Meet the Team!
The Wert Laboratory is interested in hiring motivated graduate students, post-docs, and research technicians.
Meet the Principal Investigator
Katherine J. Wert, Ph.D.
Dr. Wert joined the UT Southwestern faculty in the departments of Ophthalmology and Molecular Biology in October 2019.
Dr. Wert is also a faculty member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine (CRSM), the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute (OBI), and the Neuroscience and Genetics, Development and Disease (GDD) Graduate Programs at UT Southwestern.
Current Lab Members
Emily Nettesheim, B.S.
Graduate Student
(Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Science Communication Fellow 2024)
Emily is originally from Sussex, Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in May 2017 with Bachelors of Science degrees in both Molecular Biology and Anthropology. Emily’s post-bacc research has been focused on the gene therapy field, working first in Dr. Daniel Lipinski’s Ocular Gene Therapy Lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin, followed by research on AAV capsid engineering and cardiac gene therapy at Tenaya Therapeutics in South San Francisco, CA. Now in the Genetics, Development and Disease Graduate Program at UTSW, Emily is also a part of the Mechanism of Disease and Translational Science Track and joined the Wert Lab in January 2022 for her PhD training. Emily plans to focus her interest in translational science on the mechanisms behind retinal development and degeneration to help inform the design of therapeutics for the treatment of vision loss.
Tiffany Yee, B.S.
Graduate Student
(The Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine Fellow 2022)
Tiffany grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from the University of Georgia in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Genetics, during which she worked in Dr. Zachary Lewis's lab in the Microbiology Department as a Genetics adjunct. After graduation, Tiffany moved to Memphis, Tennessee and worked as a research technician in the Hematology Department at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Dr. Shengdar Tsai's and Dr. Yong Cheng's labs assessing the biological adverse off-target effects of genome editors in human primary T cells, as well as working to improve the safety of lentiviral vector-based gene therapy with the use of CTCF-derived insulators for X-linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. Now at UTSW, Tiffany is part of both the Genetics, Development, and Disease Graduate Program and the Mechanisms of Disease and Translational Science Track. Tiffany started her PhD training with Dr. Wert in March 2022, studying human retinal development and uncovering some of the mechanisms related to photoreceptor degeneration to potentially discover new targets for therapeutic intervention. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys visiting the local parks in Dallas with her dog, Coco, and trying as many new restaurants as humanly and financially possible.
Ashley A. Rowe, B.S.
Graduate Student
(Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Fellow 2024-2027)
Ashley was born and raised near Austin, Texas and moved to the Dallas area to attend college at the University of Texas at Dallas. In December 2019, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, during which she became interested in medical research. She worked as a teaching assistant for the Anatomy and Physiology class where she developed a love for medical science. Ashley also completed an Emergency Medical Technician program, gaining clinical medical knowledge while interning in an Emergency Room. In February of 2020 she joined the Wert Laboratory as a Research Technician II to combine her clinical knowledge with her love for medical science to start her research career. She left the Wert lab in August 2022 to start graduate school at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She has re-joined the lab as a first-year graduate student in the Genetics, Development and Disease (GDD) program, as well as the MoDTS track.
Rama Mortada, M.D.
Research Technician II
Rama was born in Damascus, Syria, and graduated from Damascus University with a Doctor of Medicine degree. She worked for Nanoscope Technologies on gene therapy for retinal degenerative diseases and studies in glaucoma, and is excited to continue in this field and specializing in Ophthalmology. Rama joined the Wert lab as a Research Technician II in 2025, to expand her knowledge and skills in research. Rama also enjoys drawing, cooking, spending time with family and friends, and walks in nature.
