors. Barbara Ghelardi Administrative Assistant II E-mail: Barbara.Ghelardi-at-rockefeller.edu Barbara previously was the administrator for the Stoffel Laboratory and joined our group in 2006. In the Vosshall Lab, Barbara expertly handles all aspects of laboratory administration. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Allison Goff Research Assistant E-mail: Allison.Goff-at-rockefeller.edu Alli earned her undergraduate degree in Biology/Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Master's Degree in bioethics at NYU. She began as a part time laboratory technician providing general lab support and was promoted to Research Assistant in 2012. She currently works with Lindsay Bellani on the the question of why mosquitoes bite some people and not others. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Gloria Gordon Laboratory Technician E-mail: Gloria.Gordon-at-rockefeller.edu Gloria joined the lab in June 2012 as a laboratory technician primarily responsible for managing all aspects of our insectary. Gloria is a long-time member of the Rockefeller community and previously managed the HHMI glasswashing facility, as well as working in numerous laboratories on campus. Isabel Gutierrez Laboratory Manager I E-mail: Isabel.Gutierrez-at-rockefeller.edu Isabel joined our lab as laboratory technician in the summer of 2009. While she was a senior at Hunter College, Class of 2009 Isabel helped our lab as a part-time lab technician and was later hired into a new full-time position made possible by an ARRA Stimulus Grant Supplement from NIDCD. She previously interned in the Rice Lab. In 2011, Isabel was promoted to manage Drosophila operations in the Vosshall Lab. In 2012, Isabel was promoted to Lab Manager. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Peggy Hempstead R.N. Research Specialist I/Human Clinical Study Coordinator E-mail: smell-at-rockefeller.edu Peggy received a B.S. from Columbia University and an M.A. degree from New York University, both in English Literature. She received a B.S. in Nursing from Cornell University-New York School of Nursing. She has worked on various clinical research projects at Rockefeller University and at other institutions in New York City. Peggy coordinates all of our human smell studies. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Andreas Keller Ph.D. Research Associate E-mail: Andreas.Keller-at-rockefeller.edu Andreas received his Diplom degree in Virology from the Friedrich-Alexander- University in Erlangen, Germany. He received his PhD degree in Genetics from the Julius-Maximilian-University in Wuerzburg, Germany, where he worked with Dr. Martin Heisenberg. Andreas is the 2003 recipient of the Marco S. Stoffel Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mind, Brain and Behavior. He was named postdoctoral finalist for a 2008 Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists from the New York Academy of Sciences. Andreas is the recipient of a 2008 Branco Weiss Science in Society Fellowship and a 2009 NARSAD Young investigator award. Andreas investigates the perceptual rules of smell in humans. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Katie Kistler B.A. Research Assistant E-mail: kkistler-at-rockefeller.edu Katie earned her undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Studio Arts from Pomona College in 2012, where she worked with Karl Johnson. She joined the Vosshall Lab in January 2013 to work with Ben Matthews and Conor McMeniman on mosquito genetics and behavior. Jeff Liesch Graduate Fellow E-mail: Jeff.Liesch-at-rockefeller.edu Jeff earned his BA degree from the University of Maryland in 2004, where he majored in cell biology and molecular genetics. He rotated in the lab in the Fall of 2007 as a first year PhD student and worked with Maurizio Pellegrino on structure/function of Or83b. He joined the lab in 2008 and is working on regulation of host-seeking behavior in mosquitoes. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Ben Matthews Postdoctoral Fellow E-mail: Ben.Matthews-at-rockefeller.edu Ben earned a BS in biology from the California Institute of Technology in 2004 and a PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from Columbia University in 2010. For his PhD he worked in the laboratory of Wes Grueber and worked on the mechanisms of dendrite self-avoidance mediated by the Dscam gene. He joined the Vosshall Lab in September 2010 to work on genes and circuits controlling oviposition in the mosquito. He received a 2010 Henry and Marie Josee Kravis Postdoctoral fellowship and a 2011 Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral fellowship. Ben works on oviposition in the mosquito. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Carolyn (Lindy) McBride Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow E-mail: Carolyn.McBride-at-rockefeller.edu Carolyn (Lindy) received her B.A. from Williams College in 1998 and her Ph.D. in Population Biology from the University of California at Davis in 2008. Her dissertation was conducted under the mentorship of Michael Turelli and Sergey Nuzhdin and addressed the evolutionary process and consequences of ecological adaptation in insects - focusing on the butterfly Euphydryas editha and the vinegar flies Drosophila sechellia and Drosophila erecta. In the Vosshall lab she is studying the genetics of host specialization in the Yellow-Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti. She is a 2012 recipient of an NIH/NIDCD K99/R00 award. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Conor McMeniman Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow E-mail: Conor.McMeniman-at-rockefeller.edu Conor received his PhD from the University of Queensland, where he worked with Scott O'Neill to use Wolbachia to shorten the lifespan of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In the Vosshall Lab, Conor is working on genes and neural circuits controlling sensitivity to carbon dioxide in Aedes. He is a 2009 recipient of the Henry and Marie Josee Kravis Postdoctoral Fellow Award and a 2010 recipient of a Human Frontiers Science Program Long-Term Postdoctoral Fellowship. He is studying carbon dioxide chemoreception in the mosquito. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com Libby Mejia Laboratory Helper Libby joined our group in 2012 as a half-time laboratory helper. She provides expert help with a wide variety of lab support functions for the Vosshall Laboratory. She has worked with a number of laboratories at The Rockefeller University over the past decade, including Dr. Tarun Kapoor's group. Eva Shrestha BRSS Student Eva is a junior at Bard College and working in the Vosshall Lab in the spring semester of 2013. She is studying the sensory parameters driving mosquito oviposition behavior, mentored by Ben Matthews. Nilay Yapici Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow E-mail: Nilay.Yapici-at-rockefeller.edu Nilay earned her BA in molecular biology and genetics from Bogazici University in Turkey and went on to earn a PhD in 2008 at Vienna University where she worked with Barry Dickson at the Institute of Molecular Pathology. In Barry's lab she worked on the post-mating response of female flies and discovered the receptor for sex peptide. She is a 2009 recipient of a Human Frontier Science Program Postdoctoral Fellowship. In the Vosshall lab, she is working feeding behavior in the fly. Photograph (c)2011 Ronniedavidphotography.com