Team
At the lab's two year anniversary party, September 2024. From left: Adriana, Mike, Cass, AJ, Zack, Nisar, Becky, and Yu-Liang
Taking a break during the Stormo Symposium, May 2024. From left: Cass, Yu-Liang, AJ, Zack, Mike, Steve Henikoff, and Becky
Lab outing to the Up-Down, April 2024. From left: Yu-Liang, Mike, Cass, Rohit, Becky, Humza, AJ, and Brittany
Lab Lunch at Sauce on the Side, November 2023. Clockwise from front left: Xilin, Becky, Thai, Rohit, Brittany, Zack, Mike, AJ, and Yu-Liang
Meers Lab 1st anniversary party on the front lawn of the Couch Building, September 2023. From left: Brittany, Zack, Ryan, Xilin, Rohit, Becky, AJ, Mike, and Yu-Liang
Lab outing to a St. Louis Cardinals game, August 2023. From left: Mike, Demi, AJ, Brittany, Yu-Liang, and Becky
Lab lunch at Thai Bowl, April 2023. From left: Demi, Brittany, AJ, Yu-Liang, Mike, and Ryan
Principal Investigator
Michael P. Meers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics
Member, Center of Regenerative Medicine
Member, Siteman Cancer Center
Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine
meers at wustl dot edu
Mike is the resident lab loafer with a keen curiosity for transcription factor-chromatin interactions that occasionally manifests in the design of useful experimental techniques to address intractable puzzles in the understanding of gene regulation. On other occasions he fills time as an avid runner, hiker, baseball fan, and wearer of cheap sunglasses.
Staff
Bee Girresch
Research Assistant
Rebecca (Bee) is a Research Assistant in the Meers Lab. For her master's thesis, she profiled synaptic input to retinal ganglion cells. This led to her interest in the molecular determinants of cell fate and the technology used to study them. When she's not in the lab, Becky can be found baking sweets, floating Missouri rivers, or watching 1970s movies.
Postdocs
Nisar Ahmed
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Nisar earned his PhD in Genomics and Precision Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Borbala Mifsud. His doctoral research centered on the genetic and epigenetic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), employing high-throughput sequencing and advanced bioinformatics techniques. By integrating multi-omics data with machine learning models, he aimed to identify key biomarkers and develop predictive frameworks for AML relapse, with the ultimate goal of improving therapeutic strategies. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Meers Lab, Nisar is further expanding his skills in epigenomics, bioinformatics, and data analysis. His research focuses on chromatin dynamics and chromatin-associated proteins in gene regulation, with a particular emphasis on epigenetic lesions in blood cancers. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing cricket, doing tabata and circuit, hiking, and watching sports and movies.
Graduate Students
Arnold (AJ) Federico
Molecular Genetics and Genomics PhD Candidate
AJ is a PhD student in the Molecular Genetics and Genomics program at WashU. After a brief stint studying the UV resistance of the extremophile Deinococcus radiodurans, he investigated the Cis-regulatory architecture contributing to disease in multiple myeloma at TGen. His scientific interests are in understanding the mechanisms controlling gene regulation and the physical coordination of the chromatin landscape to yield dynamic cell states. In the Meers Lab AJ is working on multifactorial profiling approaches to investigate chromatin protein interactions in the context of development. Some of his favorite things include playing guitar, the color red, and occasional procrastination.
Wilber Palma
Molecular Genetics and Genomics Rotation PhD Student
Wilber is a first-year PhD student in the Molecular Genetics and Genomics program. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular biology from California State University, Northridge. Afterward, he worked as a Research Technician in the lab of Paul Sternberg at Caltech, where he worked on expanding the bipartite gene expression toolkit, cGAL-UAS, in the nematode C. elegans. His research interests include understanding the mechanisms of gene regulation and how dysregulation affects development. Outside of lab, he enjoys watching various sports, running, and the occasional hike.
Cass Pitts
Molecular Genetics and Genomics PhD Student
Cass(idy) Pitts is a PhD student in the Molecular Genetics and Genomics program at WashU. She started her research endeavors by investigating the inheritance of Masai giraffe spot patterns (yes, the animal) under the direction of Dr. Douglas Cavener. She then transferred to Dr. Lu Bai's lab where she finished her undergraduate research by profiling "fragile" nucleosomes and their potential overlap with the SAGA complex, the yeast Mediator, and TFIID. Her research interests include how alterations to chromatin affect gene regulation and the vast but incremental effects of alterations to the noncoding genome. Outside of the lab, she exercises her body via CrossFit, exercises her mind by coaching field hockey goalies, and exercises her patience with crafty hobbies.
Zack Skovgaard
Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology PhD Student
Zack is a first year PhD Student in the Developmental, Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology Program. He previously received his master’s from California State Polytechnic University Pomona where he worked on using machine learning to understand nuclear remodeling during adipocyte differentiation. He is particularly interested in trajectory inference methods as they relate to cell state transitions. Outside of the lab, he loves ultra running, playing/watching soccer and boba.
Yu-Liang Yeh
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science PhD Candidate
Yu-Liang is a PhD student in the program of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science. He got his MD at Taipei Medical University, where he worked on molecular phenotyping of childhood asthma. Prior to joining WashU, he worked as a postdoc at Johns Hopkins Medicine, with a project focusing on single-cell profiling of tumor microenvironments. He is particularly interested in the development and applications of single-cell technologies to understand how transcription factors determine cell fate determination. Out of the lab, he loves playing the clarinet, playing tennis with friends and swing dance.
Postbaccalaureate Researchers
Adriana Ramirez
Opportunities in Genomic Research Postbaccalaureate Scholar
Adriana is a member of the Opportunities in Genomics Research Post Baccalaureate Program. She obtained a Biology degree from the University of Miami, where she focused mostly on Sports Medicine. In the Meers Lab, she manages cell culture and molecular biology resources for projects related to epigenome profiling. In her free time, she likes to attend sporting events and go line dancing.
Undergraduates
Rohit Cherian
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Rohit is a Senior at WashU majoring in Biology. He previously spent a summer working in the lab of Christine Disteche at the University of Washington studying X chromosome inactivation. In the Meers lab, he is developing pre-processing pipelines for analyzing high-throughput epigenomics data. Outside the lab, he enjoys skiing as well as watching and playing soccer.
Demi Zhuang
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Demi is a Senior at WashU majoring in Biochemistry and Statistics. In the Meers Lab she studies the relationship between DNA topology and nucleosome assembly with the goal of developing tools for fine-tuning chromatin landscapes in vivo. In her free time, she likes playing volleyball and exploring restaurants around St. Louis.
You!
Are you a passionate scientist keen on working with an inspiring team to explore the world of chromatin in development and disease? Contact us to inquire about open technician, graduate student, and postdoc positions!
Lab Alumni
Brittany Johnson, Research Technician II: November 2022-June 2024
Ryan Xu, Undergraduate Research Assistant: January-December 2023
Xilin Hou, MCB Rotation PhD Student: September-November 2023
Thai LaGraff, MGG Rotation PhD Student: October-December 2023
Julianna Determan, DRSCB Rotation PhD Student: November 2023-January 2024
Humza Hemani, BIDS Rotation PhD Student: February-April 2024
Ana Duke Cardenas, OGR Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant: May-August 2024