BBS PhD Program

Reproductive Biology

Faculty Research Area(s)
Pic of Doug Antczak
Doug Antczak
Pregnancy immunology; immunogenetics; equine immunology


Sarah Caddy
understanding the protective activity of non-neutralising antibodies; unravel the negative activities of antiviral antibodies; maternal antibodies - lab

Pic of Soon Hon Cheong
Soon Hon Cheong

Postpartum ovarian and uterine health; epidemiology; regenerative medicine; microfluidics and assisted reproductive techniques - lab
Pic of Theodore Clark
Theodore Clark
Mechanisms of sperm-egg fusion
Pic of Paula E. Cohen
Paula E. Cohen
Etiology of spontaneous birth defects in mammals; mechanisms of meiotic recombination; DNA repair proteins in meiosis and recombination; germ cell development; ovarian development - lab
Pic of Pierre Comizzoli
Pierre Comizzoli

Reproductive physiology; fertility preservation and control for rare and endangered species; assisted reproductive techniques; cryobiology of gametes and reproductive tissues; biostabilization

Faculty member located at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute- works with Smithsonian Joint Graduate Training Program students 

Pic of Scott Coonrod
Scott Coonrod
Reproductive physiology; molecular and cellular physiology; epigenetic reprogramming during the egg-to-embryo transition; mechanisms by which specific histone modifications are dynamically regulated during hormone-dependent gene transcription in breast cancer cells
Erin Daughterity (Minor Member) As a trained, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) board certified veterinarian, Dr. Erin Daugherity has a strong interest in animal models of disease, the humane use of animals used in teaching and research, and applying the 3 R’s (reduce, refine, replace) to the use of animals in research.
Mariana Diel de Amorim equine theriogenology; equine maternal recognition of pregnancy; equine endometritis
Pic of Siu Sylvia Lee
Siu Sylvia Lee
Molecular genetics of aging; signaling pathways of nutrient sensing; molecular basis of stress response - lab
Pic of Marla Lujan
Marla Lujan
Nutritional regulation of fertility; endocrinology and metabolism; polycystic ovary syndrome; ultrasonography - lab
Pic of Motoko Mukai
Motoko Mukai
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs); neuroendocrine regulation; reproductive, developmental and metabolic health effect of toxic compounds found in food - lab
Pic of Alexander Nikitin
Alexander Nikitin
Stem cells and cancer; pathogenesis of ovarian and prostate cancers; modeling of human disease in genetically modified mice and human organoids - lab
Pic of Kimberly O'Brien
Kimberly O'Brien
Calcium metabolism and bone health; control of maternal/fetal nutrient; partitioning and cellular mineral transport; micronutrient status in international settings; development of mass spectrometric methodology; pediatric bone health; pregnancy and mineral metabolism in adolescents - lab
Pic of Ned J. Place
Ned J. Place
Mammalian reproductive biology with a focus on the life history of trade-offs associated with timing of hormone secretion and reproductive effort; sexual differentiation; female reproductive aging - lab
Mark Roberson, PhD
Mark Roberson
Molecular endocrinology in reproductive tissues
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John Schimenti
Genetics of reproduction and germ cell development; cancer genetics; meiosis; DNA repair; genome manipulation in mice; functional genomics - lab
Pic of Vimal Selvaraj
Vimal Selvaraj
Pluripotency and stem cells; regenerative medicine; animal biotechnology; technologies for wildlife conservation - lab
Marcus Smolka Cell signaling and genome maintenance; DNA replication stress; phosphoproteomics
Pic of Paul Soloway
Paul Soloway
Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in mammals; Chromatin changes associated with neuropathy using single cell analyses - lab
Pic of Nucharin Songsasen
Nucharin Songsasen

Reproductive biology; cyrobiology; wildlife conservation

Faculty member located at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute- works with Smithsonian Joint Graduate Training Program students 

Pic of Alexander J. Travis
Alexander J. Travis
Comparative biology of male germ cells; signaling and metabolism of sperm during capacitation; organization of lipid raft membrane sub-domains in sperm; applications of technologies using reproductive stem cells for wildlife conservation - lab
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Robert S. Weiss
Molecular mechanisms for the maintenance of genomic stability; cellular responses to DNA damage; mouse models of human cancer - lab
Pic of Mariana Wolfner
Mariana Wolfner
Genetic, molecular, developmental, and evolutionary studies of seminal proteins' functions in fertility, and of mechanisms of egg activation and initiation of embryogenesis; investigate conserved phenomena in reproductive biology, using primarily the Drosophila model system - lab