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
Stevie Clemens
PhD Candidate
Stevie is a PHD student in Bioinformatics with a Masters in Bioinformatics and an undergrad background in Biology and Mathematics. He has worked on projects involving horizontal gene transfers, horizontal transfers, and the microbiome. He enjoys basketball, volleyball and walks on the greenway.
Caroline West
PhD Student
Caroline is a Bioinformatics PhD student with a Master's of Science in Chemistry and a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. She has always been fascinated with the structure-function relationship of nucleic acids and learning the mechanisms behind disease processes. When she isn't learning a new analytical method or in classes, she is taking her daughters to Discovery Place to encourage them to enjoy knowledge discovery the same way that she has.
Isha Jain
Master's Researcher
Isha is a Master’s student in Bioinformatics with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She has a strong passion for helping underrepresented communities and hopes to pursue a line of research addressing challenges in that area. Isha enjoys classical dance, painting, and working with local South Asian fashion designers in her free time.
Abhishek Kasula
Master's Researcher
Abhi is a Master’s student in Bioinformatics with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He’s passionate about the medical field and driven to make healthcare more accessible and equitable for all. In his free time, he enjoys reading books and engaging in outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and more.
Sanjita Srinath
High School Research Volunteer
Sanjita was a high school volunteer looking to major in biomedical engineering with a focus on computational biology and biostatistics in college. Outside of academics, she enjoys baking, robotics, and reading mystery novels
Roshini Selvakumar
High School Volunteer
Roshini is a junior at NCSSM Morganton interested in pursuing a career in medicine or biology research. She enjoys volunteering in the community, reading, and trying new food!
Hareem Niazi
Alumna Researcher
Hareem graduated with her Master’s in Bioinformatics at UNC Charlotte, where she used genomic analysis techniques and statistical modeling to uncover how genetic mutations impacted disease risk in humans. Outside academia, she is passionate about finding the best coffee spots or getting lost on hiking trails.
Lauren Dineen
Postdoctoral Scholar
Lauren was awarded her PhD from the University of Manchester, UK where her research focused on the role of transfer RNA in pathogenicity and drug resistance in the human fungal pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus. Lauren is new to Charlotte and enjoys going to her local brewery run club, and exploring Plaza Midwood.