Jake Aumeier
Medical Student
Jake is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He graduated from the University of Utah in 2022 with a bachelor's in psychology, where he discovered his passion for ophthalmology through his work recovering donor eyes at an eye bank. During this time, he also built his research experience in a motion capture lab, helping orthopedic surgeons track quantifiable surgical outcomes for their patients. He moved to Dallas in 2023 to attend UTSW Medical school. Jake is currently in his first year of medical school, after which he aspires to become a retinal specialist in ophthalmology. He joined the Wert lab in March 2024 in order to build his research skillset, contribute to the important work being done in the lab, and push forward knowledge in the field that he loves.
Lab Administration
Carey Chafouleas
Administrative Associate
Peter Chen, Ph.D.
Research Program Manager, Department of Ophthalmology
Lab Support Team
Yukine
Supplies and Equipment Durability Analyst
Nano
Lunch Supervisor
Gibbs
Chief Morale Booster
Coco
Director of Social Affairs
Nola
Chief Greeting Officer
LouLou
Laboratory HR Specialist
Sally
Entertainment Manager
Lab Alumni
Samita Virani
Green Fellow/Research Intern
(Wert Laboratory 2024)
Samita was born in Oklahoma but moved to the DFW area around middle school and attended college at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Physics. During her time at UTD she joined the Price-Dussor Lab as an Undergraduate Research Volunteer and studied the sex-dimorphic relation of prolactin hormones in regard to chronic pain. She joined the Wert Lab in January 2024 as a part of the Green Fellowship Program. She deve research skills pertaining to the unfolded protein response and its relation to female hormones and retinitis pigmentosa. She aspires to pursue research relating to women's health and understanding sex as a biological variable. Outside of research, Samita's obsessions reside in cats, books and Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Sofia Reyes
STARS Student / Research Intern
(Wert Laboratory 2023-2024)
Sofia joined the Wert Laboratory as a part of UTSW's STARS Summer Research Program. She was a senior in High School at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she primarily focused on Stage Management and Directing in the Theatre conservatory. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, making music, and spending time with friends. She learned hands-on about research summer 2023 and plans on majoring in Neuroscience in college. She re-joined the Wert lab in March 2024 as a Research Intern for the Spring semester before heading to Yale University for her undergraduate stud
Blessing Johnny, B.S., M.M.S.
Scholarly Activity Medical Student
(Wert Laboratory 2023-2024)
Blessing joined the Wert laboratory in January 2023 as a 2nd Year Medical Student at UT Southwestern. She is taking part in the Scholarly Activity program, where she will spend full time in January-March 2023 and January-February 2024 in the Wert lab to pursue ophthalmology research. As a DFW native, she grew up in Arlington, TX. She graduated from Baylor University in 2019 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. She then graduated from UNT Health Science Center in 2020 with a Master's in Medical Sciences. Blessing enjoys traveling, playing volleyball, and spending time with friends outside of school. As a second-year medical student interested in Ophthalmology, she is excited to learn more about retinal degeneration and the various genes being studied. She is also eager to improve her basic research skills.
Navnit Mohan, B.S.
Medical Student
(Wert Laboratory 2023)
Navnit joined the Wert laboratory in January 2023, as a first year medical student. He graduated from UT Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and has previous experience assisting with research in neuroimmunology and autism spectrum disorder. Born in Las Colinas, TX, he spent several years living in India before returning to Dallas in time for high school. Outside of school, he loves watching and playing basketball, enjoying the outdoors, and being overly critical of movies. He learned more about the mechanisms underlying ophthalmological diseases and contributed to the development of novel therapeutics during his time in the Wert lab.
Vijaya Dutt
Green Fellow / Research Intern
(Wert Laboratory 2023)
Vijaya joined the Wert laboratory as Green Fellow in January 2023. She was a third-year undergraduate student double majoring in neuroscience and psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas. Vijaya previously researched vagus nerve stimulation's effect on the extinction of conditioned fear as part of the Neurobiology of Memory lab at UTD. She did excellent research during her time as a Green Fellow and is remained in the lab as a part-time summer Research Intern to continue her research project investigating the mechanisms underlying retinal diseases.
