Current Lab Members

Casey Romanoski, Ph.D.



Assistant Professor,
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Casey received her B.A. in 2004 from the Arizona International College at the University of Arizona where she concentrated in Math and Science. She then received her Ph.D. from UCLA in Human Genetics from the laboratory of Dr. Aldons (Jake) Lusis. In the Lusis Lab, Casey demonstrated that gene regulation in human endothelial cells is genetically and environmentally determined. She then completed her postdoctoral research at UCSD in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Glass. There, Casey used natural genetic variation between inbred mouse strains to demonstrate the hierarchical and collaborative nature of enhancer activity in gene regulation. Throughout her training, Casey became very interested in the interdependence between genetic sequence and molecular traits, which is the foundation of her ongoing research.

In 2016, Casey accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and BIO5 Fellow at the University of Arizona. Her research program uses experimental and computational approaches to better understand complex disease and human biology.

Casey is a native Tucsonan and proud to be an Arizona Wildcat. If you are interested in joining our team, email the lab.

Binh Tran



Research Technician

Binh received her BS degree in Genetics and Genomics from University of California - Davis in 2018. She joined the lab as a part-time Research Technician in the fall of 2021 while pursuing her Master's in Applied Biosciences - Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Binh is interested in Bioinformatics and her research focuses on understanding the effect of flow patterns on endothelial cell gene expression.

Anna Golebiewski



PhD Student

Anna received her BS from Gonzaga University in Biology in 2021. She developed an interest in research as an undergraduate student while studying microbial interactions in the midgut of mosquitoes. Anna came to the University of Arizona in 2021 and joined the Arizona Biological and Biomedical Sciences program, and then joined the Romanoski Lab as a PhD student in Molecular Medicine in March 2022.

Kyla Vazquez



PhD Student

Kyla received her B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in History from the University of Missouri - Kansas City in May of 2022. She became interested in research while studying cell cycle mutants and cell signaling in budding yeast as an undergraduate. Kyla joined the Arizona Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at the University of Arizona in August of 2022 and the Romanoski Lab as a PhD student in March of 2023.

Valentina Vazquez



Undergraduate Student

Valentina grew up in El Paso, Texas and moved to Tucson to begin her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona. She is a part of the W.A. Franke Honors College, majoring in Anthropology with a Human Biology emphasis and minoring in Spanish. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school. Valentina joined the Romanoski Lab at the end of Fall of 2022 to develop a deeper understanding of the role that genes play in complex heart diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Alhan Mehrabi



Research Technician

Alhan works in the Romanoski lab as a Research Technician II. She did her bachelor in Biology in Iran and came to the US and got her Master's in ABS-CMB program in 2023.

Cecilia Careaga



Master Student

Cecilia received her BS in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021. During a two year hiatus from academia, she worked in commercial labs processing COVID-19 tests, and later as lead Chemist for a food safety and nutritional labeling lab. She moved to Tucson in August of 2023 to pursue a Masters in Cellular and Molecular Medicine with a goal to obtain more exposure to research and gain a deeper understanding of human genetics, and pathology.

Taylor Raney



Undergraduate Student

Taylor grew up in Phoenix before moving to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona for her undergraduate studies. She is a member of the W.A. Franke Honors College, majoring in Physiology and Molecular & Cellular Biology with minors in Biochemistry, Psychology, and Health & Human Values. She is looking forward to a career in medical genetics, either as a clinical geneticist or a genetic counselor. In the Romanoski Lab, Taylor hopes to gain knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of endothelial cells and how they play a role in multifactorial heart diseases.

Lab Alumni

Maria Adelus



MD/PhD Student

Maria received two B.A. degrees from Santa Clara University in Women’s and Gender Studies and Religious Studies. She then received her M.P.H. from Creighton University School of Medicine and begun her career in translational research at Stanford University before her acceptance into the M.D./Ph.D. program at University of Arizona. Maria’s overarching interest lies in elucidating sex and gender disparities in medicine from bench to bedside. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which biological sex differences modulate the epigenome and transcriptome in human aortic endothelial cells.

Michael Whalen, M.S.



Research Professional II

Michael received a B.S. in Biotechnology from the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York in 2009. Following his degree, he worked for several years as a research technician in the fields of virology, molecular biology, and plant science. He then further pursued his interests at the time, and continued taking classes at the University of Arizona and received a M.S. in Plant Science. Interested in returning to the fields of molecular biology and genomics, Michael joined the Romanoski lab as a Research Technican in the spring of 2016.

Lindsey "Joey" Stolze



Postdoctoral Fellow

Lindsey received her B.S. from Northern Arizona University in General Biology with minors in Chemistry and Mathematics in May of 2016. There, she discovered an interest in genetics studying Glossiphoniidae leeches from the Rio De Flag water ways and Montezuma Well. Lindsey joined the ABBS program at the University of Arizona in 2016 and the Romanoski Lab in March 2017 working toward her PhD in Genetics. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic underpinnings of human endothelial cell responses to inflammatory environments.

Austin Conklin



PhD Student

Austin received his B.S. from the College of Agriculture at the University of Wyoming in May 2017, where he studied Molecular Biology with a minor in Computer Science. He developed an interest in biological research while studying Myxobacteria as an undergraduate. Austin joined the University of Arizona ABBS program in 2017 and joined the Romanoski Lab as a PhD student in Molecular Medicine in March 2018. Austin has an interest in the genetic programs that govern endothelial cell identity and behavior.

Evilina Kadimova



Undergraduate Student

Evilina grew up in Moscow, Russia and came to Tucson in 2006. She joined the lab as a KEYS student in the summer of 2018 and decided to return as an undergraduate after her first semester at the University of Arizona to focus on the genetic applications in the progression of atherosclerosis and CAD. She is currently majoring in Physiology and minoring in Russian studies.

Ivetka Noon



Research Technician

Ivetka began work as a full time research technician in the Romanoski Lab in August of 2021.

Dylan Angle



Undergraduate Student

Dylan was raised in Phoenix before moving to Tucson as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona. He is currently majoring in Physiology and Molecular Biology, with a minor in Spanish. He joined the Romanoski Lab in the Fall of 2020 to expand his scope of hands-on research to include genetics. Dylan plans on attending medical school after graduating.

Anna Eshghi



Undergraduate Student

Anna grew up in Germany and moved to Tucson in 2016 for her studies. She is majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a concentration in Genetics and Human Health at the UA. She joined the Romanoski Lab in summer of 2017 to gain hands-on experience in her field of study and is studying endothelial cell gene regulation.

Allie Basurto



KEYS Student

Allie worked in the lab as part of the KEYS program during the summer of 2019, helping determine the roles FES and AXL in inflammation.

Destiny Hodges



KEYS Student

Destiny worked in the lab as part of the KEYS program during the summer of 2017, helping the lab optimize CRISPR transfection protocols.

Nizar Hadeli



Undergraduate Student

Nizar graduated from Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson in 2016 and has participated in biomedical research since 2015 when he was a KEYS student at UA. Nizar is a Physiology Major and completed his Honor’s College First Year Project in the Romanoski Lab where he studied effect of ERG and other factors on endothelial cell gene regulation.