LAB MEMBERS
Current Individuals Profiles
Burggren Lab Photos - Previous Years
Where are they now?
Burggren Lab - 2017-2018 Academic Year

Current Individual Profiles
Lab Principal Investigator

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- Warren W. Burggren (B.Sc. University of Calgary; Ph.D., University of East Anglia, UK)
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas
P.O. Box 305220, Denton, TX, 76203-5220,U.S.A.
phone: 940) 565-7705 fax: (940) 565-3821
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Research Professor

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- Hiroshi Tazawa (M.D., Ph.D.)
- UNT Distinguished Research Professor investigating avian embryonic physiology.
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Research Scientist I

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- Benjamin Dubansky (Ph.D., Louisiana State University, LA, USA)
- Ben's research interests are centered on the vertebrate response to environmental stressors. He is particularly interested in how developing vertebrate embryos are affected by such stressors and has been deeply involved with research pertaining to the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on adult and embryonic fish, conducting extensive and ongoing field and laboratory-based experiments. He is presently working on understanding how exposure to toxicants in adults can result in transfer of adaptive traits to successive generations.
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Post Doctoral Fellows

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- Prescilla Perrichon (Ph.D., University of La Rochelle, France)
- Prescilla’s research interests are focused on the influence of environmental constraints on the vertebrate fitness through the analysis of physiological responses. Her research aim is to understand the acute and chronic effects of organic pollutants exposures (i.e. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) on the sensitive early life stages. Current research is focused on understanding how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico impacted the cardiovascular system in commercially fish and on the understanding how a prenatal stress (chemical contamination) could thus affect the optimal development of embryos and larvae in the future generation.
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- Amélie Crespel (Ph.D., Université du Québec a Rimouski)
- Amélie’s research interests aimed to understand the phenotypic evolution of vertebrate through different time scales. She is interested in environmental (phenotypic plasticity), trans-generational (epigenetics) and genetic (evolution) effects in the adaptive response of fish to environmental disturbance. Her current research mainly focused on the analysis of the molecular basis (histone modification and DNA methylation) underlying the transgenerational effects of various environmental stressors such as pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) or hypoxia events.
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Lab Manager

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- Maria Rojas-Antich (B.Sc, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela)
- "A succesful biology program is that in which the students experience excitement & the sense of amazement that inspires love for biology"
(Dorrell et al. 2012)
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Graduate Students

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- Sylvia Branum (B.Sc., Southern Methodist University, M.Sc. University of North Texas)
- Sylvia's research interests are focused around how environmental stressors affect the development of the cardiovascular and renal systems. Presently she is using an avian model organism (Gallus domesticus) to understand how altering water and solute balance affects the embryo's ability to osmoregulate during critical periods of development. Sylvia is especially interested in the role of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide on the interactions and crosstalk that occurs as the cardiac and renal systems develop and its role in osmoregulation.
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- Jenika Snachez (B.Sc., Biology Major, Math and Physics Minor, Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC)
- Jenika is interested in the developmental origins of vascular anomalies, more specifically venous malformations. She is currently working with White Leghorn chicken (Gallus domesticus) embryos to understand the effects of varying concentrations of folic acid and nitric oxide on angiogenesis. She is also interested in the role these factors will play during different developmental stages.
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- Melissa Lewallen (B.A. University of North Texas, M.Sc. University of North Texas)
- Melissa is interested in how acute and chronic stressors affect cellular aging and age-related phenotypes, as well as epigenetic tranfer of such effects. Melissa is currently working with planarian model (Schmidtea mediterranea), to understand how a stressor will affect both the sexual and asexual species. She is particularly interested in how the process of regeneration and the mode of reproduction in this animal may affect the behavioral, physiological, and molecular response to stress, as well as telomere length and telomerase activity.
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- Naim Bautista (B.Sc. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, México)
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- Lindsey Daniels (B.Sc., Biology Major, Chemistry and Spanish Minor, University of North Texas)
- Lindsey is interested in the effects of temperature on the developing cardiovascular system of invertebrate species, Spiral Trunk Snail (Lymnae truncatula) , Rams Horn Snail (Planorbis corneus) and the Apple Snail (Ampullariidae). Further she will be testing hypoxia resistance within these species, and what effect a standardized type of light and time of day have on heart rate resulting in sleep deprivation.
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- Sheela Sadruddin (B.S. University of Texas at Arlington, M.Sc. Eastern Virginia Medical School: Jones Institute, VA)
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Undergraduate Students

