Maria Fernanda Forni, Ph.D.

Nanda is from Brazil and received her Ph.D. from the University of São Paulo. She is a visiting postdoctoral fellow and her main interests are metabolism, skin stem cells, and aging. Her work in the Horsley Lab will focus on how caloric restriction coordinates adipocytes and epidermal cells to affect lifespan.

Teresa Sandoval-Schaefer, DSc

Teresa is originally from Mexico and received a Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She is a Research Associate at the Horsley Lab, interested in understanding the cellular and molecular factors that impair the healing of chronic diabetic wounds at the single-cell level. When she’s not at the lab, she runs a wellness practice providing nutritional therapy counseling to adults struggling with the harmful effects of chronic stress and burnout in their overall health.

Olivia Justynski

Olivia Justynski (she/her) is a graduate student researching the role of cell death and apoptosis detection in wound healing. She is originally from Rhode Island and graduated from Mount Holyoke College, where she studied mathematical modeling of infectious disease. Outside of the lab, she helps lead oSTEM.grad at Yale and the Citations graduate & professional student a cappella group.

Will Krause

Will Krause is a graduate student investigating the role of efferocytosis during skin wound healing. He is from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and got his B.S. at the University of Michigan, where he studied the role of cigarette and electronic cigarette smoking on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

Yiting Xu (Ting)

Yiting Xu (Ting) is a graduate student characterizing the role of immune cell metabolism during skin wound healing. She is originally from Shanghai, China and got her B.S. at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where she studied molecular interactions and biochemical mechanisms during the process of bacterial protein toxins causing toxic effects on animal cells.

Rebecca Pannone, MS

Rebecca is a Research Associate and Lab Manager of the Horsley Lab. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with her Masters in Criminal Justice in 2019. Shortly after graduating, she joined the lab with an interest in science. Upon arrival in the lab she helped out with organization and inventory, and to learn about what it is like to work in a lab. Since then, she helps other lab members on their projects and is learning about wound healing in the skin.

Elizabeth Caves

Elizabeth is a graduate student investigating the role of adipocytes in fibrosis and extracellular matrix homeostasis.  She is originally from Maryland and got her B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied Molecular Biology and researched the role of Epstein-Barr virus in head and neck cancer.

Kristyn A. Carter, MSc PhD

Dr. Carter is a postdoc in the Horsley lab studying the immune response of diabetic skin wounds to injected biomaterials. She is originally from Michigan and graduated from Mount Holyoke College with her Bachelors in Biochemistry and Mathematics. She completed her graduate education at the University of Glasgow where she graduated with her Masters of Science (MSc) in Immunology and made history as the first Black graduate of the PhD of Immunology program. Alongside her postdoctoral work, she is currently serving as the Chair of the Yale Black Postdoctoral Association (YBPA) where she, and the board, work towards creating inclusive spaces on campus for minoritized postdocs and increasing visibility of Black researchers.

Aya Nassereddine, PhD

Aya Nassereddine completed her Ph.D. in Biophysics at the CINaM laboratory in France in 2019. During her doctoral studies, she focused on surface patterning strategies to investigate T-cell adhesion and actin organization.

Recognized for her diverse interests and background, Aya was awarded the "Young Innovative Doctors 2020" in the south region of France. This accolade granted her a one-year position as a research engineer, where she worked towards establishing a startup dedicated to the fabrication of nano-substrates.

Currently, Aya has joined the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) department at Yale University as a postdoctoral researcher in the Horsley Lab. Her research at Yale centers on exploring the mechanical regulation of skin fibrosis using mouse and tissue culture models.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Aya is an avid outdoors enthusiast, finding joy in activities such as running, biking, and hiking.

Shreyasi Das, PhD

Shreyasi has had one aspiration since her childhood- to be a good scientist and she works on it every day. In her PhD, she worked on congenital myopathies, and designing animal models for the myopathies. She is a strong believer in sustainable development and thrives to make the world a better place to live in, for all living organisms.