Overview
I serve as Lab Manager and research technician in the Sullivan lab, where we study the structural dynamics, stability, and function of human chromosomes, with particular interest in the chromosomal locus known as the centromere.
Our focused studies contribute to a greater understanding of chromosome instability and inheritance associated with reproductive abnormalities, birth defects, and cancer.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Systems Programmer
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology,
Basic Science Departments
Recent Scholarly Works
Genomic and functional variation of human centromeres.
Journal article Exp Cell Res · April 15, 2020 Centromeres are central to chromosome segregation and genome stability, and thus their molecular foundations are important for understanding their function and the ways in which they go awry. Human centromeres typically form at large megabase-sized arrays ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteHuman Centromeres Produce Chromosome-Specific and Array-Specific Alpha Satellite Transcripts that Are Complexed with CENP-A and CENP-C.
Journal article Dev Cell · August 7, 2017 Human centromeres are defined by alpha satellite DNA arrays that are distinct and chromosome specific. Most human chromosomes contain multiple alpha satellite arrays that are competent for centromere assembly. Here, we show that human centromeres are defin ... Full text Link to item Citeα satellite DNA variation and function of the human centromere.
Journal article Nucleus · July 4, 2017 Genomic variation is a source of functional diversity that is typically studied in genic and non-coding regulatory regions. However, the extent of variation within noncoding portions of the human genome, particularly highly repetitive regions, and the func ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Genomic Analysis of Centromere Assembly and Function
ResearchSystems Programmer · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2017 - 2027Centromere Function and Dicentric Chromosome Stability
ResearchSystems Programmer · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2025The role of retroelements in centromere function
ResearchSystems Programmer · Awarded by University of Connecticut · 2019 - 2024View All Grants