Caiti Smukowski Heil, PhD
Asst. Professor, NC State University
Before starting the lab in 2019, I was a PhD student at Duke University with Mohamed Noor and a postdoc at the University of Washington with Maitreya Dunham. Outside of the lab, you can find me hanging out with my family and my cats, Monkey & Business. I like listening to podcasts, yeast fermentations, and exploring the great outdoors.
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Nathan Brandt
Lab Manager
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Margot Ruffieux
PhD Student, Genetics & Genomics
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Margot is studying domestication in Saccharomyces
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Manav Rohilla
PhD Student, Bioinformatics
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Manav graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.S. in Computer Science with a concentration in bioinformatics and a minor in biology. His main interest is evolutionary biology, and bioinformatics is his favorite way to study it! His current research involves analyzing the effects of directional selection on traits on the evolution of recombination rate in yeast populations. If you don't see him in the lab, there's a good chance he's in one of the several coffee shops on or near campus!
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Edie Nissen, MS
PhD Student, Genetics & Genomics
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I have a background in conservation and population genetics, and have consistently gravitated towards research at the intersection of ecology and evolution. I am particularly fascinated by how organisms respond and adapt to environmental pressures. I will be integrating my interests by using diverse Saccharomyces yeast species to investigate molecular processes through both ecological and evolutionary lenses. Some of my favorite things are: reading, herping, running, a hot cup of tea, and watching reality TV with my two cats, Casper and Mooney!
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Undergraduate Researchers
Connor Page
Connor is a senior Genetics major working on genetics of desiccation tolerance.
Former Lab Members
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Antoine Houtain, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2024-25
Rishi Gupta, Undergraduate Researcher, 2025
Jessica McNeill, Lab Technician, 2023-25
Olivia Caruso, Undergraduate Researcher, 2023-25
Allison Barnes, NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 2021-24
Enrique Schwarzkopf, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2021-24
Amani Petway, Undergraduate Researcher, 2023-24
Nico Sevier, Undergraduate Researcher, 2022-23
M. Elizabeth Moore, NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 2021-23
Alexxis Gutierrez, Undergraduate Researcher, 2021-22
Lauren Bailey, M.S. in Functional Genomics, 2020-22
Mili Jimenez, Undergraduate Researcher, 2021-22
Anna Cormack, Undergraduate Researcher, 2019-21
Amilcar Rodriguez, Undergraduate Researcher, 2019-21
Caiti Lahue, Technician in Dunn and Heil labs, 2019-21
Musa Malik, Undergraduate Researcher, 2019-20