Lab Members
Daniel E. Michele, PhD, Principal Investigator
Dr. Michele is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. He obtained his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2000 and his post-doctoral training with Dr. Kevin Campbell in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Iowa. He currently also serves as Director of the Physiology Phenotyping Core and Director of the Frankel Cardiovascular Center Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program. He is the Director of the Molecular and Integrative Physiology Graduate Program and Associate Director of the Cardiovascular Translational Research and Entrepreneurship Training Grant. He serves on the Editorial Board of FEBS Journal and Frontiers in Striated Muscle Physiology ,the Scientific Advisory Board of CureCMD, and the NIH Skeletal Muscle and Exercise Physiology study section. Dan's research interests include inherited diseases of cardiac and skeletal muscle, and the role of matrix receptors in human disorders where cellular basement membranes are disrupted.
Molly Thorson, B.S., Graduate Student
Molly received her B.S. from Drake University and joined the Michele Laboratory in 2015 as a Ph.D. graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Biology program. She is currently working on the mechanisms of muscle membrane wound repair mediated by dysferlin and the muscle cytoskeleton.
Ashley Archambeau, M.S., Research Assistant / Lab Manager
Ashley received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Michigan in December 2008, before joining the department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Before Ashley joined the Michele lab in the winter of 2010, she worked in the pharmacology and MCDB departments. Currently, her research focuses on mechanosignaling of cardiac myocytes and small animal physiology.
Patrick Thrasher, B.S., Laboratory Technician
Patrick received his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Medical Anthropology from the University of Michigan in April of 2018 before joining the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Currently, his research focuses on mechanosignaling in cardiac myocytes studied via fluorescence reporters and live cell microscopy.
Michele Lab Alumni (current position)
Postdoctoral Fellows
2005-2012 Zhyldyz Kabaeva, MD, PhD, Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Resident, St Josephs Mercy Health System)
2006-2007 Mei Zhao, MD, Molecular and Integrative Physiology ( Faculty and Director of Educational Administration, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University)
PhD Graduate Students
2006-2008 Jesus Salazar, PhD candidate, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Co-mentor (Postdoctoral Fellow, UIC)
2006-2012 Jessica Gumerson, PhD program, Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Staff Scientist, NIH-NEI)
2006-2013 Matt Campbell, PhD program, Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Washington)
2009-2014 Joel McDade, PhD Program, Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Senior Scientist, Addgene)
2011-2017 Joanne Garbincius, PhD Program, Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Postdoctoral Fellow, Temple University)
2014-present Molly Thorson, PhD Program, Cellular and Molecular Biology
2014-present Amelia Glazier, PhD Program Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Co-mentor)
Masters Students
2015-2016 Michael Fayad, Masters Program Research Track, Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Medical Student, Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Undergraduate Students
2004 Rosalie Bienek, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2004-2008 Marc Witcher, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2004-2005 Beata Leung, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2004-2005 Jessica Pedroza, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2005 Geoff Kraker, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2005-2006 Kinjal Shah, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2005-2007 Manali Rathod, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2006-2008 Waseem Ahmed, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2006-2007 Aimee Estrellado, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2007-2008 Mark Andreae, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2008-2012 Anoop Gopal, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2008-2010 Jeswin John, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2009-2010 Ken Miguel, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2009-2011 Michael Simonov, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2009 Kailyn Meekhof, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2010 Andrea Buekema, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2010 John Sisson, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2010-2011 Joudeh Frijj, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2010-present Hassan Bazzi, Undergraduate Research Assistant
2011 Melanie Holtrop, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2011 Luke Colohan, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2012 Melanie Holtrop, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2012 Heidi Dykstra, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2013 Nisha Gopal, UROP Summer Research Fellowship
2013 Nelson Ugwu, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2013 Marie Mustert, MIP SURP Program for Underepresented Undergraduates
2014 Erica Steensma, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2014 Lauren Merz, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2014-2016 Kaitlyn Bayne, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and Biochemistry Independent Study
2014-2015 Sara Schrade,Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2015 Emily Armstead, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2015 Jakob Smith, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2015-2016 Elizabeth Cowdin, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
2016 Kelly McCormick, MIP Undergraduate Summer Fellow
2016 Stephen Buiter, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2016-17 Chandler Rugalski, Work Study Program
2016-present Patrick Thrasher, Work Study Program
2017 Johan Lee, Cardiovascular Center Undergraduate Fellow
2017 Kaelin Akins, MIP SURP Program
2017-18 Benjamin Hershfield, UROP program
2017-present Samantha Damocles, Work Study Program