About

Our Research Center

The Robichaux Lab is located in the Erma Byrd Biomedical Research Center, which is part of the Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.

Summer 2026 lab photo: (from left) Ali Ali, Evan Althouse, Kristen Haggerty, Shannon Lyons, Michael Robichaux

Michael Robichaux

Principal Investigator

Dr. Robichaux was born and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Nicholls State University in 2008, and that same year he entered the Ph.D. program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) in Dallas, Texas. As a graduate student, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Cowan in the Department of Neuroscience and began research on the neurodevelopmental process known as axon guidance using a variety of mouse genetic models and tissue culture systems. He earned his Ph.D. in 2013 and then joined the laboratory of Dr. Ted Wensel at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas as a postdoctoral research fellow. In Dr. Wensel’s lab, he began studying the fine, subcellular processes of photoreceptor neurons of the retina and the relationship of these processes to a variety of eye diseases. During this time, Dr. Robichaux developed novel applications of advanced microscopies, such as electron microscopy and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, to discover new molecular details in photoreceptors. His work was presented at international vision research conferences, including the annual meetings of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). In 2020 Dr. Robichaux was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at West Virginia University with a dual appointment in the Department of Biochemistry.

Dr. Robichaux and his wife (Betsy) have 3 kids (Jackson, Stephen and Mary-Eleanor). After family and science, he likes to read giant fantasy books and comic books.

Kristen Haggerty

PhD Candidate

Kristen is originally from Shinnston, West Virginia. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, in spring 2018, and her Master of Science in Biology, in spring 2020, from West Liberty University, located in Wheeling, West Virginia. During her time at West Liberty University she worked in the research laboratory of Dr. Joseph Horzempa studying the Category A Bioterrorism agent Francisella tularensis. She successfully defended her thesis titled 'The Development of Molecular Tools and Optimization of in vitro Methods to Investigate Erythrocyte Invasion by Francisella tularensis' in May of 2020. Following the completion of her Master degree she began working as a medical lab technician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). She joined Dr. Michael Robichaux's lab as the biological technician in April 2021. She then decided to further her education and joined Dr. Robichaux's lab as a PhD student in Fall 2023.

When she is not in the research lab she can be found playing with her orange tabby kittens, Goose and Maverick, reading fantasy novels, or pursuing various other hobbies. She is also a fan of Star Wars and Marvel and going to concerts.

Shannon Lyons

PhD Candidate

Shannon is originally from Point Pleasant, West Virginia and graduated in 2021 from the University of Charleston, WV with a dual degree in biology and chemistry. Her undergraduate research dealt with the fluorescence spectroscopy of uranyl nitrate with aromatic amines, facilitated by Dr. Xiaoping Sun.

She is currently a graduate student in the biochemistry program and joined the Robichaux lab in the Fall 2021. Upon graduating - she wants to pursue research in industry.

In her free time, Shannon enjoys traveling, reading, listening to music and sharing Spotify playlists. She is also a proud dog mom to Rudy, a Norwegian Elkhound mix.

Evan Althouse

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Evan is originally from Columbus, Ohio and is currently a junior biology student at West Virginia University. He plans to attend medical school after completing his undergraduate degree and pursue a career in clinical ophthalmology. In his free time, Evan enjoys playing volleyball, hanging out with friends, and spending time outdoors. He also loves snowboarding in the winter and playing with his tuxedo cat, Winnie.

Robichaux Lab Alumni

Dr. Samantha Thompson

Samantha began her PhD at West Virginia University in August 2020 and joined Dr. Robichaux's lab in January 2022. Her first-author paper, "P23H rhodopsin accumulation causes transient disruptions to synaptic protein levels in rod photoreceptors in a model of retinitis pigmentosa" was published in Disease Models and Mechanisms in June 2025. Samantha successfully defended her dissertation, titled "P23H rhodopsin accumulation disrupts synaptic protein levels in rod photoreceptors," in July 2025. She is currently working as a post-doctoral associate in the lab of Dr. William Spencer at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, NY.

Dr. Maryam Hekmatara

Maryam was a postdoctoral researcher in the Robichaux Lab from 2023 to 2026. Maryam's first-author paper, "Super-resolution microscopy reveals a Rab6a-dependent trafficking hub for rhodopsin at the mammalian rod photoreceptor Golgi," was published in Biology Open in November 2025. Previously Maryam obtained her Ph.D. from Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology and published multiple papers using Raman spectroscopy techniques.