ROMANOSKI LAB

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.

Michael Whalen, M.S.

Research Specialist

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 Stolze

PhD Student

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.

Alice Solomon

PhD Student

Alice graduated from the University of Houston – Downtown with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Microbiology and Chemistry. Upon graduation, she worked in a hospital laboratory which focused on the study of certain pediatric hematologic neoplasms. Her abundant exposure in the laboratory increased her love for science, learning, and translational research; which is why she is currently pursuing a PhD in Molecular Medicine here at the University of Arizona. Alice joined the ABBS program in 2017 and the Romanoski Lab in March 2018 where she uses experimental approaches to study gene regulation in endothelial cells.

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 the UA. He is a Physiology Major and completed his Honors College First Year Project in the Romanoski Lab where he continues to study the effect of ERG and other factors of endothelial cell gene regulation.

Anna Esghi

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.