Lab Members

 

Tom Eickbush is the Principal investigator [info]

Research Associate
Danna G. Eickbush received her B.S. at the University of Arizona and her Ph.D. at Harvard University. Danna and Tom came to Rochester in 1982 where Danna did a post-doc with John H. Werren studying the B-chromosome (psr) in Nasonia. In 1986, she joined Tom’s lab. Danna has specialized in Drosophila microinjections and RNA analyses. Her current focus is on understanding the regulation of R2 transposition activity.

 

Technical Associate/Lab Manager
William D. Burke received his B.A. in Philosophy and History at the University of Rochester. He joined the Eickbush lab in 1985.

 

Recent Graduate Students

Xian Zhang recieved his BS and MS degrees in Biology from Nanjing University, China in 1999 and 2001. He joined the Department of Biology at the University of Rochester in the fall of 2001 and joined the Eickbush lab the following summer. His research focues on the activity of R2 element in Drosophila simulans and computer simulations of the evolution of the rDNA locus. His hobbies include movies and sports. xzhg@mail.rochester.edu

Karin Tetzlaff Averbeck received her MS from the University of Rochester in fall 2004. Her PhD projest includes an analysis of short-term structural evolution of the ribosomal DNA locus, changes in X- and Y-linked D. melanogaster rDNA loci after 400 generations, and rDNA variation in wild-caught flies, and working with Bill to assemble a physical map of a D. melanogaster locus via BAC cloning. Expected completion Fall 2006. tzlf@mail.rochester.edu

Jun Zhou received his B.S. and M.S. in Biology from Nanjing University in China and M.S. in Biology from the University of Rochester. His reseach is mainly focusing on the regulation of R2 element in Drosophila. Jun can be reached at jzhou5@mail.rochester.edu

Deborah E. Stage received her B.S. in Microbiology from Northern Arizona University and M.S. in Biology from the University of Rochester. She studies the evolution of the ribosomal RNA gene locus and the retrotransposable elements R1 and R2. Deb can be reached at dstage@mail.rochester.edu

 

The front row: Shawn, Karin, Ania (from left to right). The back row: Jun, Bill, Xian, Deb, Michael, Danna, Tom (from left to right)

Recent Lab Alumni

Michael Eickbush etc.

Anna (Ania) Kurzynska-Kokorniak received her M.S. in Molecular Biology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, and PhD in Biochemistry from Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in 2004. In the Eickbush lab she is focusing on the biochemical properties of R2 protein. akurzyns@mail.rochester.eduShawn Christensen recieved his B.A. in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He recieved his Ph. D. in Biochemistry from the University of Utah in 1999 where he studied the biochemistry of Tx1L in the lab of Dr. Dana Carroll. In the Eickbush lab, Shawn studies the biochemistry of R2 element integration. He is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Junqiang Ye recieved his BS degree in Microbiology from Fudan University of China in 1996 and PhD degree from the University of Rochester in fall 2004. He has joined the lab of Thomas Maniatis as a post-doc at Harvard University.

Cesar E. Perez-Gonzalez received his B.S. in Genetics at Iowa State University in 1996. He received his PhD from the University of Rochester in 2002. Cesar was a Postdoctoral Fellow at NIH with Anthony Furano and is now the Scientific Program Administrator at the National Eye Institute, NIH.

Arkadiusz (Arek) Bibillo received his M.S. from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. He received his PhD from Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in 1998. Arek is currently working at Pacific Biosciences.

Harmit Singh Malik received his B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in 1993. He received his Ph.D. in the summer of 1999. He then joined the Henikoff Lab at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle. He is now an Assistant Professor at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

Some photos from the lab archives: