Jessica Whited Laboratory: Regenerative Biology

Lab Members

Our lab is a busy, dynamic place where people at all career stages work on independent research. Each of us brings something unique to the table – and whether we’re deep into our work in the lab or enjoying a break on the Charles, we always pull together.

Jessica Whited, Ph.D.

Jessica Whited studies limb regeneration in axolotl salamanders. Her lab develops tools to manipulate gene expression during limb regeneration, and explores signaling events following wound healing that initiate the regenerative process.

Will Ye

Will is the lead animal husbandry technician for the Whited Lab. He is a graduate of Tufts University and a wizard at power tools. Will had extensive previous experience with aquatic animals while at the New England Aquarium. His hometown is New York City.

Madison Hurley

Madison is a University of Maine graduate with a B.S. in Marine Science. She has a wide range of knowledge about aquatic species. Her primary role in the lab is assisting with axolotl husbandry.

Fellows

Nicholas Leigh, Ph.D.

Nick Leigh earned his B.S. in Biology from Lafayette College, and obtained his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Roswell Park Cancer Institute/SUNY Buffalo. His research interest is the impact of the immune system on the initiation and progress of limb regeneration.

Photo of Konstantinos “Kostas” Sousounis

Konstantinos Sousounis, Ph.D.

Kostas joined the Whited Lab in the 2016 to lead a collaborative project with Mike Levin’s group at the Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Dayton in the lab of Dr. Panagiotis Tsonis, and held a postdoctoral research position in the lab of Dr. Joanna Jankowsky at Baylor.

Michael Elgart, Ph.D.

Michael Elgart earned his B.Sc. and Masters degree from the department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at Tel-Aviv University. His research focused on the plasticity of organ development via the eye model system. While pursuing his Ph.D. in the Weizmann Institute, he investigated plasticity during development at the whole-organism level. Michael is fascinated by the biological processes of plasticity and adaptation, and their culmination in the form of regeneration.

Fallon Durant, Ph.D.

Fallon Durant earned her B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience and Biomedical Physics from Northeastern University, and obtained her Ph.D. in Biology from Tufts University in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Levin. Fallon’s research interests center on understanding how ‘regenerative’ animals are able to prevent scarring. She believes that unveiling how axolotls innately antagonize fibrosis will lead to the discovery of new therapeutics that could help millions of people.

Graduate Students

Duygu Payzin

Duygu Payzin is a graduate student in the BBS program at Harvard Medical School. She earned her B.S. degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Bilkent University, and holds an M.S. degree in Molecular Biology from Koc University.

Garrett Dunlap

Garrett Dunlap is a graduate student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) Ph.D. program at Harvard University. He earned his B.S. in Biology from Case Western Reserve University, where his minor was Political Science.