Watching the eclipse on Horse Barn Hill, April 2024. From left: Rosie (Campellone lab), Maddy, Bryce, Barbara, Tyler, Hayden, Bianca, Ruiyi, Prachi.
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Barbara Mellone, Ph.D. | She/Her
I am a Professor in the Genetics and Genomics Program of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UConn. My lab investigates how chromosomes are faithfully inherited through the precise establishment of functional centromeres using Drosophila as a model. Before starting my lab at UConn, I trained in Edinburgh, Scotland (PhD) and Berkeley, CA (postdoc). Barbara.Mellone [at] uconn.edu |
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Tyler McDermott, PhD | He/Him
Tyler received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Pace University, his M.S. in Biomedical Forensic Sciences from Boston University, and his PhD in the Mellone Lab at UConn in 2026. He's currently a postdoc in the lab investigating the functional relationship between retroelements and centromeric proteins. Tyler.McDermott [at] uconn.edu |
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Ruiyi Sun | She/Her
PhD student Ruiyi received her BS in Biology from the University of Michigan and a MS in Biology from NYU. Her interest in centromere biology sparked while studying S. pombe centromeres in Fei Li's lab at NYU. She joined the lab in 2022 and is interested in centromere specification and centromere drive. Ruiyi.Sun [at] uconn.edu Publications: Chabot et al. Genome Bio, 2024 |
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Maddy O'Connor | She/Her
PhD student Maddy received her BS in Biology from Providence College. She joined the lab in 2024 and is interested in understanding the interplay between RNA transcripts and centromeric proteins, and how it influences chromosome segregation. madeline.o'connor [at] uconn.edu |
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Harshita Akella, MS | She/Her
Harshita obtained her BS in molecular and cell biology from UConn in 2024 and her MS in molecular and cell biology in 2026. Harshita is interested in retroelements insertional preference and she's using cytological and genomic approaches to track the transposition of the centromeric retroelement G2/Jockey-3. Harshita.Akella [at] uconn.edu |
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Emma Anderson | She/Her
PhD student Emma received her BS in Biology from Ithaca College and joined the MCB graduate program in the fall of 2024. She's interested in how centromeric DNA sequences affect kinetochore assembly and chromosomal segregation. Emma.Anderson [at] uconn.edu |
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Daniel D'Souza | He/Him
Undergraduate assistant Daniel is a molecular and cell biology major in the honors program (class of '28). He joined the lab in his first semester at UConn. He's using a mutant line that does not under replicate heterochromatin to characterize centromere edits in polytene chromosomes using FISH. He is also developing an in vivo R-loop sensor. Daniel.D'Souza [at] uconn.edu |
FORMER MELLONE LAB MEMBERS and position after Mellone lab
Graduate students:
Ph.D.:
Prachi Patel
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2026.
Jason Palladino
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2020. (Postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, NIH F32)
Papers: Palladino et. al Dev Cell; 2020 (Cover); Chang*, Chavan*, Palladino* et al, PLoS Biology; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Palladino and Mellone, Dev Cell 2016 (preview). jpallad4 [at] jhu.edu
Chinchi Chen
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2016. (Postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University)
Papers: Chen and Mellone JCB; 2016 (review); Chen et al, JCB 2014; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Chen et al, PLoSONE 2012. uschinchi [at] gmail.com
Leah Rosin
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2016. (Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, NIH K99/R00)
Papers: Rosin and Mellone, Trends in Genetics 2017 (review); Rosin and Mellone, Dev Cell 2016; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Ross et al, Science 2013. Leah.Rosin [at] nih.gov
M.S.:
Bryce Chabot
M.S. in MCB University of Connecticut 2026
Papers: Chavan et al. PLOS Bio, 2019; Courret et al. PLOS Bio, 2024; Chabot et al. Genome Bio, 2024.
Asna Amjad
M.S. in MCB University of Connecticut 2025 (Computational Biologist I, UT Southwestern, Texas)
Papers: Chabot et al Genome Biology 2024.
