The Velle Lab, Fall 2025
Back: Abby, Walter, Zaf, Tara, Melinda, Sam; Front: Teo, Katrina, Lee
Katrina Velle, PhD
Katrina Velle is a cell biologist interested in cytoskeleton-driven phenotypes and pathogenic microbes. She is investigating the contributions of actin networks to cell migration, cell division, and osmoregulation in Naegleria, including the “brain-eating amoeba.” She received her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from UConn in 2018, and worked with Dr. Fritz-Laylin at UMass Amherst for her postdoctoral research. She is now an Assistant Professor of Integrative Biology at UMass Dartmouth. Her work has been supported by an NIH F32 fellowship (NIAID), an NIH K99/R00 Award (NIGMS), and Amazing Aven's Quest for Amoeba Awareness.
Abdurrahman ElZafarany
Abdurrahman ElZafarany is a PhD student in Katrina's lab. Abdurrahman did his bachelor's at Carnegie Mellon University (2020) and moved on to get his Master's at the University of Pécs (2023). His main areas of interest are Molecular Biology as well as a tad bit of Immunology. He's interested in learning how Naegleria fowleri cells crawl in confined spaces, particularly the brain, and how they use actin to do so. Understanding how disease is initiated and spread can help provide insights into treatment later on.
Tara Clark
Tara Clark is a lab manager and cell culture specialist in the Velle lab interested in infectious disease and immunotherapy development. She received her Master of Science degree in Biology from UMass Dartmouth in August 2024 with Dr. Bromage’s comparative immunology lab. Her research investigated the antibody-mediated immune responses to different bacterial vaccine combinations given to rainbow trout in an aquaculture environment. Tara joined the Velle lab in September 2024 and is excited to explore the behavior of Naegleria fowleri and their use of actin when grown in co-culture with mammalian cells. She also plans to evaluate the potential for use of Naegleria-specific actin inhibitors in preventing these infections.
Lee Dollar
Lee Dollar is a research associate in the Velle Lab. They completed their bachelor’s degree in animal science at the University of Vermont in 2022 and their master’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of Connecticut in 2025. Lee is interested in investigating the molecular machinery used by parasitic protists during infection, especially using microscopy-based methods. Their research aims to investigate the ultrastructure of the Naegleria actin cytoskeleton and how it is used in cell motility.
Samantha Jacques
Samantha Jacques is an undergraduate honors biology student at UMass Dartmouth. She is interested in biomedical science and plans to pursue an MD. She is also an avid reader and enjoys fantasy books.
Teodoro Tapia Carrasco
Teodoro Tapia Carrasco is an undergraduate at UMass Dartmouth, who aims to study microbiology and immunology, and has an interest in biochemistry! He is aiming for a Masters or PhD. He loves to hike, spend time in nature, and used to draw professionally!
Abigail Perry
Abigail Perry is an undergraduate honors biology student on a premedical track at UMass Dartmouth. Her research aims to explore whether Naeglaria chemotax to determine how they move during infection. She also enjoys reading and going for runs.
Walter Wanyoike
Walter Wanyoike is an undergraduate honors biology student at UMass Dartmouth. He is primarily interested in biomedical science but is also strongly interested in cell biology, particularly relating to human pathogens. He is planning on pursuing a MD. Currently he is researching how Naegleria cell motility is impacted in different osmotic environments, with particular emphasis on understanding how Naegleria cells move through cerebrospinal fluid conditions. He is a big fan of Naruto and his favorite book trilogy is Chaos Walking!
Melinda Amarantes
Melinda Amarantes is an undergraduate honors student majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology at UMass Dartmouth. She is particularly interested in immunology and infectious disease. She aspires to pursue a Ph.D. and build a career in academia, where she can combine her love for sharing knowledge and conducting impactful biological research. Melinda is currently researching heterogeneity within clonal poulations of Naegleria.
Past Lab Members:
Tania Martín Pérez (Postdoctoral Researcher, 2024): Now a professor at University of Alcalá (Madrid)
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