Mansi Srivastava
Mansi received her A.B. in Biological Sciences from Mount Holyoke College, where she became fascinated by the process of regeneration and wrote her honors thesis on regeneration in segmented worms. She studied animal evolution using comparative genomics for her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley. For her postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute/MIT, Mansi returned to her interest in regeneration and developed the acoel Hofstenia miamia a.k.a. the three-banded panther worm as a new research organism for studying the evolution of regeneration. In 2015, Mansi joined the faculty of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and became a Curator in Invertebrate Zoology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Mansi[at]oeb.harvard.edu
Sarah Arnold, Research Assistant
Sarah received her B.A. in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross. As an undergraduate, she worked in Dr. Geoff Findlay’s lab studying putative de novo evolved genes and their role in fertility in Drosophila melanogaster. Her work as the research assistant in the Srivastava lab includes worm husbandry and lab upkeep.
searnold[at]fas.harvard.edu
Vikram Chandra, Postdoctoral Researcher
Vikram received his BA in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford in 2014. He then moved to New York City to do a PhD in social evolution and behavior with Daniel Kronauer at The Rockefeller University. In his PhD, Vikram studied the origin and elaboration of colony life in ants. In the Srivastava lab, Vikram hopes to establish the three-banded panther worm as a model for behavioral neuroscience, and to study the evolution of complex nervous systems.
vchandra1[at]fas.harvard.edu
Allison Kann, Postdoctoral Researcher
Allison received her B.S. in Cell Biology from Christopher Newport University and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. For her graduate work, Allison worked under the supervision of Dr. Robert Krauss, studying the role of Rho GTPases and cytoskeletal dynamics in skeletal muscle stem cell activation. In the Srivastava lab, Allison hopes to uncover mechanisms of cell adhesion and juxtacrine signaling within the pluripotent stem cell niche, further developing Hofstenia miamia as a model system for regenerative cell biology.
allisonkann[at]fas.harvard.edu
Paul Alexander Kai Bump, Postdoctoral Researcher
Paul received his B.S. in Marine Biology with Honors from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University. For his graduate research, he studied how the cellular composition changes during the process of metamorphosis in indirect-developing hemichordates under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Lowe. In the Srivastava Lab, is interested in understanding how pluripotent stem cells are made and maintained. Paul is passionate about exploring a broad range of organisms across the tree of life, appreciating the power of diverse perspectives, and bringing the beauty of developmental biology to the classroom.
paulbump[@]fas.harvard.edu
paulbump[@]fas.harvard.edu
Ye (Oscar) Duan, Postdoctoral Researcher
Oscar received his dual B.S. in Biotechnology and Chemistry and M.S. in
Biochemistry and Molecular biology, both at Jilin University, China. He received his
Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at University of Massachusetts Medical School under
the supervision of Victor Ambros. During his graduate research, Oscar studied how
the 3' pairing of evolutionarily conserved microRNAs contributes to target gene
repression and animal development using C. elegans. He also studied how de novo
coding variants of human AGO genes affect microRNA regulation and cause
neurodevelopmental defects. In the Srivastava lab, Oscar is interested in the post-
transcriptional gene regulation in Hofstenia miamia, in hopes of characterizing key
post-transcriptional mechanisms that contribute to Hofstenia development and
regeneration.
yeduan[@]fas.harvard.edu
Biochemistry and Molecular biology, both at Jilin University, China. He received his
Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at University of Massachusetts Medical School under
the supervision of Victor Ambros. During his graduate research, Oscar studied how
the 3' pairing of evolutionarily conserved microRNAs contributes to target gene
repression and animal development using C. elegans. He also studied how de novo
coding variants of human AGO genes affect microRNA regulation and cause
neurodevelopmental defects. In the Srivastava lab, Oscar is interested in the post-
transcriptional gene regulation in Hofstenia miamia, in hopes of characterizing key
post-transcriptional mechanisms that contribute to Hofstenia development and
regeneration.
yeduan[@]fas.harvard.edu
Amber Rock, Graduate Student
Amber received her B.A. in Biology from Bowdoin College. During her undergrad, she spent two summers working in Mark Martindale’s lab at the University of Florida’s Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience where she studied the role of Hox genes in the cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis. In the Srivastava lab, she is interested in cell fate determination in Hofstenia and developmental compensation.
arock[at]g.harvard.edu
Katy Loubet-Senear, Graduate Student
Katy received her B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. For her undergraduate research, she studied biogeography and evolution of arachnid lineages in the Caribbean in Dr. Greta Binford’s lab, focusing on the Anyphaenid family of spiders. She then worked as a research technician in Dr. Larry Loeb’s lab at the University of Washington studying subclonal mutations in human cancers.
kloubetsenear[at]g.harvard.edu
Carlos Rivera-Lopez, Graduate Student
Carlos received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. During his undergraduate studies, he researched the genetic evolution of endangered species that are endemic to the Caribbean, including the Puerto Rican parrot. Now in the Srivastava Lab, he is interested in studying the potency and dynamics of Hofstenia neoblasts during regeneration. Outside of the lab, he is interested in amplifying Latinx diversity and inclusion in STEM.
criveralopez[at]fas.harvard.edu
https://latinxinstem.education
Catriona Breen, Graduate Student
Catriona received her BS in Biological Sciences at Cornell University. As an undergraduate, she worked with Dr. Amy McCune on the developmental genetics of the lung-to-gas bladder evolutionary transition in ray-finned fishes. She then worked in the lab of Dr. Marcos Simoes-Costa, studying how transcriptional enhancers cooperate to produce precise gene expression patterns during chick embryonic development. In the Srivastava lab, she is interested in mechanisms of axial patterning during regeneration in Hofstenia.
