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
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 research in cognitive decline. She wants to learn more about disease progression in the hope that knowing more about these diseases will help those who suffer from them.
She loves spending time with family enjoying the great outdoors and attending church on Sundays. Outside of the lab, you can find her running around the handball courts, or else reading, painting, or sewing. And she'll stop at nothing for a bowl of ice cream!
Alejandra Gonzales - Research Assistant
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 gen expression of the master regulatory gen 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 focused 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.
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
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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.
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. 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 golf, (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
Mary Smith (mksmith00@tamu.edu)
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Mary Smith is currently a Master of Biotechnology student at Texas A&M University, where she previously completed a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology with a minor in Bioinformatics. After graduating, she completed a certificate in Biotechnology Laboratory Sciences and joined an agricultural company in a full time lab position to culture bacillus subtilis cells to be fermented and purified for probiotics production, conduct bacterial contamination investigations, and do quality assurance and control tests on all raw materials. In the lab, her research project is focused on testing different compounds to improve gene therapy efficiency and utilizing imaging and quantification techniques (high content imaging). Outside of academia and professional settings, Mary enjoys reading fantasy/sci fi novels, working out, watching movies, skiing, playing soccer and spending time with her friends.
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.
M.D. Students
Aaron Bennett (atb27m@tamu.edu) - MD Candidate | Class of 2026
Aaron is a medical student at the Texas A&M School of Medicine. He served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army for four years, in which he was stationed in South Korea, the 101st Airborne in Kentucky, and deployed to Afghanistan. He received a B.S. degree in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he worked in a lab studying proteins associated with ALS. He then moved to BCS to begin medical school, and joined the Geoffroy Lab in January 2023. Outside of medicine, he enjoys lifting weights, spending time with his wife and two dogs, learning the guitar, and watching sports such as the UFC & NFL.
Jordan Newman (j_newman@tamu.edu) - MD Candidate | Class of 2026
Jordan is a new dad, medical student at Texas A&M School of Medicine, graduate of Baylor University, and veteran of the United States Air Force. After graduating from Baylor University in 2016 with a degree in Biochemistry and Military Studies, Jordan was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom from 2017-2020 where he served as an Aircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officer for the NATO mission across Western Europe. Most importantly, however, he got to hike and snowboard across the continent! After leaving the Air Force in 2020, Jordan was accepted to medical school where he completed his Master's in Education and is now figuring out what he wants to be when he grows up. When he isn't studying, Jordan is renovating the house and finding excuses to buy new power tools, coming up with new and original dad jokes, and convincing himself he can take another day off from the gym.
Cynthia Emeremnu (cemeremnu@tamu.edu) - MD Candidate | Class of 2028
Cynthia is a medical student at Texas A&M College of Medicine with a strong interest in neuroscience. She received her BSA in Neuroscience from the University of Texas, where she studied the peripheral nervous system and the current efforts in peripheral nerve regeneration. Outside of medicine, she enjoys exercising, spending time with friends and family, and learning about to sew!
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!
Isabella (Bella) Lerma
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Bella Lerma is a Junior Undergraduate Neuroscience Major. This is her first semester in the lab but she is excited to learn the ropes and get involved further with projects. She has aspirations of going into the medical field, with a focus in anesthesiology.
Sneha Nadella
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Howdy! My name is Sneha Nadella and I am a junior Neuroscience major on the pre-medical track. I look forward to attending medical school, and have a particular interest in Obstetrics & Gynecology. I have been in the Geoffroy lab since June of 2024 and it has been an incredible opportunity to learn the applications of science through this lab. I truly love learning alongside this team!​