People
''
The main reason why I decided to create the VGL is to push Genomics forward. In my life time, I want to see perfect genome assemblies of all living vertebrates. Not only I want to witness this achievement but I also want to be a major player.
Erich D. Jarvis, Director of the VGL
Jennifer Balacco
Lab operation lead
Jen is a molecular biologist and expert in isolating ultra-High Molecular Weight DNA and in many long read technologies such as PacBio and Bionano.
Giulio Formenti
Bioinformatics lead
Giulio is a bioinformatician interested in genome assembly. He has developed several methods for genome assembly, polishing, and evaluation.
Lauren Shalmiyev
Management and Administration Lead
Lauren oversees VGL finances, communications, and is a liaison for the lab.
Melanie Couture
Import/export
Melanie is a field biologist specialized in bird capture. She has an extensive knowledge of sample collection, import, and export permits.
Nivesh Jain
Research scientist
Nivesh is a molecular biologist specialized in ultra-High Molecular Weight DNA isolation, Bionano, and Oxford Nanopore.
Bonhwang Koo
Data Support Assistan
Bonhwang is a data support assistant at the VGL, supporting the lab in wrangling genomic data and metadata.
Kirsty McCaffrey
Bioinformatics Assistant
Kirsty is a Bioinformatics Assistant II in the Vertebrate Genome Lab, working on the curation of high-quality reference genomes. Her background is in human genomics, with a focus on the implementation of quality regulations within bioinformatics.
Simona Secomandi
Research Scientist
Simona is a postdoctoral fellow at the Jarvis lab. Her experience spans from fieldwork to wet lab to bioinformatics.
Conor Whelan
Research Scientist
Conor is a molecular zoologist with expertise in Transcriptomic Sequencing including Illumina RNA-Seq, and PacBio’s Iso-Seq and Kinnex sequencing methods. Conor is also producing HiC sequencing data as part of the VGP.
Patrick Traore
Research Scientist
Patrick is a molecular biologist specialized in ultra-High Molecular Weight DNA isolation.
Frankie Ackerman
Research Scientist
Frankie is a molecular biologist specializing in techniques such as RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, RNA-Seq and Hi-C.
Sabrina Burmeister
Visiting Professor
Sabrina is a visiting professor from UNC Chapel Hill. She uses an integrative approach that combines behavioral, anatomical, and molecular biology techniques to discover the neural mechanisms of the behavior of natural animals with a focus on social and spatial cognition.
Jack A. Medico
Graduate Student
Jack is a graduate student at Rockefeller University. At the VGL, he is developing software for genome assembly characterization and is interested in the evolution of complex genomic regions.
Erick Duarte
Bioinformatician
As bioinformatician at the VGL, I am motivated to achieve the highest quality in genome assemblies, establishing a foundation for future research that supports both conservation efforts and biomedical applications.
Clara Tucker
Project Coordinator
Clara is a Project Manager and Sample Wrangler at the VGL, where she manages sample shipping and works closely with collaborators. She holds a Master’s in Ecology and Evolution and has expertise in genomics and specimen management.
