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OUR  GROUP

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Principle Investigator

Assistant Professor

sarah.hainer[at]pitt.edu

Sarah performed her postdoctoral work with Tom Fazzio at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in January 2018.

Sarah is interested in learning how basic biological processes, such as transcription and chromatin dynamics, regulate cell fate decisions.

Sarah cares deeply about mentoring and supporting all individuals in the lab and junior scientists entering STEM.

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Graduate Student

rid62[at]pitt.edu

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Rinku joined us in May 2024. She graduated from the Institute of Medicine, TU, Nepal, in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy and completed a Master of Science in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences from Western University of Health Sciences, California, in 2023. Rinku briefly worked as a hospital pharmacist in Nepal. Rinku's research experience during her master's evoked her interest in molecular biology. Outside the lab, Rinku likes strolling around the city and exploring parks and cafes. 

Undergraduate Researcher

ksf26[at]pitt.edu

Kya joined the lab in February of 2023. She is majoring in History and philosophy of Science and plans to graduate in 2025. She is also studying biology, chemistry, and American Sign Language. In her free time she enjoys painting and puzzles.

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Undergraduate Researcher

brj54[at]pitt.edu

Bryona joined the lab in February 2024. Bryona is majoring in Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry and Global Health Certificate. Bryona is a member of the Honors College and was awarded the Ella P. Stewart award for excellence in first year within Biological Sciences. 

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Research Technician III / Lab Manager

sml111[at]pitt.edu

Santana joined the lab in June 2018 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in April 2018  with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. Since joining the lab, she has found she has a real passion in research and hopes to make it a life-long career. She loves cooking, crafting, and spending time with her friends, family, and cat. She has recently bought a house with her partner and is in the process of flipping it.

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Graduate Student

ris84[at]pitt.edu

Rithika, a graduate student through the Integrative Systems Biology (ISB) program joined the lab in January 2022, after spending her second rotation with us in November 2021. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in Genetic Engineering from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India. After graduation she spent two years working at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, India, studying the role store operated calcium entry in neurodegeneration. Her interests lie in stem cell biology and fate determination. Outside of the lab, Rithika enjoys dancing Bharatanatyam, learning other dance forms, and you can often find her curled up with a good book and coffee. 

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Graduate Student

sat143[at]pitt.edu

Sarah started her rotation in February 2019 and officially joined the lab in April 2019, co-mentored with Karen Arndt. She studies the chromatin remodeler Chd1 and how it is co-transcriptionally recruited to chromatin. Sarah graduated from the University of Dallas in 2018 with a B.S. in Biology and a Concentration in French. She enjoys traveling as often and she can, reading a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature, and going to concerts.

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Graduate Student

aow[at]pitt.edu

Aigbe joined the lab in February of 2022. Aigbe graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2015 from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Biology and completed her MS from CSU Los Angeles in 2018.

PREVIOUS  LAB  MEMBERS

Benjamin Patty, PhD Student (April 2019 - August 2024). Currently a bioinformatician at University of Washington, St. Louis 
Mika Wesley, Undergraduate Researcher (August 2021 - July 2024). Currently pursuing PhD at UMass Chan Medical School
David Klein, PhD Student (April 2018 - May 2023) and Postdoctoral Researcher (May 2023 - February 2024). Currently a senior scientist at Progenra in Philadelphia, PA.
Braulio Bonilla, Postdoctoral Researcher (January 2021 - December 2023). Currently a senior postdoc in Uruguay.
Jasmine Dioguardi, Masters Student (April 2021 - July 2022). Currently a research specialist at Ideaya in California.
Cailin Jordan, Undergraduate Research (March 2019 - August 2021). Currently pursuing PhD at University of Washington
Lisa Coe, Undergraduate Research (January 2018 - August 2020). Currently pursuing PhD at Flordia State University
Dominic Hendrickson, Undergraduate Researcher (February 2018 - August 2020). Currently pursuing MD at Drexel University
Kris Troy, Research Technician (April 2018 - August 2020). Currently pursuing PhD at UC Santa Barbara
Caleb Kim, Undergraduate Researcher (February 2018 - July 2018).

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