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- Regina Abramova (University of North Texas)
- Research student interested in examining the significant developmental and physiological impacts on the cardiovascular system of the Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), zebrafish (Danio rerio), and chicken (Gallus domesticus) embryos exposed to different concentrations of crude oil containing collected from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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- Priyanka Vayalali Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science,, University of North Texas)
- Research student investigating the epigenetic inheritance using Artemia franciscana as an animal model; the brine shrimp are studied in tanks with varying salinities.
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- Tian Zhu (Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of North Texas)
- Tian is currently assisting in researching the effects that various substances have on the development of the cardiovascular system of chicken embryos (Gallus gallus). These effects include differences in heart rate and in vessel formation.
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- Kelly Meng (Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of North Texas)
- Kelly is currently interested in developmental biology and physiological changes of aquatic organisms when placed into abnormal environments. She is currently working with Siamese Fighting Fish (Beta splendis); and testing for aggressive behaviors, bodily changes, and trans-generational differences based on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon exposure (also known as PAH)
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- Tanya Pothini (Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of North Texas)
- Tanya is currently investigating the effects of PAH exposure in the behaviour of the Siamese Fighting Fish (Beta splendis)
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Visiting Students

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- Paola Montserrat Mendez Arzate (Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico)
- Undergraduate research student investigating the effects of oil exposure on the early stages of development of the circulatory system using White Leghorn (Gallus gallus) chicken embryos as the animal model.
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Burggren Lab Previous Years
2016-2017 Academic Year
2015-2016 Academic Year
2014-2015 Academic Year
2013-2014 Academic Year
2012-2013 Academic Year

2011-2012 Academic Year

2010-2011 Academic Year

2009-2010 Academic Year

2008-2009 Academic Year

2007-2008 Academic Year

2006-2007 Academic Year

2005-2006 Academic Year

2004-2005 Academic Year

2003-2004 Academic Year

2002-2003 Academic Year

2001-2002 Academic Year

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Past Lab Members - Where are they now?
Former Postdoctoral Fellows
- Casey Mueller (Post-Doctoral Fellow, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada)
- Sarah Andrewartha (Post-Doctoral Fellow, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia)
- Francis Pan - 2010 (Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Southern California, USA)
- Dao Ho - 2010 (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Georgia Health Sciences University, USA)
- Bonnie Blossman-Myer (Adjunct Faculty, University of North Texas, USA)
- Edward Dzialowski (Faculty, University of North Texas, USA)
- Jordi Altimiras (Liknopings University, Sweden)
- Regina Fritsche (Professional Staff, AstraZenca, Sweden)
- Tobias Wang (Faculty, Aarhus University, Denmark)
- Stephen Warburton (Faculty, Northern Arizona University, USA)
- Frances Ragsdale (Faculty, Winona State University, USA)
- Andrew Gannon (Faculty, Birmingham Southern College)
- Alan Pinder (Faculty, Dalhousie University, Canada)
- Timothy Vitalis (Professional Staff, biOasis Technologies Inc., Canada)
- Bernd Pelster (Faculty, University of Innsbruck, Austria)
- Allan Smits (Faculy, Quinnipiac University, USA)
Former Ph.D Students
- Josele Flores Santin - 2016 (Faculty, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México)
- Fernando Sanchez Mendez - 2015 (Faculty, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México)
- Kelly Reyna - 2010 (Faculty, University of North Texas, Director, UNT-Quail)
- Francis Pan - 2009 (Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Southern California)
- Greta Bolin - 2009 (Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of North Texas)
- Tara Blank - 2009 (Science Advisor for American Environmental Health Studies Project)
- Dao Ho - 2008 (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Georgia Regents University)
- Bonnie Myer - 2007 (Lecturer, University of North Texas, USA)
- Brian Bagatto, 2001 (Faculty, University of Akron, USA)
- Dane Crossley,1999 (Faculty, University of North Texas, USA)
- Paul Territo,1996 (Faculty, Indiana University, USA)
- Tobias Wang, 1993 (Faculty, Aarhus University, Denmark)
- Lucy Ping-Chun Hou, 1991 (Faculty, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan)
- XiXi Jia, 1991 (Professional Staff, Emory University, USA)
- Robert Infantino, 1991 (Faculty and Assoc. Dean, University of Maryland, USA)
- Carl Reiber, 1991 (Faculty, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA)
- Peter Kimmel, 1990 (Faculty, Castelton State College, USA)
- Alan Pinder, 1985 (Faculty, Dalhousie University)
- Dana Quinn, 1982 (Private Practice)
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