Ashley Latibeaudiere
M.S. in Genetics and Genomics/MCB University of Connecticut, 2021 (MS student in Psychology at Southern Florida University)
Bianca Mocanu
M.S. in Genetics and Genomics/MCB University of Connecticut, 2018. (Biotech in Germany)
Emily Bettini
M.S. in Genetics and Genomics/MCB University of Connecticut, 2014. (Scientist at Boehringer)
Papers: Chen et al, JCB 2014; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015;
Elizabeth Greene
PSM University of Connecticut, 2011. (PhD student and scientist at Boehringer)
Papers: Chen et al, PLoSONE 2012.
Graduate students:
Ph.D.:
Prachi Patel
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2026.
Jason Palladino
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2020. (Postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, NIH F32)
Papers: Palladino et. al Dev Cell; 2020 (Cover); Chang*, Chavan*, Palladino* et al, PLoS Biology; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Palladino and Mellone, Dev Cell 2016 (preview). jpallad4 [at] jhu.edu
Chinchi Chen
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2016. (Postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University)
Papers: Chen and Mellone JCB; 2016 (review); Chen et al, JCB 2014; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Chen et al, PLoSONE 2012. uschinchi [at] gmail.com
Leah Rosin
Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2016. (Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, NIH K99/R00)
Papers: Rosin and Mellone, Trends in Genetics 2017 (review); Rosin and Mellone, Dev Cell 2016; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Ross et al, Science 2013. Leah.Rosin [at] nih.gov
M.S.:
Bryce Chabot
M.S. in MCB University of Connecticut 2026
Papers: Chavan et al. PLOS Bio, 2019; Courret et al. PLOS Bio, 2024; Chabot et al. Genome Bio, 2024.
Asna Amjad
M.S. in MCB University of Connecticut 2025 (Computational Biologist I, UT Southwestern, Texas)
Papers: Chabot et al Genome Biology 2024.
Ashley Latibeaudiere
M.S. in Genetics and Genomics/MCB University of Connecticut, 2021 (MS student in Psychology at Southern Florida University)
Bianca Mocanu
M.S. in Genetics and Genomics/MCB University of Connecticut, 2018. (Biotech in Germany)
Emily Bettini
M.S. in Genetics and Genomics/MCB University of Connecticut, 2014. (Scientist at Boehringer)
Papers: Chen et al, JCB 2014; Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015;
Elizabeth Greene
PSM University of Connecticut, 2011. (PhD student and scientist at Boehringer)
Papers: Chen et al, PLoSONE 2012.
Staff & postdocs:
Ashton Gauvin
NSF RaMP Scholar, 2025-2026.
Domiziana Trasmondi, MS
Research technician from Jan 2025-Jan 2026. (PhD student, University of Geneva, Switzerland)
Laura Leo, PhD
Visiting graduate student summer 2022. (Postdoctoral fellow at the Bambin Gesu' Hospital, Rome)
Ankita Chavan
Research Assistant from Dec. 2015-July 2019. (Ph.D. student at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland)
Papers: Chang*, Chavan*, Palladino*, et al., PLoS Biology, 2019. *co-first authors.
Anthony Sposato
Undergraduate and research assistant 2016-2018. (MD student at UCHC)
Papers: Palladino et al. Dev Cell (2020)
Sarion Bowers, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow 2010-2013. (Research policy advisor for the Wellcome Trust at the Sanger Genome Institute, UK)
Papers: Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Mellone et al, PLoS Genetics, 2011; Bowers and Mellone, EMBO J 2011 (preview).
Kate Grive
Research Assistant 2009-2011. (Ph.D. student at Brown University)
Papers: Mellone et al, PLoS Genetics, 2011.
Ashton Gauvin
NSF RaMP Scholar, 2025-2026.
Domiziana Trasmondi, MS
Research technician from Jan 2025-Jan 2026. (PhD student, University of Geneva, Switzerland)
Laura Leo, PhD
Visiting graduate student summer 2022. (Postdoctoral fellow at the Bambin Gesu' Hospital, Rome)
Ankita Chavan
Research Assistant from Dec. 2015-July 2019. (Ph.D. student at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland)
Papers: Chang*, Chavan*, Palladino*, et al., PLoS Biology, 2019. *co-first authors.
