REC Scholar 2023

My research interests lie in the field of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. More specifically, I am interested in the development of computational algorithms and machines learning approaches to integrate and interpret multiple large-scale modalities of “omics” data to better understand the biology of multiple neurodegenerative diseases with more emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease.

• Phone: 314-273-1560
• Email: eteleeb@wustl.edu

Research interests include: neuroimaging, neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer disease, neuroscience

• Phone: 314-273-8261
• Email: n.joseph@wustl.edu

Originally from New Zealand, I am an Instructor (Radiology) working in the Neuroimaging Laboratories Research Center (NIL-RC). Broadly, I am interested in understanding heterogeneous cognitive trajectories across the lifespan, and in (Alzheimer) disease. I am currently working on projects that aim to understand the relationship between tauopathy and white matter degeneration, as well as their combined downstream influence on cognition. I am particularly interested in exploring whether unique patterns of tau protein seeding and spread, along with tau-mediated disruption to local white matter structures, can partially explain the heterogeneous cognitive outcomes associated with Alzheimer disease.

• Email: n.mckay@wustl.edu

Dr. Karin Meeker is a post-doctoral researcher in the Ances lab. She completed her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at Saint Louis University. Her primary goal is to further the understanding of disease pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) using multimodal methods. Since beginning her position, Karin’s work has largely focused on the utilization of emerging markers of inflammation and neurodegeneration to determine how they are associated and interact with established neuroimaging biomarkers of AD. She is also interested in ethno-racial differences in AD biomarkers and the effects of social determinants of health.

• Phone: 314-236-7500
• Email: kmeeker@wustl.edu

Dr. Peter Millar completed his PhD in Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis in 2020, working with Dr. Dave Balota, where he focused on cognitive changes in healthy aging and early Alzheimer disease. He further trained as a postdoctoral research associate with Dr. Beau Ances in the Department of Neurology at Wash U, where he completed additional training in functional and structural neuroimaging methods. He is now an Instructor in Neurology at Wash U. His primary research interests involve using multimodal neuroimaging and advanced computational techniques to study the effects of aging and Alzheimer disease on the brain and how they related to cognition.

• Email: pmillar@wustl.edu

My research primarily focuses on coupling stem cell modeling with genomic approaches to determine whether there is a common molecular mechanism that links the existence of certain MAPT mutations to the surge in tauopathies observed when they are present. To this end, I study transcriptomic profiles of iPSC-neurons, -astrocytes and -microglia carrying disease-related mutations and compare them to isogenic controls created using CRISPR/Cas9 protocols. My long-term goal is to use ever more powerful novel approaches such as CRISPRi for multimodal genetic screening in human cell lines to understand more deeply the functions of several molecular drivers of disease and how to target these signatures to treat disease.

• Phone: 314-747-2612
• Email: miguel.minaya@wustl.edu

I am an assistant professor at Saint Louis University (SLU), and my current research is conducted at SLU and the Washington University Performance, Environment, Participation Laboratory. I have sought out collaborative and community engaged Dissemination & Implementation research directly related to fall prevention and home modifications for diverse older adults and adults aging with disability. I have been included in federal grant applications (HRSA, HUD, NIA grants) as a sub recipient, and established grant funded staff positions and a research team within my department. I am currently engaged as an investigator/trainee within a NIA research supplement grant, Falls: A Marker of Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease. Through this supplement, I am investigating the relationship between cognition, fall risks/falls; and the functional symptoms of the pre-clinical stage of Alzheimer's disease within adults aging with Down syndrome.

• Email: selena.washington@health.slu.edu