People

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Edward Glasscock is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at SMU where he holds the endowed C. Vincent Prothro Distinguished Chair in Biological Sciences. He graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. He earned a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley in 2005, followed by postdoctoral research on mouse models of epilepsy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. When not in the lab, Dr. Glasscock enjoys road trips with his family, reading sci-fi novels, and watching baseball. eglasscock@smu.edu

Research Assistants:

Fallon Wenck joined the lab in 2020. She obtained a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis in Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX in 2020. She specializes in mouse colony maintenance and surgical approaches, but dabbles in a bit of everything. fwenck@smu.edu

Postdoctoral Fellows:

Dr. Man Si rejoined the lab in 2018 after previously working in the lab from 2014-2016. She earned an M.S. in Pharmacology from Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, China in 2010. She obtained a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Hebei Medical University in 2014. Her Ph.D. dissertation examined the involvement of PKC and PKA in norepinephrine- and angiotensin II-induced modulation of cardiac IKs potassium currents. Her current projects explore the role of epilepsy-related ion channels in cardiomyocytes using patch clamp electrophysiology. msi@smu.edu

Janakiraman Udaiyappan joined the lab in 2023. He earned an M.Sc. and M.Phil in Biotechnology and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology in 2017 from Annamalai University in India. His Ph.D. dissertation examined the influence of chronic mild stress on Parkinson's disease. His current projects explore potassium channel-associated molecular biomarkers of SUDEP risk in patients and animal models. judaiyappan@smu.edu

Kelsey Paulhus-Halvorson joined the lab in 2019 as a Ph.D. student. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. in Biology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX in 2015 and 2017, respectively. In 2024, she earned her PhD for her studies of the anatomical substrates and pathomechanisms underlying SUDEP using conditional knockout strategies in mice. kpaulhus@smu.edu

Graduate Students:

Michele Wright joined the lab in 2023 as a Ph.D. student. She obtained her B.S. in Biology from the University of Texas at Tyler, graduating magna cum laude. Prior to starting graduate school, she worked as a laboratory technician in the the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Texas at Tyler. michelew@smu.edu

Ayesha Alkofahi joined the lab in 2023 as a Ph.D. student. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. in Genetic Engineering and Applied Biological Sciences, respectively, from Jordan University of Science and Technology. She has a sincere love of three things in life: her baby boy, coffee, and research. aalkofahi@smu.edu

Undergraduate Students:

Kaitlyn Amburn joined the lab in 2023. She is double majoring in Biological Sciences and Psychology with a minor in History on the Pre-Med track. In the lab, she performs PCR and gel electrophoresis. She is also a Student Ambassador for the office of undergraduate admissions at SMU. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys playing tennis, cooking, reading, and spending time with her friends and family. kamburn@smu.edu

Ellen Aughenbaugh joined the lab in 2023. She is majoring in Biological Sciences and Art with a minor in Neuroscience. In the lab, she is working on PCR genotyping and analysis of electrocardiogram waveforms of conditional knockout mouse models of epilepsy to explore cardiac dysfunction and SUDEP susceptibilty. In her free time, she enjoys painting and drawing, working out, and spending time with her friends and family. eaughenbaugh@smu.edu

Jakub Kaczynski is a quadrilingul undergraduate student from Poland, majoring in Biological Sciences and French with a minor in Chemistry. He joined the lab in 2022. He currently performs PCR, gel electrophoresis, and tissue dissections for Western blot analysis. In his free time, he enjoys volunteering, playing chess, tutoring French, and working out. jkaczynski@smu.edu

Regina Moreno Vera joined the lab in 2022. She is majoring in Psychology and Applied Physiology and Health Management with minors in Art, Neuroscience, and History. In the lab, she is currently working with PCR and electrocardiogram processing. Additionally, she is studying the behavioral aspects of the mouse models in the lab to better understand the intersection between epilepsy and neuro-developmental dysfunction. rmorenovera@smu.edu

Katelyn Tran joined the lab in 2024. She is majoring in Biological Sciences on the Pre-Med track with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. In the lab, she performs PCR and gel electrophoresis. She is a JAMP scholar and a student ambassador for the University Honors Program. In her free time, Katelyn enjoys volunteering at the children's hospital, playing tennis, and doing arts-and-crafts. katelyntran@smu.edu

Hannah Waibel joined the lab in 2023. She is majoring in Biological Sciences on the Pre-Med track with minors in Psychology, Chemistry, and Art History. In the lab, she performs PCR and gel electrophoresis. In her free time, Hannah enjoys running, painting, volunteering, and participating in Student Foundation and the Business in Healthcare club on campus. hwaibel@smu.edu