Matthew McDougal 

Mentored by Wan Hee Yoon, Ph.D.

Matt is a postdoctoral scientist in the Yoon Lab at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in the Aging & Metabolism Research Program. After earning his PhD from UT Southwestern Medical Center, he joined the Yoon Lab in 2024 to investigate how pathogenic mutations in nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes disrupt cellular metabolism and organelle function in the brain. His current research focuses on understanding the consequences of dysfunction of the mitochondrial protein ATAD3A, a regulator of aging-related processes that has been associated with neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Matt’s research seeks to define the mechanisms underlying cellular stress due to ATAD3A dysfunction to inform therapeutic strategies that can ameliorate diseases of the brain.

Lauren Miller

Mentored by Veronica Galvan, Ph.D.

Dr. Miller earned her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in the lab of Dr. Shannon Conley. Her dissertation studies focused on the contribution of IGF-1-dependent signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells to vascular cognitive impairment and dementia in aging mouse models. She joined the Galvan lab as a postdoctoral fellow to study age-related dementias. Her current research is focused on the regulation of tau-induced astrocyte senescence.

Michelle Nguyen

Mentored by Arlan Richardson, Ph.D.

Michelle Nguyen is a post-doctoral research fellow in Dr. Arlan Richardson’s laboratory. Her research interests center on understanding how mitochondrial haplotypes can influence the aging process using the OKC-HET rat model. Specifically, she investigates how naturally occurring variations in mitochondrial DNA can affect mitochondrial function, healthspan, and lifespan. Most of her work has focused on multi-omics approaches, integrating metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, 16S analyses, and epigenetics to identify mechanisms that may explain why individuals age differently. She aims to bridge findings in OKC-HET rats with human aging biology to support the development of strategies that promote healthy aging.

William Kennedy

Mentored by Michael Beckstead, Ph.D.

Jillian Cox

Mentored by Sarah Ocanas, Ph.D.

Jillian E. J. Cox is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Program at the University of Oklahoma Health Center. She conducts her dissertation research in the laboratory of Dr. Sarah Ocañas at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Her work focuses on elucidating the mechanisms underlying sex differences in Alzheimer’s disease, with particular emphasis on sex chromosome–mediated regulation of microglial responses in aging and neurodegeneration.

Eric Moore

Mentored by Archana Unnikrishnan, Ph.D.

Eric Moore’s research examines the intersection between developmental biology and aging, specifically investigating the effects of maternal obesity on aging in offspring. He focuses on characterizing the long-term phenotypes observed in offspring of maternal obesity and on uncovering the mechanisms through which these changes are transmitted from mothers to their offspring. His comprehensive approach integrates mouse behavioral studies with cutting-edge techniques in biochemistry and bioinformatics, providing a unique, integrated perspective necessary for addressing key questions in the developmental origins of health and disease.

Michaela Vance

Mentored by Shannon Conley, Ph.D.

Michaela Vance is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Cell Biology in Dr. Shannon Conley’s lab. Her lab investigates the cellular mechanisms underlying age-related vascular fragility in the brain and its contribution to cognitive decline. Her project specifically examines how endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, a cellular transdifferentiation process, becomes more prevalent with aging and exacerbates vascular fragility.

Travis Pennington

Mentored by  Tommy Lewis, Ph.D.

Travis Pennington is a native Oregonian who graduated from Oregon State University in December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He and his wife moved to Oklahoma for him to attend graduate school, and they have since had two children. His research interests focus on the links between neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative disease, which has led him to develop a project studying the role of Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein in Alzheimer’s disease.