Current Graduate Students
Leandre Glendenning
Leandre joined the lab as a PhD student in the Molecular Biology & Microbiology program in 2020. As an undergraduate student at Oberlin College, she competed on the varsity softball team and worked on her biology honors thesis in Dr. Maureen Peters' lab, where she researched the role of the gap junction protein inx-16 in the C. elegans digestive motor pathway. Following graduation, she joined the BSTP at CWRU, where she decided to sweeten her studies by entering the field of glycobiology and joining the Cobbohydrates team. When not in the lab, she can be found on the couch with either of her two cats or her dog - or taking pictures of them to send to the rest of the lab.
Leandre can be contacted at lxg346@case.edu.
Emily Kukan
Emily Kukan is a PhD student in the Immunology Training Program. Before joining the lab in 2021, Emily graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh as a part of the class of 2019. While there, she worked as a researcher in Dr. Graham Hatfull's laboratory, studying the diversity of bacteriophages and their proteins. Outside of her scientific pursuits, Emily is an avid music fan and enjoys spending time with friends, family, and dogs.
Emily can be contacted at enk40@case.edu.
Gracie Carlson
Gracie is an Immunology Training Program PhD student that joined the lab in 2023. Before joining the lab, Gracie graduated from The College of Saint Scholastica (Duluth, MN). During her undergraduate studies, she assisted Dr. Evan Tyler in studying oxygen ion movement within Earth's magnetic field during electromagnetic reconnection events; she also was a part of Dr. Melanie Talaga's lab which worked to study a novel lectin. During an REU at Syracuse University in Dr. James Hougland's lab she studied Ghrelin O-Acyltransferase localization as a potential biomarker for prostate cancer. Outside of the lab, Gracie is often cooking or watching crime series; she enjoys snuggling her fur babies (2 cats, 1 dog) and spending time with family and friends.
Gracie can be contacted at gcc44@case.edu.