cbreen[at]g.harvard.edu
Libby Tseng, Undergraduate Student
Libby is a junior at Harvard College studying Integrative Biology. She has researched the behavioral response to hunger in Hofstenia, but she is now interested in using a quantitative approach to understand the dynamics, strategy, and anatomy of mating behavior. She hopes to write her undergraduate thesis with the Srivastava Lab. Outside of research, she writes for The Harvard Crimson and works as a course assistant.
libbytseng[at]college.harvard.edu
D. Marcela Bolaños, Research Associate
Marcela is a marine biologist from Colombia and received her Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire. For over 16 years, her research has been focused on the taxonomy, systematics, and development of marine flatworms of the order Polycladida. Marce’s deepening knowledge of polyclads increased and focused her interest in polyclad regeneration. This major career transition brought her to the Srivastava lab where she is studying the function of the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) signaling during regeneration. Marce is interested in understanding polarity and weather intracellular directional information mediated by PCP pathway components plays a role in antero-posterior polarity decision during Hofstenia whole body regeneration.
bolanosrodriguez[at]fas.harvard.edu
Lab Alumni
Undergraduates
Karl Hill (2022) - Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology, North Carolina State University
Abigail White (2021) - Integrative Biology, Harvard University
Justin Duffy (2020 - 2021) - Integrative Biology, Harvard University
Dierdre Potter (2019 - 2020) - Senior Analyst, Ambit, Inc.
Elizabeth D'Haiti (2019 - 2020) - Missionary, The Fellowship of Catholic University Students
Annika Gompers (2016 - 2018) - PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health; Director of Engaged Communications, GenderSci Lab, Harvard University
Juliet Kim (2016 - 2018) - MD Pediatrics Resident, PGY1 Mass General for Children
Andree Franco-Vazquez (2015 - 2017) - M.D. Candidate in the Program in Medical Education (PRIME), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Sylvia Golumbeanu (2015 - 2017) - Marketing Manager, LifeCanvas Technologies
Graduates
Ryan Hulett (2016 - 2022)
Julian Kimura (2016 - 2022) - Stem Cell Research Scientist, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Alyson Ramirez (2017 - 2020) - Principal Scientific Researcher at Genentech
Postdocs
Andrew Gehrke (2016 - 2021) - Senior Scientist at Biogen
Yi Jyun Luo (2017 - 2020) - Assistant Research Fellow, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Lorenzo Ricci (2016 - 2020)
Research Assistants
Hafsa Sadiq (2019-2021)- Medical Assistant, AP Dermatology
Kate Sheridan (2018 - 2019) - PHD Candidate at McGill University
Vanessa Poirier (2017 - 2019) - University of South Carolina Graduate School of Pharmacology
Emily Neverett TerBeek (2015 - 2017) - Forensic Scientist, Massachusetts State Police
Rotation Students
Adriana Aguilar Moldonado (2021) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Jonchee Kao (2019)- MCO Program, Harvard University
Abby Knecht (2019) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Megan He (2019) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Will Xiao (2018) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Darcy Mishkind (2017) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Elizabeth May (2017) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Vincent Pham (2015) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Visitors
Andres Rojas (2022) - Undergraduate Student, Universidad del Magdalena
James Sikes (2018) - Associate Professor, University of San Francisco
Jan Engelhardt (2017) - Researcher, University of Leipzig
Nuria Ros i Rocher (2016) - Graduate Student, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva
Karl Hill (2022) - Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology, North Carolina State University
Abigail White (2021) - Integrative Biology, Harvard University
Justin Duffy (2020 - 2021) - Integrative Biology, Harvard University
Dierdre Potter (2019 - 2020) - Senior Analyst, Ambit, Inc.
Elizabeth D'Haiti (2019 - 2020) - Missionary, The Fellowship of Catholic University Students
Annika Gompers (2016 - 2018) - PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health; Director of Engaged Communications, GenderSci Lab, Harvard University
Juliet Kim (2016 - 2018) - MD Pediatrics Resident, PGY1 Mass General for Children
Andree Franco-Vazquez (2015 - 2017) - M.D. Candidate in the Program in Medical Education (PRIME), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Sylvia Golumbeanu (2015 - 2017) - Marketing Manager, LifeCanvas Technologies
Graduates
Ryan Hulett (2016 - 2022)
Julian Kimura (2016 - 2022) - Stem Cell Research Scientist, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Alyson Ramirez (2017 - 2020) - Principal Scientific Researcher at Genentech
Postdocs
Andrew Gehrke (2016 - 2021) - Senior Scientist at Biogen
Yi Jyun Luo (2017 - 2020) - Assistant Research Fellow, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Lorenzo Ricci (2016 - 2020)
Research Assistants
Hafsa Sadiq (2019-2021)- Medical Assistant, AP Dermatology
Kate Sheridan (2018 - 2019) - PHD Candidate at McGill University
Vanessa Poirier (2017 - 2019) - University of South Carolina Graduate School of Pharmacology
Emily Neverett TerBeek (2015 - 2017) - Forensic Scientist, Massachusetts State Police
Rotation Students
Adriana Aguilar Moldonado (2021) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Jonchee Kao (2019)- MCO Program, Harvard University
Abby Knecht (2019) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Megan He (2019) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Will Xiao (2018) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Darcy Mishkind (2017) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Elizabeth May (2017) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Vincent Pham (2015) - MCO Program, Harvard University
Visitors
Andres Rojas (2022) - Undergraduate Student, Universidad del Magdalena
James Sikes (2018) - Associate Professor, University of San Francisco
Jan Engelhardt (2017) - Researcher, University of Leipzig
Nuria Ros i Rocher (2016) - Graduate Student, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva