TEAM MEMBERS
A Collaborative & Diverse Group
Click on a lab member to find out more about them!
ABIGAIL LEAVITT LABELLA
Principal Investigator
Dr. LaBella has researched organisms from across the tree of life from deep-sea clams to humans. Her current research focuses on harnessing genomic patterns to extract new and exciting biological information. She has 2 dogs and 2 cats! She loves making crafts, playing disc golf, and gardening
Colin Speer
Master's Student
Colin is a second year Bioinformatics masters student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, holding a B.S. in computer science from the same institution. His research interests are utilizing machine learning and statistics to address challenges in cancer research. Beyond academics, Colin excels as a competitive Esports player, proudly representing the university in collegiate competitions. He also indulges in his passion for sports by avidly following hockey and Formula One.
Tazkia Ahmed
Master's Student
Tazkia Ahmed is a first-year Master’s student in the Bioinformatics program. She received her B.S in Biotechnology from Brac University, Bangladesh where she studied the implications of non-coding RNAs in human diseases. Tazkia is interested in learning more about genetic variations in humans in relation to evolution. In her spare time, outside of work and academia, she loves traveling, singing, and hiking.
Stella Lo
Volunteer
Stella has a B.A. in Computer Science from McGill University (Montréal, Québec) and is currently working full-time as a technical product manager. She is now dipping her toes into the world of bioinformatics and deciding if she wants to pursue higher education in this domain. Outside of work, she loves dancing ballet, reading, and wandering around the city.
Sun Lee
Intern
Sun is junior at Cannon School and very interested in researching fungi and plants. Outside of his fascination with science, he plays tennis, organizes service events and student events, and serves as a math tutor.
FORMER TEAM MEMBERS
Bryan Zavala
Masters 2023
Bryan graduated with his Master’s in Bioinformatics at UNC Charlotte. He worked (and continues to work!) on a project characterizing codon usage in the budding yeasts.