Kay Denmead earned their Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Anthropology and a specialization in Creative Writing in 2024 from UMass Amherst. During their undergraduate studies at UMass they were a member of the Stager lab and completed an internship at Tessera Therapeutics. They joined the Mager lab in July of 2024 to work on the Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP) assessing early lethal phenotypes in mice. They have a passion for developmental biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology, and they hope to one day get their PhD and do more research in developmental biology. 

Contact: kdenmead@umass.edu

Sarah Mirza earned her BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Franklin & Marshall College in May 2020. During her undergraduate studies, Sarah worked with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology studying the relationship between stress and environment using tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), the Franklin & Marshall College Neuroscience Department studying the subcellular localization of Taf11, and the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science studying efficacy of fungicides on turfgrass disease. After graduation she worked as a Research Fellow in the Mager Lab where she will continue her graduate studies. Sarah is interested in the intersection of developmental biology and environmental science.

Contact: smirza@umass.edu

Xinjian (Doris) He graduated from NYU with a MS degree in 2017. Her thesis research emphasized evolutionary genetics. Doris worked as a clinical embryologist for a few years before joining the Mager Lab. She began her work characterizing the role of Zinc Finger HIT-Type Containing 1 and 2 (Znhit1 and Znhit2) in early embryonic development by identifying lethal knockout mutants. Her research interests primarily lie in genetic and epigenetic regulation during embryogenesis. She hopes that her research could eventually benefit human reproductive health.

Ashmita earned a BTech in Biotechnology from National Institute of Technology Durgapur and Mtech in Biological Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar. Ashmita’s undergraduate thesis investigated the Genetic variability of Pi9 Resistance gene across different Indica rice varieties. In her master’s she elucidated the role of predicted Casein kinase-1 (CK-1) phosphorylation sites on CGGBP1 in DNA damage response. Her research exposure has propelled her interest in studying molecular functions of proteins in epigenetics and gene regulation in mouse development. 

Janelle earned her Bachelor of Science in biochemistry at Emmanuel College in 2016 with cum laude Latin honors and a minor in mathematics. She also earned the title of ‘Distinction in the Field’ through her undergraduate biophysics research studying the kinetics of NdeI. After graduating, she spent a few years working in Research and Development at Nova Biomedical, before coming to the UMass MCB program and joining the Mager lab. Since joining the Mager lab, she has begun working on characterizing CMTR1 and the lethal phenotypes that arise from knockout mutants. Janelle has broad research interests in developmental biology and stem cells, with long-term career goals of continuing in academia and improving science communication to “non-scientists”.

June is a junior undergraduate student pursuing a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degree in the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In the Mager lab, June helps genotype for the Knockout Mouse Project. After graduation, he plans to attend graduate school or medical school, hoping to develop remedies for incurable genetic diseases. Specifically, June wants to specialize in designing gene delivery systems that utilize non-immunogenic vectors to transport gene therapies to the desired cells.