Elias Spiliotis
Principal Investigator
Born in the subterranean jungle of Washington, DC on the eve of the Uganda-Tanzania war. At the fragile age of 3,
he was relocated to Athens, Greece where he was raised to adulthood on a steady diet of European football,
garage-punk music, and feta cheese. Following various stints as radio dj and DIY punker, Elias settled in West
Philadelphia, PA, where he currently leads a monastic life centered around experimental philosophy and the septin
gospel.
Franklin Mayca Pozo
Senior Scientist
Franklin was born and raised in a subtropical city - nestled between the mountains of the Eastern
Cordillera of southern Peru and close to the Amazon basin - called Quillabamba. After graduating
from high school, he moved to Arequipa-Peru to study Medicine, learning through working with
oncology patients. The desire to contribute to cancer research led Franklin to further study in Japan, where
he worked on investigating DNA repair pathways, and earned a doctorate in Medical Sciences (Medical
Genetics). In recent years, he has been working to clarify the molecular mechanism involved in the
loss of nuclear stability due to the dysregulation of cytoskeletal proteins such as myosin.
Currently, his interest is in knowing how septins contribute to the
stability of the nucleus in the face of DNA damage.
Andrew Schaefer
Senior Scientist
Born in Washington State, Andy did not stay there for long before moving and going on to live in
twelve other states! He completed his bachelor’s at Williams and Mary before doing his master’s at Wake
Forest and his PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western Medical School. After a Post doc at Yale developing
his microscopy skills, Andy left the academic field for a while to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy
while thinking about the perspectives in doing science of "discovering something new" vs "experiencing something that
already exists" and how to decolonize the practice of science. He’s now back to explore
the role of Septins in neuronal growth cones. You can find him outside the lab reading poetry,
literature, and philosophy. He also enjoys hiking, eating, and visiting Mexico with his wife.
Noor
PhD Graduate Student
Born and raised in the vibrant city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Noor’s academic
journey has propelled him across borders, igniting a keen passion for unraveling the intricacies of cellular biology.
After completing his undergraduate studies, he went for a master's degree in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo,
where he delved deep into the realm of chromatin remodeling proteins. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Spiliotis Lab,
he is fulfilling his hunger for using cutting-edge microscopic techniques and exploring the role of septin family
of GTPases in spatial cellular organization. When not in the lab, you will most probably find him in some random
restaurant trying out new foods with his friends.
Aisha Vallopra
Lab Specialist
Born and raised in the bustling city of Austin, Texas, Aisha was relocated to calmer pastures in Kozhikode,
India at the age of 9. With her parents’ blessings, she decided to move back to the US and pursue her scientific aspirations.
She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelors degree in Molecular Biology after
probing the role Septins play in neonatal
cardiomyocyte maturation. Aisha is now interested in further developing her microscopy and cell biology
skills to look at the interactions between Septins and other cytoskeletal proteins. When she’s not in lab, you can find her checking out books from the local
library, at the gym or exploring different cuisines in her kitchen.
Sarah Butts
Lab Technician II
Sarah grew up split between two lives. A strange concoction of Westerwälder Virginian, she went to pursue a life
fascinated with science and art. In a quant Virginian hamlet, she did an associate’s degree in science after a
project studying antibiotic resistance in E. coli. Going back to her roots in the western woods of Germany, she
flew away to delve into a degree in Biology at the Johannes Gutenberg University. While there, she completed her
thesis on the role of different calcium channel variants in the neuromuscular junction of D. melanogaster larvae.
Taking an adventurous turn, she lived in Australia for a year busy brewing C. arabica beans and painting the
occasional bird or citizen’s portrait. Coming full circle, she is now back where she started and is attempting
to learn the intriguing little world of septins in the Spiliotis lab. Her dream is to combine her passions and
perhaps merge the two creative concepts to indulge the art of science.
Riya Metagudmath
Undergraduate Student
Born in the flat plains of Kansas and raised amidst the vibrant suburbs of Northern Virginia, Riya's
journey led her to the University of Virginia, where she passionately pursues a major in biochemistry.
Fascinated by the intricacies of cytoskeletal cell biology, Riya harbors aspirations of a career in
dentistry, envisioning a future where she merges scientific precision with compassionate care for
oral health. Along with her academic commitments, she actively engages in community service and
gains hands-on experience at local dental clinics. She is also a proud classical dancer and expresses
herself through the art form in her free time. Despite her commitment to oral health, Riya confesses
to having a sweet tooth, often navigating Charlottesville's ice cream scene for the perfect balance
between indulgence and dental hygiene. Now, Riya remains steadfast in her commitment to unraveling
the mysteries of septins.
