One of the great pleasures of working in academic research is in following the progress of our pre- and post-doctoral trainees and former staff members after they leave the lab. We are very proud of all that our lab alumni have accomplished and the good work they continue to do. Below are brief bios of our former lab members and some recent news items.
Alumni News
Susan Culican, New Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education
Where are they now?
The list of bios below is not comprehensive (yet!) and if you are a former lab member reading this, please do send us an update!
Martha Bhattacharya, PhD
Former Postdoc, Currently: Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona
Dr. Bhattacharya was a postdoc in the lab starting in 2008. Her work modeled toxic neuropathy in Drosophila and identified a role for TMEM184b in axonal and synaptic maintenance. After leaving the lab, she joined the St. Louis College of Pharmacy as an Assistant Proferssor before moving to her current position as an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona where her lab continues to study molecular pathways that promote axon degeneration.
Elisabetta Babetto, PhD
Former postdoc, Currently: Research Assistant Professor at the Institute of Myelin and Glia Exploration at the University at Buffalo
Dr. Elisabetta Babetto was a postdoc in the lab from 2010 to 2014 before leaving to take a position at the Hunter James Kelly Research Institute (now known as the Institute of Myelin and Glia Exploration) at the University at Buffalo. Her current work focuses on axon-glia communication after injury and in neurodegenerative diseases.
Yogesh Wairkar, PhD
Former Postdoc, Currently: Assistant Professor at the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders at UTMB Health
In 2004, Dr. Yogesh Wairkar joined the lab as a postdoc. His research looked at synaptic formation and regulation at the neuromuscular junction in Drosophila. He left the lab to take an Assistant Professor position in the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders at UTMB Health where he continues to study proteins involved in the active zones of the synapse.
Neha Damaraju
Undergraduate
Scott Karney-Grobe, PhD
Former Graduate Student, Currently: Postdoc at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
Dr. Scott Karney-Grobe was a graduate student in the lab from 2013 to 2018. His work in the lab focused on the novel role of Hsp90 in cellular pathways promoting regeneration. He defended his PhD thesis in 2018. After leaving the DiAntonio Lab, he joined the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation as a postdoctoral scientist.
Lorenzo Lones
Graduate Student