Lab members

principle investigator

ElizaBeth Duncan, PH.D.
elizabeth.duncan @uky.edu

Beth graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in English literature. She then worked as a research assistant in the laboratory of Jan Breslow, MD (The Rockefeller University) where she studied the genetic basis of cholesterol absorption.

After enrolling in The Rockefeller University graduate program, Beth earned a Ph.D. in Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics with C. David Allis, Ph.D. She was a Damon Runyon postdoctoral fellow with Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D at the University of Utah and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Beth is now an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Kentucky.

Laboratory manager

Ashleigh Walton
[email protected]

Ashleigh is from Lexington, Kentucky. She graduated from Centre College with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Due to her interest in genetics and regeneration, she joined the Duncan lab. Ashleigh maintains the planarian colonies, keeps the lab up and running, and is interested in starting species identification projects.

Outside of the lab, Ashleigh enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying new restaurants, and hiking.

graduate students

Prince Verma - Ph.D. Student
[email protected]

Prince is from India and he has a B.Sc. in Biotechnology (Hons.) and a Masters in Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. After completing his Masters, he worked as a Junior Research Fellow at PGIMER, Chandigarh which is one of the most reputed hospitals in Northern India. Prince’s research interests include cancer biology, regeneration, and the role of signaling pathways in these processes.

Outside the lab, Prince loves to play any sport, particularly basketball, listen to music, watch movies, and try new food places.

Saima Rahman - Ph.D. student
[email protected]

Saima received a B.S. in Zoology and an M.S. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Dhaka. She also worked as a research associate at the Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Laboratory in Dhaka. Saima is keen to understand why humans are unable to regenerate in the same way that other animals can. In the Duncan lab, she is working to understand how the conserved chromatin enzyme, MLL1/2, regulates stem cell fate choices and the generation of new tissue patterns during regeneration.

Beyond the lab, Saima enjoys traveling, cooking, watching movies, and meeting new people.

Mariya Kibtiya - PH.D. Student
[email protected]

Mariya began her scientific career as a microbiologist, earning both a B.S and and M.S. in Microbiology from Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka. She then transitioned into the position of Research Officer and worked with a team of experts in clinical medicine, social science, epidemiology, and demographic surveillance to determine the molecular epidemiology of respiratory viruses circulating in Bangladesh, including SARS-CoV-2. Mariya also has a strong interest in developmental biology and the etiology of congenital diseases. In the Duncan lab, she is studying the role of Shoc2, a scaffolding protein that facilitates ERK/MAPK signaling, in tissue regeneration.

Outside of the lab, Mariya enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

yumeng li - PH.D. Student
[email protected]

Yumeng is from southern China. She graduated from University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in biology and Johns Hopkins University with a M.S. in Biotechnology. During her undergraduate and post-graduation studies, she worked on generating human myoblast disease model and testing the protein expression in E. coli. During the PhD study, Yumeng’s research is focused on the role of CHD7 in planarian regeneration and the phenotypic variations in different CHD7 mutant species.

Yumeng spends her time listening to music and trying to learn new instruments. She also like traveling and tasting the food from different cultures.

PoSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE

John (Jack) Allen, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Jack grew up in Southern California and obtained his BS in molecular biology at Harvey Mudd College, where he studied cis-regulatory elements in the lab of Dr. Robert Drewell. After a few years in the biotech industry, Jack returned to academia and earned a Ph.D. from SDSU/UCSD under the direction of Dr. Ricardo Zayas. In his thesis research, Jack dissected the roles of E3 ubiquitin ligases in planarian regeneration, with particular focus on the PRC1 complex. In the Duncan lab, Jack is excited to continue studying how chromatin modifying proteins work to regulate the complex developmental process of regeneration.

In his spare time, Jack enjoys reading and live music.

Computational Biologist

Shishir Biswas, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Shishir was born in Peoria, IL but grew up in West Lafayette, IN — also the home of the Purdue Boilermakers! He earned both his B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University before joining Ashley Seifert’s lab at the University of Kentucky as a Ph.D. student. In his thesis research, Shishir used transcriptomics to identify important changes that occur during tissue regeneration in African spiny mice. After earning his Ph.D. in 2021, Shishir joined the Duncan Lab as a Computational Biologist and is working to develop new pipelines for analyzing different types of -omic data on the planarian genome.

Outside the lab, Shishir likes playing basketball and tennis, religiously follows the Purdue and UK basketball teams and the Indianapolis Colts football team, loves playing with his dogs Zoey and Alvin, and enjoys sharing a nice bourbon with good friends.

