Lab Members

Meet the Principal Investigator

Dr. Bill Dauer

William T. Dauer, M.D.

Director, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute
Lois C.A. and Darwin E. Smith Distinguished Chair in Neurological Mobility Research
Department of Neurology
Department of Neuroscience
UT Southwestern Medical Center

William.Dauer@UTSouthwestern.edu

Current Lab Members

Samuel S. Pappas, Ph.D.

Associate Lab Director
Assistant Professor
UT Southwestern 
O’Donnell Brain Institute
Department of Neurology
Email

 

Sam Pappas

Sumin Kim

Graduate Student
Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan
Email

Research interests:
Nuclear pore complexes in development and disease

Sumin Kim

Sunday Opeyemi

Research Assistant
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Email

Research Interests:
Molecular mechanisms of dysfunction in dystonia

PlaSunday Opeyemi

Lauren Miterko, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher 
O’Donnell Brain Institute
UT Southwestern 

Email

Research Interests:
Cholinergic dysfunction in DYT1 dystonia
Novel therapeutic strategies for dystonia

Lauren Miterko, Ph.D.

Caitlin Leedy

Student, Medical Science Training Program,
Neuroscience, UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
Cholinergic dysfunction in dystonia

Caitlin Leedy

Sourav Kolay, Ph.D.

Senior Research Associate
O’Donnell Brain Institute
UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
Mechanisms and functions of dystonia-related proteins

Sourav Kolay

Daron Yim

Graduate Student
Neuroscience, UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
THAP1 function and dysfunction in dystonia

Daron Yim

Linh Lieu

Medical Student
UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
Dystonia therapeutics

Linh Lieu

Grace Gent

Lab Manager
UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
Cellular and circuit dysfunction in dystonia and Parkinson’s disease

Grace Mortimer Gent

Nyjerus Liggans

Research Assistant
UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
Cellular and circuit dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease

Nyjerus Liggans

Kareena Arora

Research Technician
UT Southwestern 
Email

Research Interests:
Circuit development and dysfunction in dystonia

Kareena Arora

Lab Alumni - UT Southwestern

NameDauer Lab roleCurrent role
Audrey Kim, 2020-2022Research AssistantNursing Student, Baylor University
Weirui Guo, 2019-2020InstructorSenior Research Scientist, Neurology, UT Southwestern

Lab Alumni - University of Michigan

NameDauer Lab roleCurrent role
Krista Kernodle, 2017-2021Graduate StudentScientific Data Architect, TetraScience
Jay Li, 2016-2020MSTP StudentMedical Student, University of Michigan
Stephanie Mrowczynski, 2017-2019Research TechnicianMedical Student, Oakland University
Dhananjay Yellajoshyula, 2011-2019Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Assistant ProfessorAssistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University
Chun-Chi (Richard) Liang, 2011-2019Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Assistant ProfessorBiomarker Scientist, Denali Therapeutics
Lauren R. Kett, 2010-2016MSTP StudentAssociate Medical Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Silvia Penati, 2015-2016Visiting ScholarPostdoctoral Researcher, Washington University
Corinne Weisheit, 2011-2015Graduate StudentManager, Regulatory Affairs, Edwards Lifesciences
Lauren M. Tanabe, 2003-2013Graduate Student, Postdoctoral ResearcherFreelance writer and editor
Hui Lin Lee, 2010-2013Research TechnicianSenior Field Application Specialist, Qiagen
Jamie A. Johansen, 2010-2012Postdoctoral ResearcherMedical Science Liaison, Biogen

Lab Alumni - Columbia University

NameDauer Lab roleCurrent role
Rose GoodchildPostdoctoral ResearcherGroup leader, KIB-VU Leuven
Nathan JorgensonMSTP StudentChief Financial Officer, Vor Bio
Connie KimGraduate StudentDirector, Prescient Healthcare
Cherry Cheng-Ying HoGraduate StudentAssociate Professor of Pathology, University of Maryland
Yong Peng, 2007-2009Associate Research ScientistResearch Scientist, The Ohio State University
Hardy Rideout, 2003-2008Associate Research ScientistScientist, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens