About

I am a visiting lecturer in the UNC Pembroke Biology Department and conduct research as a SPIRE Postdoctoral Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill. I received my PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison under the mentorship of Dr. Melissa Harrison. My thesis work focused on elucidating the transcriptional network of the highly conserved transcription factor Grainy head (GRH) in Drosophila melanogaster. Integrating both dry and wet lab approaches, I uncovered the surprising stability of GRH binding on the genome despite the temporally restricted nature of its transcriptional and chromatin pioneering activities. This work sparked my passion for using genomics to interrogate biological questions. At UW-Madison I was also privileged to mentor several talented students and teach undergraduate biochemistry courses.

As a post-doc I began work in the lab of Dr. Robert Duronio in the Department of Biology and Genetics. In the Duronio lab I am developing tools in Drosophila to understand how chromatin organization influences DNA replication. This question focuses on the fundamental steps of how our cells maintain themselves, and thus has broad implications for both basic biology and disease research. As a SPIRE scholar I am excited to continue to hone my skills as a teacher, mentor, and researcher.

Publications

Nevil M- Duronio RJ. The awesome power of histone genetics. Molecular Cell. 2021 Apr 15;81(8):1593-1595. 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.03.023. 33861947.