The CBS Postdoc Committee aims to support postdocs by providing career development opportunities, providing networking events, and by serving as a line of communication between postdocs and CBS leadership. The committee is composed of postdocs and research associates from each department:
Join the CBS Postdoc Committee
The CBS Postdoc Committee is currently looking for Representatives of the different CBS Departments (BMBB, BTL, EEB, GCBD and PMB), as well as Volunteers to help with upcoming events and short/long-term projects.
If you are interested in joining us for these short or long term projects, please send us an email at cbs-pdc@umn.edu.
Robyn Rebbeck, BMBB Postdoc Representative, rrebbeck@umn.edu
CBS Postdoc Committee Organizer, Liason with PDA, CBS Consultative Committe Postdoc Representative
Robyn is an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow (July 2014-June 2018), working with the Thomas and Cornea labs in the Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics department. Using spectroscopic techniques, her research focuses on understanding the relationship between structure and function in regulation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channel, ryanodine receptor. This work is also partnered by a translational goal to develop high-throughput screening methods for discovery of RyR targeted compounds that relieve deleterious SR Ca2+ leak that contributes to the pathology of several severe diseases.
Kathleen (Kat) Markham, PMB Postdoc Representative, markat@umn.edu
CBS Consultative Committee Postdoc Representative
Kat is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Greenham Lab in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. She has a deep interest in cell-cell communication, and she seeks to understand how the plant circadian clock mediates inter-tissue cross-talk in the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf using single-cell and spatial RNA sequencing approaches. Her previous work focused on the functional role of integrin receptors in mediating cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions in the mammalian peripheral nervous system. Kat is active in plant outreach and is passionate about matters concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Vinal Menon, BMBB Postdoc Representative, menon097@umn.edu
Liason to the CBS Leadership
Vinal is a Postdoctoral Associate in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Niedernhofer in the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism at the University of Minnesota. Vinal's primary research interests are focused on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease, with a particular focus on the role of cellular senescence in these pathologies.
Beatriz Baselga Cervera, EBB Postdoc Representative, bbaselga@umn.edu
Liason with PDA
Bea is a postdoc associate in Ecology,Evolution and Behavior (previously a Alfonso Martin Escudero fellow), working in experimental evolution with microbes and broadly interested in the origin of life questions. She is also a fellow of the Philosophy of Science Department at UMN. She is currently contributing to the understanding of the origin and maintenance of multicellularity that will translate into insights from an evolutionary perspective in the problems related to multicellular lifestyle (e.g. immune system or developmental processes). She is an advocate for bringing science closer to society through several outreach activities, projects, and volunteering initiatives (e. g., contributing in bridging science to non-English speakers (estornuda.me project) or teaching science to children). As a scientist, she is fully committed to contributing to the postdoc community - Personal page: https://beabaselga.wixsite.com/microevol.
Silvia Meyer Nava, BMBB Postdoc Representative, silmeyer@umn.edu
Postdoc representative
Silvia is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Rivera-Mulia Lab in the Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics department. She has a deep interest in chromatin configuration. She seeks to understand how the 3D architecture inside the nucleus is controlled using human cancer cell lines with Hi-C and RNA sequencing approaches. Her previous work focused on the functional role of a chromatin remodeler in Drosophila melanogaster as a model to comprehend human syndromes. She is active and passionate bringing science closer to society through several activities like a non-governmental organization for Spanish speakers (see link to her non-profit organizations https://www.instagram.com/vaporlaciencia/or https://www.facebook.com/vaporlaciencia/)
Previous Committee members:
- Maureen Quin (CBS Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2019)
- Tara Enders (PMB Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2019)
- Rahul Roy (PMB Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2019)
- Sadie Hebert (BTL Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2018)
- Gerit Bethke (PMB Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2018)
- Max Kramer (BTL Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2018)
- Chris Walter (EEB Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2018)
- Kellie Agrimson (GCD Postdoc Representative, 2017-2020)
- Francois Gaascht, (BMBB Postdoc Representative, 2017-2021)
- Linh Chau (BTL Postdoc Representative, 2018 - 2019)
- Kate Feller (EEB Postdoc Representative, 2019-2020)
- Ryan Briscoe Runquist (PMB Postdoc Representative, 2019-2020)
- Adrian Moore (EEB Postdoc Representative, 2019-2020)
- Chiara Accolla (EEB Postdoc Representative, 2017 - 2018)
- Jeremy Chacon (EEB Postdoc Representative, 2018 - 2018)