Meet the Principal Investigator
Kevin Mark, Ph.D
Kevin received his Ph.D. from UC San Francisco (UCSF) as a graduate student with David Toczyski. He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Michael Rape at UC Berkeley. In 2024, Kevin joined the faculty in the Dept. of Cell Biology at UT Southwestern as an assistant professor.
Current Lab Members
Sourabh Sengupta, Ph.D (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Sourabh completed his Ph.D in Biotechnology from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, India (University of Calcutta) in 2022. Prior to joining the Mark Lab, he performed postdoctoral research in the lab of Prof. Dan Levy, at University of Wyoming, where he studied the regulation of nuclear sizes under conditions of cellular stress. Outside lab, he likes cooking, nature photography and hiking.
Jamie Cendana (SURF Student)
Jamie is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Microbiology with minors in Computer Science and Art History. Prior to joining the Lab, her previous research focused on characterizing virulence factors in the protozoan parasite Leishmania. Outside of the Lab her interests include, reading, crocheting, and almost any kind of recreational sport.
Ian Sartor (Research Technician II)
Ian graduated from the Honors College at the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and minor in Chemistry. Before joining the Mark Lab, Ian’s previous research focused on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites as well as the identification of pharmaceutical targets for cancer treatments. His interests include live music, cooking, and reading.
James Pfister (Graduate Student)
James is a rotation student in the Mark Lab. He received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry & chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His previous research involved the biochemistry of bacterial nucleases involved in bacteriophage defense in the laboratory of Vincent Tagliabracci. In his free time, James enjoys running outside and playing board games.
Ronni Ramos (Research Technician II)
Ronni graduated from Williams College in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Prior to joining the Mark Lab, Ronni’s research aimed to investigate the downstream signaling effects of estrogenic compounds on heart valve morphogenesis in zebrafish. Outside of the lab, her interests include watching college softball, writing, and snuggling with her cat, Rhombus.
Catherine Grayson (Undergraduate Intern)
Cat is a senior at Trinity College Dublin, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (Mod) in Biological and Biomedical Science with a specialization in Genetics. Before joining the Mark Lab, her research focused on using genetic data to explore marriage customs in both ancient and modern societies, with a particular emphasis on Homo neanderthalensis. Beyond the lab, Cat enjoys painting, reading, and running in her free time.
Van Anh Vuong (Research Technician II)
Van is a graduate of UT Dallas, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Political Science. While in school, she spent two years conducting basic science research focused on targeting nucleosome formation to slow tumor growth. Born and raised in Texas, Van enjoys pickleball, reading, and hiking in her free time.
