Julia Zeitlinger, Ph.D.
Investigator
Our team
Profile
Simon joined the lab in May 2019 after obtaining his PhD in Mark Cock/Susana Coelho's lab at the Roscoff Marine Institute belonging to the CNRS and Sorbonne Université in Paris, France. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in 2012 and a Master’s degree in 2014 in Life Sciences focusing on Land Plant Biology from the Université de Poitiers, France before moving on to Stramenopiles during his PhD. There, he worked on homeodomain-containing transcription factors and histone dynamics involved in the haploid-to-diploid transition in the emerging model organism Ectocarpus. When Simon is not in a lab, you can find him playing cello and fancy synthesizers. He also enjoys hiking and landscape photography.
Kaelan Brennan
Postgraduate Researcher
B.S., Biochemistry, Purdue University
Profile
Kaelan first arrived in the Zeitlinger lab in the summer of 2016 as a Stowers Summer Scholar. At the time, he already had experience in studying epigenetics and chromatin biology in Drosophila development through working with Dr. Vikki Weake as an undergraduate student at Purdue University. He had analyzed the tissue-specific target genes of the SAGA chromatin remodeling complex during fly visual development, which stimulated his interest in better understanding transcription. As a summer scholar in the Zeitlinger lab, he studied the putative pioneer transcription factor Lola and became captivated by the exciting genomic, computational, and imaging approaches used in the lab to study transcriptional regulation during development. After graduating from Purdue University with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a brief stint at the University of California, Berkeley, Kaelan decided to rejoin the Zeitlinger lab in November 2017. Currently, Kaelan is working to understand how different promoter elements control transcriptional dynamics using live imaging. Outside of the lab, Kaelan loves going on long runs, getting coffee, and spending time with friends and family.
Samuel Campbell
Predoctoral Researcher
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Kansas
Joined: 2023
Khyati Dalal
Postgraduate Researcher
Zeitlinger Lab
Profile
Khyati Dalal joined the lab in May 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics from Bangalore University, India. After her undergraduate studies, Khyati worked as intern at Johnson and Johnson, assisting in Phase III clinical trials. This experience gave her a holistic overview of bench to bedside and further stimulated her interest in research. She obtained her master’s degree by completing her project thesis on spindle assembly checkpoint protein and embryonic stem cell differentiation towards chondrocytes under Stephen Taylor and Susan Kimber from the University of Manchester, UK. Later, Khyati joined the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) as a research technician in the Rumi lab to assist in understanding the role of Satb1 protein in trophoblast stem cells which led her to join IGPBS KU Graduate Program. Pursuing further knowledge of her curosity in genomics and developmental biology, she joined the Zeitlinger Lab for her Ph.D. thesis. When not in the lab you can find Khyati enjoying crafts, drawings and watching suspense/drama TV shows.
Kimberly Escobar Alvarado
Predoctoral Researcher
Zeitlinger Lab
Profile
Kimberly Escobar Alvarado is a Kansas City local who joined the lab in August 2020. She attended Avila University where she majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. There she took on a research project focused on understanding Salmonella biofilms and antimicrobial resistance which fortified her decision to expand on her scientific curiosity in grad school. Open to the field of biology, she then joined the KUMC IGPBS Graduate Program where she rotated in the Zeitlinger lab. Rotating during the start of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a computational-heavy project focused on using deep learning to better understand the role of repression in the DV patterning regulatory system. This unusual, yet intriguing, introduction to the exciting world of genomics and developmental biology left her eager to continue moving forward with her project in the lab. When not in the lab Kim enjoys going on long walks with her dogs, cuddling with her cat, spending time with her family, dancing, and yoga.
Mehta Grishma
Graduate Researcher
Zeitlinger Lab
Sara Jackson
Administrative Coordinator III
Zeitlinger Lab
Profile
Sara graduated from the University of Kansas in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English and was a two-year letter winner as Head Student Football Equipment Manager. Her first job out of college took her on an enchanted path to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where she was a Guest Service Manager. After 6 years of creating magic for guests, and a brief stint as a Lead Salesperson for the collegiate division of Tommy Hilfiger in Chicago, she moved to Seattle, Washington. For two years she enjoyed living closer to her brother and his family and, between managing a rowing club and a physical therapy company, spoiling her nephews as often as her busy schedule would allow. When she moved "home" to Kansas City, we were lucky enough to snatch her up. When Sara is not in the lab, you will find her enjoying time with family, traveling, watching college football or doing anything outside when the weather allows.
Haining Jiang
Predoctoral Researcher
B.S., Biomedical Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Joined: 2020
Profile
Haining joined the Zeitlinger lab from Qinghai, China (the wild west of China) in September 2021. He received his bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and developed a passion to further his knowledge in science. Currently, he is working on understanding enhancer activity and accessibility with Deep Learning approaches. When Haining is not in the lab, you can find him having fun playing soccer, riding his bike on the trails or just having fun in the with sports in the great outdoors.
Fahad Kamulegeya
Predoctoral Researcher
B.S., Physics, Makerere University, Uganda
Joined: 2023
Profile
Makerere University
Alexander Kenzior
Research Specialist
Zeitlinger Lab
Profile
Charles McAnany joined the institute in 2019 to apply his knowledge of biomolecular structure to genomics. He has developed a method of visualizing the language of DNA, which uses machine learning to determine the role of each base in the genome to the nucleosome code. He also applies physics-based simulations to understand, in atomic detail, the interactions between proteins and nucleic acids. In his free time, he is an avid photographer, with a full darkroom in his basement capable of processing and printing negatives from his 4x5 camera. He is actively involved in the Alpha Chi Sigma Professional Chemistry Fraternity; he is the secretary for the Kansas City chapter, and serves as the official photographer for the fraternity at its national meetings.
Ivan Qiu
Undergraduate Researcher
Zeitlinger Lab
Melanie Weilert
Bioinformatics Scientist
Zeitlinger Lab
Profile
Melanie joined the lab in May of 2017. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Missouri in Columbia and her Master’s in Bioengineering at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. While attending KU, she discovered a passion for coding and computational analysis. Her graduate degree focused on application of nonlinear fractal algorithms in order to discern underlying patterns in biological data. Her current project involves understanding cooperative interactions between transcription factors found in pluripotency cells, continuing her journey of lifelong learning and discovery. Outside of the lab, Melanie loves binge-watching TV shows, gaming, and cuddling with her two adopted rabbits!
Gabriel Wooden
Rotation Student
Zeitlinger Lab
Julia Zeitlinger
Investigator
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Development and Regeneration, Genetics and Genomics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Systems Biology
Courses Taught
Gene Expression: Transcription to Translation; Genomic and Computational Approaches to Understanding Gene Expression; Laboratory Rotation; Thesis Laboratory
Profile
Julia Zeitlinger, Ph.D., is a developmental and computational biologist where she serves as an Investigator at the Stowers Institute.