Sophie Astrof and her cat
People
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Brianna Alexander
AnnJosette Ramirez is a Ph.D. student in the Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Physiology (CBNP) track of the Biomedical Science Ph.D. program at Rutgers. She currently investigates the requirement and regulation of Second Heart Field (SHF)-derived vascular progenitors in Pharyngeal Arch Artery (PAA) development. Prior to joining the Astrof Lab in 2016, she worked at the University of Pennsylvania as a research assistant for a CDC project focused on understanding the etiologies of Autism Spectrum Disorder. AnnJosette earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology at Arcadia University, which is where her passion for developmental research was first established, under the direction of Dr. Sheryl T. Smith. When she is not working on her lab projects, AnnJosette can be found baking, running, playing with her cat, or binging Netflix.
Michael Schonning, M.S.
Michael Schonning is a Ph.D. student in the Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Physiology (CBNP) track of the Multidisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program at Rutgers SGS. He is investigating the role of fibronectin in the endoderm during cardiovascular morphogenesis and vascular development. Prior to joining The Astrof Lab in 2020, Michael honed his interest in vascular biology after working under the advisement of Dr. June K. Wu and Dr. Carrie Shawber at Columbia University Medical Center. Michael completed his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) at the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oneonta and Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Laboratory Management at Hunter College. Outside of the lab, Michael can be found planning a wedding with his fiancé Matthew, playing video games on the Nintendo Switch, or exploring New York City.
Michael Warkala
POSTDOCS
Cecilia Arriagada, Ph.D.
Huaning Zhao, Ph.D.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Sam Russo
FORMER LAB MEMBERS