Meet the team

Dr Mike Cowley
Associate Professor

Mike obtained his PhD in Developmental Genetics from the University of Bath, UK, and studied epigenetic mechanisms regulating gene transcription as a postdoc at King's College London, UK. He was the recipient of The London Law Trust Medal Fellowship in 2012 and established his group at NC State University in 2014.

Dr Rebecca Lichtler
Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Beca earned her BS in Public Health and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Tulane University, LA. Beca is investigating how the impacts of early life cadmium exposure on development and metabolic health could be mitigated by dietary supplementation.

Velma Shang
PhD Student (Toxicology Program)

Velma earned her BSc in Biochemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana; her MS in Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management from the University of Warwick, UK; and her MS in Biochemistry from the University of Louisville, KY. She is studying the epigenetic mechanisms that modulate imprinted genes in response to the developmental environment.

Annie DiFrank
PhD Student (Genetics Program)

Annie completed her BA in Biochemistry at Duquesne University, PA, and subsequently trained as a Postbac Research Fellow in biostatistics at NIEHS. Annie is integrating high-throughput and targeted approaches in mouse and human to identify imprinted genes that drive hepatocellular carcinoma.

Alex Marchi
PhD Student (Genetics Program)

Alex completed his BS in Genetics with a Minor in Microbiology at NC State. He is using iPSCs to study how genetic and environmental factors, including cadmium, impact genomic regulatory elements in microglia to influence neurodegenerative disease. 

Makena Neale
Undergraduate Student (Genetics)

Makena is majoring in Genetics. In the lab, she is determining the cell type-specific transcripts of Zac1 and their functions in hepatic biology.

​Find out what our alumni did next!

Postdoctoral research scholars

Dr Marine Baptissart (2015-2020)

• Winner of Best Poster Award at the UNC CGIBD Annual Symposium
• Co-investigator on an NIDDK-sponsored pilot project
  
• Current position: Research Fellow, Male Reproduction and RNA Biology Group, NIEHS

Graduate students

Dr Vicmarie Marrero-Colon (PhD, Toxicology Program; graduated May 2025)

• Current position: Laboratory Technician, Neuberg Center for Genomic Medicine, NC

Dr Logan Dameris (PhD, Toxicology Program; graduated May 2025)

• Current position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, UNC Chapel Hill

Dr Mark Simmers (PhD, Toxicology Program; graduated Dec. 2022)

• Third place for oral presentation at NC GEMS Meeting (news article in Environmental Factor)
• First place for poster presentation at MWSOT Meeting
• Winner of travel awards from the Society of Toxicology and NCSU Genetics and Genomics Academy to attend SOT 2022
• Current position: Field Application Scientist, Chemometec, NC
  

Dr Sierra Riegl (PhD, Toxicology Program; graduated Dec. 2022)

• First place for oral presentation at NC GEMS Meeting (news article in Environmental Factor)
• First place for poster presentation at the College of Sciences Research Symposium
  
• Subsequent position: Leadership Development Program, BASF
• Current position: Regulatory Labels Specialist, BASF

Dr Katie Hudson (PhD, Genetics Program; graduated May 2019)

• Winner of two Provost Research Awards
• Subsequent positions:
  
  • NIH IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow, Mechanisms of Genome Dynamics Group, NIEHS
    
  • Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioinformatics and Computational Toxicology, EPA
    
• Current position: Lead Scientist, Booz Allen

Undergraduate students

Hannah Klossner (BS, Biological Sciences; graduating May 2026)

Mariam Amin (BS, Biological Sciences - Human Biology concentration; graduated May 2023)

• Current position: Post-Baccalaureate Program, UNC Chapel Hill

Cassie Starnes (BS, Zoology, and BS, Animal Science; graduated May 2022)

• Current position: Technician Assistant, Avian and Exotic Animal Care, Raleigh, NC
  

Brie Jones (BS, Biological Sciences - Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology concentration; graduated May 2020)

• Recipient of an Office of Undergraduate Research Grant
• Subsequent position: Medical Assistant, Raleigh, NC
• Current position: MD Program at Wake Forest School of Medicine

Sanya Mehta (BS, Nutrition Science; graduated May 2019)

• Subsequent position: Postbac IRTA, Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Group, NIEHS (news article in Environmental Factor)
  
• Current position: PhD in Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Jesse Tehrani (BS, Biological Sciences - Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology concentration; graduated May 2018)

• Recipient of an Office of Undergraduate Research Grant, and winner of an Outstanding Presentation Award at the Undergraduate Research Symposium
• Subsequent position: PhD in Genetics & Molecular Biology, Emory University
• Current position: Senior Manager, Gilead Sciences, Foster City, CA

Evan Walsh (BS, Biological Sciences - Human Biology concentration; graduated May 2018)

• Recipient of an Office of Undergraduate Research Grant, and winner of an Outstanding Presentation Award at the Undergraduate Research Symposium
• Subsequent position: PhD in Bioinformatics, NC State
• Current position: Computational Biologist, Capsida Biotherapeutics, Thousand Oaks, CA
  

Emily Shiver (BS, Biological Sciences - Human Biology concentration; graduated May 2018)

• Current position: Pharmacy IV and Chemotherapy Technician, Jacksonville, NC
  

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Emma Marx (BS, Genetics, and BA, English; graduated May 2017)

• Subsequent position: PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology, UNC Chapel Hill
• Current position: Senior Medical Writer, MedThink SciCom, Cary, NC
  

Evan Lamb (BS, Biological Sciences - Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology concentration; graduated May 2017)

• Subsequent positions:
  • Masters in Biomanufacturing, NC State
    
• Current position: Product Specialist, SKAN US

Kelly Buddin (BS, Biological Sciences; graduated May 2017)

• Subsequent positions:
  • Research Technician, Albert Eye Research Institute, Duke University
  • Senior Research Technician, Locus Biosciences
• Current position: Associate Scientist, Bioventus
  

Research staff

Dr Christine Bradish,, Laboratory Manager

• Subsequent position: Plant Breeder, Avoca Inc., NC
• Current position: Extension Agent, University of Hawaii