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Monkey Health Explorer

đŸ” Single Cell 3 is our top priority! Want to see Single Cell workflow examples? Check out the hashtag "singlecellexamples" HERE đŸ”

We are looking for Reptile blood experts to help us develop a new project. Message @MBarrierz your interest in contributing your expertise.

The Team

Meet the Project Team

Julie HorvathJulie is a Senior Research Scientist at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Research Affiliate at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. She a primate comparative geneticist who studies human and non-human primate DNA to understand the genetic influence on behavior. Julie is fascinated by how small changes to DNA sequence can result in huge differences in behavior and susceptibility to disease.
Marianne BarrierMarianne is Acting Head of the Genomics and Microbiology Research lab. She earned her BS in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her PhD in Molecular Genetics at North Carolina State University. Prior to her current position, Marianne's research focused on areas of reproductive toxicology. As part of this project, Marianne coordinates the Zooniverse materials and participants.
Lauren BrentLauren is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Within groups, individuals differ in their tendencies to interact with others and in how deeply embedded they are in their social networks. Lauren’s research strives to determine the genetic and physiological causes of differences in social relationships, the cooperative mechanisms that underpin them, as well as their impact on health, longevity and reproductive success.
Noah Snyder-MacklerNoah is an associate professor in the Center for Evolution and Medicine at Arizona State University . Research in the his lab sits at the nexus of the social environment and the genome. In collaboration with Dr. Horvath and other researchers on Cayo Santiago, Dr. Snyder-Mackler uses molecular genetic techniques to probe the dynamic interaction between the social environment and the genome with the aim of understanding the health and survival consequences of behavioral and demographic variation.
Michael PlattMichael is a James S. Riepe University Professor of Neuroscience, Marketing, and Psychology, University of Pennsylvania and Director, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative. He is a neuroscientist known for asking some of the most challenging questions in 21st-century neuroscience — and conceiving innovative ways to find the answers. Michael’s research focuses on the brain’s decision-making processes and he has made important contributions to our understanding of the genetic basis of behavior in the rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago.

Past Team Members

Aisha MerktAisha was an AmeriCorps member working in the Genomics and Microbiology Research lab at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. She earned her BS in Food Science and Nutrition, minoring in Biology and French at Meredith College. Aisha worked on educational materials and programs to engage students with our Zooniverse project.
Erin DoughneyErin Doughney was a biology instructor at Wake Tech Community College. She earned her BS in molecular biology from the University of Illinois and then her MS in biology with a focus on scientific teaching from the University of North Texas. She frequently works and volunteers in science museums because she is passionate about bringing science to everyone. Erin worked on the blood smear images as we were first setting up our Zooniverse project.