Kristen Kwan, PhD. Professor. 

Kristen is a native of Southern California, where she grew up in Agoura Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles.  She attended Stanford University, majoring in Biological Sciences, and then moved to Harvard Medical School for her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology.   When not in the lab, Kristen can be found chasing her kids, watching football, knitting, and trying out new restaurants. Click through to see Kristen pictured with  Heisman trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett (no big deal).

kmkwan[at]genetics.utah.edu

Keith Carney, MS. Research Engineer

Originally from Utica, New York, Keith studied physics at Stony Brook University, and earned a Master’s degree in physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He moved to Salt Lake City in 2003 to pursue long track speed skating as a fulltime athlete, and also began working as a lab tech at the University of Utah. Following retirement from skating in 2010, Keith transitioned to research engineering positions, and has worked in several labs prototyping instrumentation and writing software. Keith is a master of MATLAB, but outside the lab, he is a passionate singer/songwriter.

keith.carney[at]utah.edu

Emily Woodruff, PhD. Postdoctoral Researcher

Emily grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and she completed her undergraduate education at Mount Holyoke College. She attended the University of Bristol in the UK and earned a Master of Science with Distinction in Palaeobiology. She completed her doctoral research in Zoology from the University of Florida where she studied dental development and evolution in mammals. Emily’s interests are broad and span the fields of developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and paleontology, with a special interest in craniofacial morphogenesis and evolution. In her spare time Emily enjoys hiking and climbing and loves riding horses whenever possible.

ewoodruff[at]genetics.utah.edu

Sarah LaPotin, BS. PhD Candidate

Sarah is from Austin, Texas. She attended Tulane University where she received her bachelor's degree in evolutionary biology. She then returned to Austin as a research assistant at the University of Texas, where her research focused on investigating the independent evolution of the electrosensory system in African and South American electric fish. It was during this time that she began working with zebrafish and became interested in developmental biology. Sarah joined the Kwan lab in 2021 and is currently investigating how an early immune response affects eye development. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and sci-fi/horror TV.

u1317814[at]utah.edu

Jonathan Setzke, BS. PhD Candidate

Alexys Berman, BS. PhD Candidate

Alexys is originally from Redondo Beach, California. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Biochemistry at the University of Utah. She was an undergraduate researcher and later laboratory technician in the Chow Lab in the Department of Human Genetics before beginning her graduate education in the Fall of 2022. Alexys is studying the roles of extracellular matrix on eye development, with a special focus on how eye development is perturbed in individuals with a rare class of diseases called dystroglycanopathies. She enjoys ice skating and knitting in her free time.

Paresh Hejmadi, BS. Graduate Student

Pramod Karthikeyan. Undergraduate Honors Researcher

Lab Alumni

Jason Presnell, PhD. Currently at the University of Kansas, Assistant Research Professor

Sarah Lusk, PhD. Currently at Oregon Health & Science University, F32-funded postdoctoral fellow.

Macaulie Casey, PhD. Currently at Enveda Biosciences.

Sri Pratima Nandamuri, PhD. Currently at Senior Business Analyst, Stanford Catalyst, Stanford School of Medicine.

Chase Bryan, PhD. Currently at ZEISS Microscopy.

Sydney Stringham, PhD. Currently at Midvale Middle School, Assistant Principal.

Hannah Gordon, PhD. Currently at Enveda Biosciences.

Brooke Froelich Murray, BS. Currently an outdoor brand ambassador.

Ben Jussila, BS. Currently at InVivo Biosystems.

J Thomas Brown, PhD. Currently at Dandelion Health, Director of Privacy

Emily Wirick, MS. Currently at Pro-Testing Solutions.

Aaron Scoresby, BS. Currently at Karius. 

Shadai Gociman, MD. Currently at the University of Utah, Department of Dermatology.