Bret Hatzinger
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow
(Wert Laboratory Summer 2023)
Bret joined the Wert laboratory in June 2023 as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow. He is a fourth-year undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Bucknell University, where he researches the impact of chronic soot exposure on telomere length. In summer 2023, he further developed as a researcher and gained experience with genetic and translational studies. Outside of the lab, Bret enjoyed being outdoors, running, and hunting for the best barbecue in Dallas.
Neloy Shome, B.S.
Medical Student (Summer Research Elective Program)
(Wert Laboratory Summer 2023)
Neloy joined the Wert Laboratory after his first year of medical school as a participant in UTSW's summer research enrichment program. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Neloy received his bachelor's degree in Human and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard College, where he also gained some experience working in an evolutionary neuroscience laboratory. Outside of school, Neloy enjoys traveling, cooking, watching sports, and making music. During his time in the Wert lab, he developed his research skills to better understand the mechanisms of retinal degeneration.
Peter YW Chan, B.S.
Medical Student
(Wert Laboratory 2023)
Peter joined the Wert laboratory in February 2023, as a first-year medical student. He is originally from New Jersey and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. Before medical school, he worked as a high school teacher and in a cancer pharmacology research laboratory. Outside of school, he enjoys lifting weights, playing golf, and spending time with his family. In the Wert lab, he further developed his research skills and studied the best part of the eye - the retina.
Ahmed Alshaikhsalama, B.S.
Medical Student
(Wert Laboratory 2022-2023)
Ahmed started in the Wert laboratory in September 2022, as a second-year medical student. He was born in Gaza and raised near Richardson, Texas. After relocating between a few continents, he attended the University of Texas at Dallas majoring in Neuroscience. There, he worked in Vagus nerve stimulation stroke recovery studies as well as genetic autism research. In medical school, he pursued orthopedic and ophthalmological clinical research before returning to the lab. Outside of school, Ahmed enjoys hiking, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, having food adventures and spending time with family. In the Wert lab, he developed biochemical solutions for complex ophthalmological diseases.
Tyler Cepica, B.S.
Medical Student
(Wert Laboratory 2022-2023)
Tyler joined the Wert laboratory in June 2022 as a 3rd Year Medical Student at UT Southwestern. He graduated from Abilene Christian University in the Spring of 2020, with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Born in El Paso and raised in Lubbock, Texas, he loves watching Texas Tech basketball, exploring local disc golf courses and spending time with his wife and baby boy (born September 2022). Tyler enjoyed being part of Dr. Wert’s Lab because it reminded him of his passion for the hard sciences and his time in the lab provided him with an opportunity to assist in meaningful ophthalmologic research.
Glen Wickersham
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Student
(Wert Laboratory Summer 2022)
Glen was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and studies in the Universidad del Sagrado Corazon with a major in Biotechnology. His research has been focused on the regeneration of the ectoneural system in Holothuria glaberrima in the University of Puerto Rico Recinto de Rio Piedras, with Dr. Garcia Arrara in the Developmental Neuroscience Lab. He works as a Laboratory Assistant in the Genetics and Chemistry Departments at the USC and is a Lance Corporal at the USMC. He joined the Wert Lab for Summer 2022 to study neurodegeneration of the retina. Glen likes to walk through parks, read scientific literature, and play chess.
Yacine Issioui, B.S.
Medical Student
(Wert Laboratory 2021-2022)
Yacine joined the Wert laboratory in November 2021 as a 2nd Year Medical Student at UT Southwestern. He graduated from UT Dallas in the Fall of 2019, with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. Born in the Alps and raised in DFW, He loves visiting new places, enjoying the outdoors, and spending quality time with family and friends. Yacine enjoyed being part of Dr. Wert’s lab, as it provided a unique opportunity to translate ophthalmological science research into impactful clinical applications. He looks forward to making his imprint on the field and learning from his experiences in Dr. Wert’s lab.