Meet the Principal Investigator

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

Lauren Miterko, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
O’Donnell Brain Institute
UT Southwestern
Research Interests:
Cholinergic dysfunction in DYT1 dystonia
Novel therapeutic strategies for dystonia

Caitlin Leedy
Student, Medical Science Training Program,
Neuroscience, UT Southwestern
Email
Research Interests:
Cholinergic dysfunction in dystonia

Sourav Kolay, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate
O’Donnell Brain Institute
UT Southwestern
Email
Research Interests:
Mechanisms and functions of dystonia-related proteins

Daron Yim
Graduate Student
Neuroscience, UT Southwestern
Email
Research Interests:
THAP1 function and dysfunction in dystonia

Grace Gent
Lab Manager
UT Southwestern
Email
Research Interests:
Cellular and circuit dysfunction in dystonia and Parkinson’s disease

Nyjerus Liggans
Research Assistant
UT Southwestern
Email
Research Interests:
Cellular and circuit dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease

Victor Cruz-Ruiz
Senior Scientist – Dauer Lab and Shahmoradian Lab, UT Southwestern
Research interest:
TorsinA biology


Lab Alumni - UT Southwestern
Name | Dauer Lab role | Current role |
---|---|---|
Sumin Kim, 2017-2023 | Graduate Student, University of Michigan | Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT |
Kareena Arora, 2022-2023 | Research Technician | Clinical Researcher, Tufts University |
Sunday Opeyemi, 2019-2023 | Research Assistant | Nurse, Clements University Hospital |
Audrey Kim, 2020-2022 | Research Assistant | Nurse, Parkland Hospital |
Weirui Guo, 2019-2020 | Instructor | Senior Research Scientist, Neurology, UT Southwestern |
Lab Alumni - University of Michigan
Name | Dauer Lab role | Current role |
---|---|---|
Krista Kernodle, 2017-2021 | Graduate Student | Scientific Data Architect, TetraScience |
Jay Li, 2016-2020 | MSTP Student | Medical Student, University of Michigan |
Stephanie Mrowczynski, 2017-2019 | Research Technician | Resident, University |
Dhananjay Yellajoshyula, 2011-2019 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Assistant Professor | Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University |
Chun-Chi (Richard) Liang, 2011-2019 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Assistant Professor | Biomarker Scientist, Denali Therapeutics |
Lauren R. Kett, 2010-2016 | MSTP Student | Associate Medical Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals |
Silvia Penati, 2015-2016 | Visiting Scholar | Postdoctoral Researcher, Washington University |
Corinne Weisheit, 2011-2015 | Graduate Student | Manager, Regulatory Affairs, Edwards Lifesciences |
Lauren M. Tanabe, 2003-2013 | Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Researcher | Freelance writer and editor |
Hui Lin Lee, 2010-2013 | Research Technician | Senior Field Application Specialist, Qiagen |
Jamie A. Johansen, 2010-2012 | Postdoctoral Researcher | Medical Science Liaison, Biogen |
Lab Alumni - Columbia University
Name | Dauer Lab role | Current role |
---|---|---|
Rose Goodchild | Postdoctoral Researcher | Group leader, KIB-VU Leuven |
Nathan Jorgenson | MSTP Student | Chief Financial Officer, Vor Bio |
Connie Kim | Graduate Student | Director, Prescient Healthcare |
Cherry Cheng-Ying Ho | Graduate Student | Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Maryland |
Yong Peng, 2007-2009 | Associate Research Scientist | Research Scientist, The Ohio State University |
Hardy Rideout, 2003-2008 | Associate Research Scientist | Scientist, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens |