Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Dr. Adam Reitzel (Professor). I am broadly interested in using an integrative approach to understand the evolution and ecology of coastal invertebrates, particularly the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. I also have a long standing interest in evolutionary developmental biology (comparative and molecular) and genome/gene family evolution in animals.

Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associates

Dr. Sydney Birch (Postdoctoral Fellow). Sydney joined the Reitzel lab in summer 2022 after completing a PhD at the University of New Hampshire. Sydney's research interests include cnidarian sensory ecology and molecular biology. Sydney is leading a project on the microbial and viral communities of cnidarians.

Dr. Ed Smith (Research Associate). Ed joined the Reitzel lab in summer 2019 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at New York University - Abu Dhabi. Ed is leading a project on the population genetics and adaptation of marine invertebrates in the Arabian Gulf.

Graduate Students

Sarah Estvander (MS). Sarah is a MS student that joined the Reitzel lab in September 2020. Sarah is using next-generation sequencing to study how Nematostella responds to environmental stress.

Denise Furr (PhD). Denise joined the Reitzel lab in 2019 as a PhD student to study the population genetics and physiology of oysters in the North and South Carolina. Denise is also continuing her professional service with the the Schiele Museum of Natural History.

Hannah Justin (PhD). Hannah joined the lab in 2021 as a PhD student interested in the intersection of neural and immune systems in cnidarians.

Quinton Krueger (PhD). Quinton is a PhD student that joined the Reitzel lab in January 2019. Quinton is studying the interaction of Nematostella with its microbial community.

Auston Rutledge (PhD). Auston joined the lab in 2021 as a PhD student interested in life history and mechanisms of environment response in cnidarians.

Undergraduate Students

William Alexander (UNCC biology major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - present

Fiona Clark (UNCC biology major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - present

Mora Alabi (UNCC biology major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - present

Justin Castillo (UNCC public health major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - present.

Sharmily Ambroise (UNCC biology major) Honors Researcher 2021 - present

Olivia Mikula (UNCC biology major) Charlotte Research Scholar and Undergraduate Researcher 2020 - present.

Maliah Graves (UNCC business major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - present.

Prospective Graduate and Undergraduate Students

I will consider mentoring students interested in most any aspect of evolutionary biology, development, or ecology. I will give preference to students whose interests generally overlap with mine, which focus on utilizing cnidarians (e.g., Nematostella) or other marine invertebrates for understanding molecular mechanisms in development, physiology, and ecology.

Ideal candidates for the Master or PhD program will have had previous research experience to develop general bench skills and some experience/interest in computational biology, but these are not required. Increasingly, research in most any discipline of biology utilizes sequencing data, so students should be intellectually interested in applying these ‘omics approaches to their research. I firmly believe in integrative research and envision students in my lab pursuing interdisciplinary projects (field, lab, and computational). UNCC is a great environment to conduct these projects. If you are interested in discussing potential opportunities, please email me.

UNCC undergraduate students are encouraged to contact me about opportunities to conduct research in my laboratory. These opportunities include participation in the Honors Program (link), as Undergraduate Research for credit (BIOL 3900), or on a volunteer basis. Please feel free to contact me with your interests and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities in the lab.

Lab Alumni

Remi Ketchum (PhD). Remi completed her PhD in the fall of 2021 where she used high throughput sequencing to study the microbiome and mechanisms of adaptation in the sea urchin Echinometra sp. EZ. Remi was awarded a NSF GRF in 2017 and the Giles Fellowship for academic year 2020-2021. After graduating, Remi joined Dr. Joe Ryan's lab at the University of Florida as a NSF funded postdoctoral fellow.

Anh Nguyen (UNCC computer sciences major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - 2021

Prakruthi Reddy (UNCC computer sciences major) Undergraduate Researcher 2021 - 2021.

Amy Klock (MS). Amy completed her Masters degree in 2020 where she studied population genetics and environmental adaptation in Nematostella. Upon graduation Amy joined a biotech company.

Devin Clegg (MS). Devin completed his Masters degree in summer 2020. Devin researched the evolution of protein function in cnidarians as part of a collaborative research with Dr. Richard Chi (UNC Charlotte). Devin was awarded a NSF GRF in 2018.Upon graduation, Devin joined a PhD program at Yale University.

Tyler Carrier (PhD). Tyler completed his PhD in spring 2020. Tyler used next-generation sequencing to study if and how bacteria in the guts of echinoderm larvae aid in their ability to withstand extensive periods of starvation and a host of other projects. Tyler was awarded a NSF GRF in 2016. Upon graduation, Dr. Carrier joined Dr. Ute Hentschel's lab at GEOMAR in Germany.

Whitney Leach (PhD). Whitney completed her PhD student in fall 2020. Whitney researched how Nematostella behave when they experience different optical environments and what molecular mechanisms facilitate their reception of specific wavelengths of the visible light spectrum. Whitney was awarded a NSF Career Preparedness Supplement in 2018. Upon graduation, Dr. Leach joined Dr. Matt Gibson's lab (Stowers) as a postdoctoral fellow.