Student Researchers

Easter Kabuya

Easter is an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky majoring in Biology who aspires to be an M.D. She has also developed a strong interest in regeneration and was recently awarded a Ribble Foundation Scholarship in recognition of her significant accomplishments and potential.

In her free time, Easter enjoys listening to music and watching foreign television shows (specifically Korean dramas). She also has a keen interest in learning about different peoples and cultures. Because of that, she also enjoys spending time learning new languages!

Cole milas

Cole is an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky majoring in Biology. He has a strong interest in regenerative biology and aspires to complete a Ph.D.

On campus, Cole is a part of the UK Horticulture club and a member of BUSA. In his free time, he likes playing disc golf and collecting insects.

Austin Coudeyras

Austin comes from Castle Pines, Colorado and aspires to eventually get his Ph.D. He is a presidential scholarship recipient at the University of Kentucky working on his BS in Biology with a minor in German. In high school, he developed an interest in epigenetics and stem cells, eventually leading him to regenerative medicine and the Duncan Lab.

In his free time, Austin likes hanging out with his friends and fraternity brothers, playing viola and bass guitar, gaming, and hiking

Ethan tiller

Ethan is from Grayson, Kentucky, and is majoring in chemistry - with a focus on biochemistry - at Transylvania University. After graduation in 2025, Ethan hopes to attend medical school and pursue an MD/PhD. Prior to researching Procotyla Fluviatilis EED and Schmidtea Mediterranea DPY-30-1/2 in The Duncan Lab, Ethan researched breast cancer metabolism with Dr. Ren Xu as a part of the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program.

In Ethan’s free time, he plays Division III baseball for the Transylvania Pioneers and spends time among family and friends.

Laci baldwin

Laci Baldwin is from Casey County, Kentucky and is an undergraduate (class of 2027) student at the University of Kentucky. She is a member of the Lewis Honors College with a biology major and a chemistry minor with aspirations of becoming a medical professional.

Outside of the lab, Laci loves to spend time with her dog, Penelope, to play tennis, and be outside.

sydney vorrier

Sydney is from Valparaiso, Indiana and is an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky studying biology with minors in Spanish and pharmacology. She plans on attending medical school and would love to one day work in pediatrics or emergency medicine.

Outside of research, Sydney spends her time volunteering with Campus Kitchen, coordinates medical service trips abroad with UK Global Brigades, and is a proud member of Phi Mu. She also works at Kentucky Children’s Hospital as a nursing care tech and has previously worked as a calculus tutor. In her free time, Sydney loves hiking, camping, and spending time outdoors. Her life goal is to see all the National Parks!

griffin james

Griffin is a rising senior at East Carter High School in Grayson, Kentucky. As a member of the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology(ACTION) program, he has been granted the opportunity to join the Duncan Lab for the second summer in a row now. Griffin is excited to continue working with and learning from all the amazing people in the Duncan lab, who have inspired him to pursue a degree in Biology at the University of Kentucky.

Outside of the lab, Griffin can be found walking, or running, around campus, listening to music, drawing, enjoying a variety of “granny” hobbies like knitting, and generally loving life.

Tessa Goble

Tessa is an incoming freshman at the University of Kentucky where she will be majoring in Neuroscience. She recently graduated with Honors from East Carter High School in Grayson, Kentucky. She is a member of the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program and is joining the Duncan lab for the second summer in a row. She is excited to build on the research experience she gained last summer while continuing to work with an excellent team of researchers.

Outside of the lab, Tessa is normally found reading, watching Bridgerton for the 20th time, or hanging out with her friends and family.

Lab Alumni

Graduate Students:
Pallob Barai, M.S. (Ph.D. candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

High School Students:
Irving Morris (MSTC student at Paul Dunbar High School; matriculating at Yale University in Fall 2022)

Staff:
Katya Lundberg (pursuing an MS in Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Kentucky)
Makayla Dean (pursuing an MS of Museum Sciences at the University of Kansas)
Court Waterbury, M.S. (matriculating at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Fall 2022)
Aaron Devine, M.S. (pursing a Ph.D. at the University of Houston)

Undergraduate Researchers:
Whitney Combs
Zach Baker
Cody Roberts
Andrea Frickman
Cameron McHargue
Julia D'Orazio (Vassar College summer student)
Zachary Farrell (KY-INBRE student)
Jadah Taylor
Emily Deubel (ACTION student, Markey Cancer Center)
Hannah Spray
Landon Howell
Ashley Konen
Nicole Marker
Nathan Maggard