Team members
Darijana Horvat - Research Assistant / Lab Manager
Darijana Horvat received her B.S. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University. During her undergraduate career, she worked with Dr. Coran Watanabe investigating the mode of action and biosynthesis of azinomycin B. She also interned at the Institute Rudjer Boskovic (Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry) in Zagreb, Croatia where she separated enantiomers using HPLC.
After graduation Darijana worked in several labs, studying preeclampsia, hypertension, cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), lymphatics, microbial pathogenesis and immunology. She joined the Geoffroy lab in December 2019 as the Research Assistant/Lab manager. One of her projects is to test the protective and regenerative properties of different test compounds in mice models of spinal cord injury.
In her free time Darijana enjoys playing trivia, board games and billiards with her friends and family. She likes music, live theater performances, movies and TV shows. In her quiet time she loves to read books. Did I mention she (really) loves chocolate?
Sydney Johnson - Research Assistant
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Sydney graduated with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from Texas A&M in 2023. She worked in the Geoffroy Lab as an undergrad, and now is spending her gap year learning more about the inner workings of the lab and research in the realm of SCI.
With a passion for neurodegenerative diseases, Sydney plans to attend grad school to expand the world of neuroscience research. She wants to learn more about these diseases and conditions in the hopes that knowing more about them will help those who suffer from them.
She loves going on long walks with her husband and attending church on Sundays. Outside of the lab, you can find her making espresso, or else reading, painting, or sewing. And she'll stop at nothing for a bowl of ice cream!
Post-Docs
Sepideh Hosseiniporgham - Post-Doc
Sepideh earned her PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Sassari in Italy. Her doctoral research focused on developing novel biotechnological approaches for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in milk and other clinical samples. She optimized a novel milk ELISA and a phage-based assay to facilitate the detection of antibodies against MAP-specific epitopes (L3P, L5P) and to assess MAP viability, respectively.
Following her PhD she joined Texas A&M University as a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Prof. Sacchettini. Her research focused on drug discovery and high-throughput whole cell assay screenings for inhibitors of SecA1-regulatable Mycobacterium smegmatis, various Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) targets (e.g. Pknb, Pks13, NadD, ArgB, Malate synthase), as well as prostate and colon cancer targets. Additionally, she contributed to purifying Mtb proteins (including RibF, SatS, Mce4E), conducting crystallization studies of target proteins, optimizing RibF assay (Mtb FAD synthase). She recently joined our team, where she investigates the impact of age and mitochondrial dysfunctions on the recovery of patients with spinal cord injury as well as subsequent infections caused by pathogens including but not limited to MAP, Mtb, and HERV in these patients.
Sepideh loves swimming, jagging, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.
KateÅ™ina ŠtÄ›pánková - Post-Doc
Katerina completed a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. She continued her studies at the same institution and obtained a Master of Science in Physiology and Neurobiology. During her MSc, she focused on the role of the extracellular matrix in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) and worked on the development of a new SCI model in rats.
Katerina went on to complete a PhD in Neuroscience at Charles University, where her research focused on enhancing axon regeneration and neuroplasticity after spinal cord injury, with the aim of bridging the gap between development and disease. During her PhD, she joined James Fawcett's team at the University of Cambridge, where she investigated gene therapy for sensory pathway reconstruction after SCI. She also worked with Dr. Jessica Kwok at the University of Leeds on a project focused on manipulating the extracellular matrix to promote plasticity and functional recovery in rat models of SCI.
She now investigates the impact of gut dysregulation on recovery from spinal cord injury. Outside of the lab, Katerina is an avid traveler and explorer who loves dogs, runs on coffee, enjoys a good book, and cherishes time spent with family and friends.
Alejandra Gonzales - Post-Doc
Alejandra graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago Chile. She joined a laboratory at the biology department in Texas A&M University in Aug 2001 and has enjoyed research and life in College Station since then. She finished her PH. D in Biology 2012 where she worked with Drosophila melanogaster in unraveling the Sex determination pathway and gene expression of the master regulatory gene Sex lethal. She drifted her work towards neurobiology in 2018 when she studied the functionality of the different sugar taste receptors in Drosophila’s leg. In 2024 she joined Geoffroy’s lab. Her current focus is to test neuroprotective drugs in primary neuronal and glial cell culture as well as to participate in the in vivo drug testing studies.
In her free time Alejandra spends time with her daughter cooking amazing food. She also likes to do paper crafting and explore many other creative outlets.
Graduate Students
Ashley Douthitt​ (ashleydouthitt@tamu.edu)
Ashley graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from California State University, Chico in Spring 2019. After graduation, she moved back to her hometown San Diego, California. She then joined a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company as a Research Associate focused on the discovery and development of therapeutics in the disease areas of inflammation and immunology. She is now studying SCI-induced metabolomic and gut pathology changes. Ashley is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the Medical Sciences program in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics.
Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring new places, and weight training.
Erika Marks​ (ecelinem@tamu.edu)
Erika graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelors in Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology in Spring 2022. While there, she joined research for the first time, working with larval zebrafish looking into the development of their sensory systems. She is now looking into the effect that SCI has on cognition and adult neurogenesis in the mouse hippocampus. Erika is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Institute for Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics.
Outside the lab, Erika enjoys spending time with friends, playing frisbee, (or any pick-up sport she's most recently got wrangled into!), playing card games, or just talking. She also enjoys nights in with her cats and a good book or TV show.
Manshi Patel​ (mpp5@tamu.edu)
Manshi graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and
Genetics and a minor in Medical Humanities in Spring 2023. At Rice, her primary research
included investigating the genetic mechanisms underlying wing morphogenesis in Drosophila
melanogaster by employing the GAL4-UAS binary expression system. She then joined as a
Editor and Journal Manager to a journal at Rice called Dialogues Across Health, Science,
Humanities, and Archives (DAHSHA) while conducting research on a project concerning
nuclear waste policies. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Medical Sciences program in the
Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics. Outside of research, Manshi enjoys
trying new recipes, watching movies, and painting.
Master Students
Kimberly (Kim) Anderson (knanderson@tamu.edu)
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Kimberly graduated from the University of North Texas in 2021 with a Bachelor's in Biochemistry, along with minors in Biology and Anthropology. Following graduation, she joined UTHealth as a Research Assistant, where she focused on stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and blood-brain barrier infiltration. Kimberly is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, with plans to continue her education in a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program.
Outside of her academic and research pursuits, Kimberly enjoys creating press-on nails, reading, and spending time with her family, friends, and cats.
Undergraduates
Kaianne Winslow
I am a Neuroscience major with a Psychology minor and I am a part of the Texas A&M Class of 2026. After graduating, I plan to attend Medical School and am currently planning on pursuing a career in neurosurgery. Most of my free time is spent studying, hanging out with friends, reading, baking, or playing video games!
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Camden Kindler
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Camden Kindler is a junior undergraduate Neuroscience major on the pre-medical track. He plans to attend medical school after a gap year and has gained valuable experience since joining the lab in August 2026. Outside of the lab, he enjoys the gym, playing guitar, and spending time with friends.​
Kayla Dixon
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​Kayla Dixon is a senior Biomedical Engineering student with a minor in Materials Science & Engineering. She is interested in applying an engineering perspective to medical research and discovery, and hopes to build a career at the intersection of biomedical research and medical technology. In her free time, Kayla enjoys reading, going on walks, gardening, cooking, and spending time with friends