Dr. Shelcie Menard (Postdoctoral Fellow). Shelcie joined the Reitzel lab in summer 2018 after graduating from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Shelcie's research interests include cell biology, cell physiology and hair cell repair in sea anemones. Shelcie transitioned to a faculty position at the Louisiana Tech University.

Danika Ng (UNCC biology major). Undergraduate Researcher 2018- 2020. Danika completed her Honors thesis on the regeneration thresholds of Nematostella.

Jason Samaroo (UNCC biology major). Undergraduate Researcher 2019- 2020. Jason completed his Honors thesis on the expression of transcription factors in Nematostella. Upon graduation, Jason joined the PhD program in Biology at Boston University.

Adam Clodfelter (UNCC biology major) Undergraduate Researcher 2018 - 2019. Adam studied the behavior of Nematostella in response to antibiotics and abiotic stressors.

Erin Tsai (UNCC biology major, bioinformatic minor) Undergraduate Researcher 2018 - 2019. Erin completed here research on the expression of heat shock genes in Nematostella. After graduating, Erin began a Masters thesis in the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics at UNC Charlotte.

Kendra Shaw (UNCC biology major). Undergraduate Researcher and Honors Student 2017-2019. Kendra completed her Honors thesis by studying the role of bacteria in the development of Nematostella.

Minnie Webster (MS). Minnie was a Masters student that joined the lab in 2017 to study and redesign undergraduate curriculum in the biological sciences. Minnie was specifically pursuing how Anatomy and Physiology is instructed at different institutions and methods for infusing active learning into laboratories. She completed her Masters in 2019 and begun her PhD in STEM education at North Carolina State University.

Dr. Jason Macrander (Postdoctoral Fellow, now tenure track faculty at Florida Southern College). I am an evolutionary biologist using comparative ‘omics approaches in sea anemones and other venomous animals to address questions concerning venom evolution, symbiosis, and protein function. In my research, I use sea anemones as a model to understand how ecological factors influence molecular diversity from a phylogenetic perspective.

Meredith Collins (UNCC biology major): Undergraduate Researcher for 2017-2018 .

Matt Kustra (REU Student from University of Virginia).

Amy Klock (UNCC biology major): Undergraduate Researcher for 2017-2018 .

Eric Kane (MS). Eric completed his Masters of Science in 2017, where he used Nematostella to study the molecular mechanisms underlying responses to oxidative stress and the role of oxidative stress and other processes in development. Eric is now pursuing a teaching career in Massachusetts.

Victoria Sutherland (UNCC biology major). Honors Student for 2016-2017 and Charlotte Research Scholar.

Sam Qumhiyeh (UNCC biology major): Honors Student for 2016-2017.

Abby Perkins (REU Student from Purdue University). Abby conducted summer research funded by the UNCC NSF REU program to measure impacts of temperature on physiology and gene expression of Nematostella.

Joyan Watkins (UNCC biology major). IDEA Fellow for 2015-2017.

Adam Hudson (UNCC biology major). Adam conducted behavior and field experiments with Nematostella.

Akshar Patel (UNCC biology major). Akshar conducted oxidative stress experiments with Nematostella and contributed towards histology.

Andrew Smith (UNCC biology major). Andrew conducted experiments looking at effects of microbes on Nematostella.

Colin Jennings (UNCC biology major). Colin conducted oxidative stress experiments with Nematostella and contributed towards histology.

Ian O'Shaughnessy (UNCC biology major). Ian conducted behavior and stress tolerance experiments with Nematostella. Ian also conducted a habitat rewilding project on campus as part of a conservation initiative (see "News" section).

Haley Pillars (UNCC). Haley completed her non-thesis MS degree in 2015 with a focus on developing educational resources for undergraduate education. Her products included production of a lab series for introducing biotechnology and field based collections into undergraduate biology labs (collaboration with Mitchell Community College). Haley is now the Director of Education at the Earl Scruggs Center. She a video of her on the local news here!

Ella Wickliff (UNC-CH). In collaboration with Dr. Inna Sokolova's lab (UNCC Biology), Ella conducted a summer research project to characterize thermal physiology of Nematostella.

Ellen Humbel (UNCC biology major, Honors Program). Ellen conducted an integrative study to characterize the circadian clock of Nematostella. Ellen won first place at the 2014 UNCC Undergraduate Research Conference and will be attending the University of Florida for her PhD.

Makenna Gazaille (UNC Wilmington, Mitchell Community College). Makenna studied role of morphology in growth rates of Nematostella. Makenna is now an undergraduate student at UNC-Wilmington with a major in Marine Biology.

Lauren Sadowski (Mitchell Community College). Lauren studied role of morphology in growth rates of Nematostella.

Madeline Hamiter (Mitchell Community College).Madeline studied role of morphology in growth rates of Nematostella.

Derrick Grunwald (UC Berkeley). Derrick was a summer volunteer researcher and studied the phylogenetics and phylogeography of daddy longlegs.

Emily Israel (UNCC biology major). Emily studied abiotic stress tolerance and regeneration using Nematostella as a model.

Bill Pressel (UNCC biology major). Bill worked on transcription factor cloning to create expression vectors for determining protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions.

Tiffany Hamrick (UNCC biology major). Tiffany assisted in research to study developmental toxicity of pro-oxidants in the life cycle of Nematostella.