St. Jude Research
Developmental Neurobiology

Meet the DNB Team

Faculty

  1. Suzanne J. Baker, PhD

    Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Director, Brain Tumor Research Division
    Associate Director, Basic Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Co-Leader, Neurobiology & Brain Tumor Program
    Endowed Chair in Brain Tumor Research

    Research focus:
    Deciphering the pathogenesis and therapeutic vulnerabilities of pediatric high-grade glioma

    Suzanne Baker Lab

  1. Jay B. Bikoff, PhD

    Assistant Member
    Developmental Neurobiology Department
    Neural Circuits and Behavior Division

    Research focus:
    Exploring development and functional organization of neural circuits controlling movement

    Jay Bikoff Lab

  1. Xinwei Cao, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Understanding neural progenitor cell regulation and the mechanisms and biological relevance of hypertranscription

    Xinwei Cao Lab

  1. Fabio Demontis, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology Department
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Defining mechanisms of skeletal muscle aging, protein homeostasis, and myokines

    Fabio Demontis Lab

  1. Michael A. Dyer, PhD

    Photo of Mike Dyer

    Member
    Chair, Developmental Neurobiology Department
    Co-Leader, Developmental Biology & Solid Tumor Program
    Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Examining the coordination of proliferation and differentiation during development and disease

    Michael Dyer Lab

  1. Young-Goo Han, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Brain Tumor Research Division
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Understanding development and dysfunction of the human brain through the lens of the neural progenitor cell

    Young-Goo Han Lab

  1. Yuuta Imoto, PhD

    Yuuto Imoto, PhD

    Assistant Member
    Developmental Neurobiology

    Research focus:
    Membrane trafficking during synaptic vesicle recycling and sorting of synaptic vesicle proteins

  1. Khaled Khairy, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Director, Center for Bioimage Informatics

    Research focus:
    Using concise morphological representations for computational modeling of the physics and mechanics of biological structures across scales

    Khaled Khairy Lab

  1. Stephen C. Mack, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Interrogating the biology of pediatric brain tumors and developing preclinical models for therapeutic development

    Stephen Mack Lab

  1. James I. Morgan, PhD


    Member
    Shahdam, Edna and Albert Abdo Basic Science Chair
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Deciphering control of neuronal death and differentiation

    James Morgan Bio

  1. Paul A. Northcott, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Brain Tumor Research Division
    Comoprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Leveraging multi-omic bulk and single-cell approaches to decipher molecular landscapes and developmental origins of medulloblastoma

    Paul Northcott Lab

  1. Jamy C. Peng, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Searching for insights into normal and diseased stem cell behaviors

    Jamy Peng Lab

  1. Junmin Peng, PhD

    Member
    Structural Biology
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, metabolomics and systems biology to understand human disease

    Junmin Peng Lab

  1. Jasmine Plummer, PhD

    Associate Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Cell and Molecular Biology
    Director, Center for Spatial Omics

    Research interests:
    Using a multi-omics approach to examine genetic risk as a factor of oncogenesis across cancers

    Spatial Omics
    Plummer Lab

  1. Lindsay Schwarz, PhD

    Assistant Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Neural Circuits and Behavior Division

    Research focus: 
    Exploring mechanisms of neuromodulatory circuit organization

    Lindsay Schwarz Lab

  1. David J. Solecki, PhD

    Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Division of Neuronal Cell Biology

    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Understanding the link between cell polarity signaling and neuronal differentiation during cerebellar development

    David Solecki Lab

  1. Elizabeth A. Stewart, MD

    Photo of Elizabeth Stewart

    Assistant Member
    Oncology Department
    Developmental Neurobiology Department
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus:
    Studying high risk pediatric solid tumors

    Faculty Bio
    Elizabeth Stewart Lab

  1. Jason D. Vevea, PhD

    Assistant Member
    Developmental Neurobiology

    Research focus: 
    Understanding the molecular detail underlying basic mechanisms of organelle quality control and organelle trafficking in neurons.

    Faculty Bio
    Jason Vevea Lab

  1. Stanislav S. Zakharenko, MD, PhD

    Member
    Developmental Neurobiology
    Director, Division of Neural Circuits and Behavior
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Research focus: 
    Investigating the neural circuits, synaptic function, and molecular mechanisms controlling learning and memory and their dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disease

    Faculty Bio
    Stanislav Zakharenko Lab

Core leadership

  • Maria Gulinello, PhD - Director; Neurobehavioral Lab
  • Brittney Gordon - Manager; Xenograft Lab
  • Anjana Nityanandam, PhD - Director; Human Neural Stem Cell Lab
  • Abbas Shirinifard, PhD - Director; Neuroimage Analysis Lab
  • Daniel Stabley, PhD - Director; Neuroimaging Lab
  • Valerie Stewart - Director; Neuroembryology Lab
  • Cody Ramirez - Sr. Bioinformatics Research Scientist
  • Jackie Norrie, PhD - Scientist
  • Kim Lowe - Lead Researcher

Administration and operations

  • Lacey Banko - Administrative Coodinator
  • Wilma Blankenship - Administrative Coordinator
  • Charlette Hill - Administrative Director
  • Vetrina Njie - Manager, Grants & Research Administration
  • Wilda Orisme - Manager, Research Operations
  • Jennifer Parris - Director of Research Operations
  • Makayla Plymouth - Administrative Coordinator
  • Carolyn Reed - Administrative Manager
  • Toya Rodgers - Administrative Coordinator
  • Ruby Vargas - Administrative Specialist