Principal Investigator
Laura Buttitta
Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Laura obtained her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. She then joined Dr. Bruce Edgar's lab as a postdoc at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. There she began using Drosophila as a model system to study cell cycle regulation. Laura's lab opened at UMich in Jan. 2011 and studies how the cell cycle is shut off in quiescent cells, such as differentiated or stem cells, using both Drosophila and mammalian cell systems.
Staff
Deena Damschroder PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Deena earned her B.A. in Biology from Arcadia University and her PhD from Wayne State University in 2021. She joined the Buttitta lab in November 2021 and is studying polyploidy in the adult Drosophila brain.
Elizabeth Fogarty PhD
Lab Manager and Senior Scientist
Elizabeth received a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She joined the Buttitta lab in November 2019 and is studying how developmental chromatin dynamics contribute to cell cycle exit.
Graduate Students
Navyashree Ramesh
Graduate Student
Navya is a PhD student in U. Michigan's Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology program. She joined the Buttitta Lab in April 2022, She is interested in studying the polyploidy and endocycling in the Accessory Glands of different species of Drosophila. She is also studying cell death and regeneration in the Drosophila Ejaculatory Duct and investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in this process.
Outside of lab Navya likes cooking, Hiking & partying.
Lizi Yang
Graduate Student
Lizi earned her bachelor’s degree in Biological Science from ShanghaiTech University. She joined the Buttitta lab in May 2024 as a PhD student, studying quiescence in mouse and human prostate cancer cells. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Hailee Aro
Graduate Student
Hailee joined the Buttitta lab in July 2024. She is establishing a model for wound healing and regeneration in the Drosophila accessory gland.
Undergraduates
Jingyi Du
Undergraduate
Jingyi joined the Buttitta Lab in Jan. 2024. Jingyi is working with Allison on the effects of mating on variant cell cycle and regeneration in the Drosophila accessory gland. Jingyi is interested in cellular processes that regulate development and just completed her Honor's Thesis.
Tom
Mascot
Tom is our lab mascot. An ancient writing tool unearthed by the "Kraus" archaeology expedition in 2018. Tom reminds us of how we really should be writing....