Anthony Sposato
Undergraduate and research assistant 2016-2018. (MD student at UCHC)
Papers: Palladino et al. Dev Cell (2020)
Sarion Bowers, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow 2010-2013. (Research policy advisor for the Wellcome Trust at the Sanger Genome Institute, UK)
Papers: Chen et al, Dev Cell, 2015; Mellone et al, PLoS Genetics, 2011; Bowers and Mellone, EMBO J 2011 (preview).
Kate Grive
Research Assistant 2009-2011. (Ph.D. student at Brown University)
Papers: Mellone et al, PLoS Genetics, 2011.
Undergraduate students that completed a thesis in the Mellone Lab:
- Bianca Planeta, CLAS 2025. Honors. SURF. Biology Director's Award winner, (Research Assistant, Mass Gen)
- Hayden Yuan, CLAS 2024. Honors. SURF (PhDs student in the MCB program at UConn)
- Venkata Patchigolla, CLAS 2022. Honors: Beckman Scholar (Research assistant- bioinformatics, UConn Medical School UCHC). Papers: Patchigolla and Mellone, Genome Biol and Evol, 2022.
- Misbah Aziz, CLAS 2020. (Clinical Research Training Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
- Timothy Mason, CLAS 2020. Honors: SURF (MD student at UCHC). Papers: Palladino et al, Dev Cell, 2020.
- Megan Boyer, CLAS 2018. Honors: SURF; Claire Berg award. (MD student at the University of Vermont)
- Xuan Liu, CLAS 2017. Honors: SURF. (MD student at McGovern School of medicine)
- Diana Corjuc, CLAS 2015 (Research Assistant, Harvard University)
- Patrick Lenehan, CLAS 2015. Honors: University Scholar; SURF; Goldwater Scholar. (MD/PhD student, Harvard Medical School)
- Ragini Phansalkar, CLAS/ENG 2014. Honors: University Scholar; SURF; Goldwater Scholar. (MD/PhD student, Stanford University); Papers: Phansalkar et al, Chromosome Research, 2012
- Christian Belisario, CLAS 2012 (OD student). Papers: Chen et al, JCB 2014.
- Ryan D'Souza, CLAS 2012 (MD student U. of Colorado Denver). Honors: SURF; Margaret Eartman award. Papers: Bateman et al, G3, 2012.
- Mary Ledoux, CLAS 2011 (MD student, U. of Vermont). Honors: SURF; Margaret Eartman award. Papers: Chen et al, JCB 2014.
Mentor Connection, REU, and McNair Students:
Abby Heidorn (REU), 2025
Taiann Fowlkes (REU), 2023
Sarah Bolarinwa (REU), 2022
Rebecca Marrero (REU), 2019
Gabriela Diaz (REU), 2017
Timothy Mason (McNair), 2017
Nicole Lopez (REU), 2016
Yash Prakash (Mentor Connection), 2015
Ishani Patel (Mentor Connection), 2015
Javier Ruano (McNair), 2014
Ashley Meuser (Mentor Connection), 2013
Kerry Napoleon (Mentor Connection), 2013
Margaret Gavin (Mentor Connection), 2011
Alan Kariuki (Mentor Connection), 2010
Latrice Grant (Mentor Connection), 2010
Molly Blessing (Mentor Connection), 2010
Abby Heidorn (REU), 2025
Taiann Fowlkes (REU), 2023
Sarah Bolarinwa (REU), 2022
Rebecca Marrero (REU), 2019
Gabriela Diaz (REU), 2017
Timothy Mason (McNair), 2017
Nicole Lopez (REU), 2016
Yash Prakash (Mentor Connection), 2015
Ishani Patel (Mentor Connection), 2015
Javier Ruano (McNair), 2014
Ashley Meuser (Mentor Connection), 2013
Kerry Napoleon (Mentor Connection), 2013
Margaret Gavin (Mentor Connection), 2011
Alan Kariuki (Mentor Connection), 2010
Latrice Grant (Mentor Connection), 2010
Molly Blessing (Mentor Connection), 2010