Lab members
Current Members
Postdocs
Zahrat El Oula Hassoun, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biochemistry
Zahrat is a native of Lebanon. She did her Masters in Functional Genomics and Proteomics, between Lebanon and France, followed by a doctoral journey in Belgium in the lab of Franck Dequiedt. During her PhD, Zahrat worked on the control of mRNA translation. Her fascination with ribosomes led her to the Karbstein lab, where she is currently studying ribosome assembly and quality control. When not in the lab, Zahrat cherishes family gatherings, enjoys learning to swim, and loves diving into books from all genres.
Graduate Students
Andrés D Cuéllar
Graduate Student, Department of Biochemistry
One day in the Fall of 2023 at Jupiter, Florida, I sat and listened to Katrin talk about ribosomes being repaired! That caught my attention and I wanted to be part of that. Nowadays, I’m working on projects related to ribosome repair, collisions and quality control pathways. Days before that day, I gained experience in research including alternative splicing and lipid binding proteins as a M.S. and B.S. student, respectively. These days, I am also interested in learning more about pre-Columbian Americas, East Africa and Philosophy.
Technicians
Daniel Ngabonziza
Research Technician, Department of Biochemistry
I was born in Rwanda, where witnessing healthcare challenges firsthand inspired my deep commitment to medicine. In 2024, I earned my B.S. in Biology from Freed-Hardeman University. During my undergraduate studies, I had opportunity to be part of Topoisomerase II⍺ research in Dr. Joe Deweese’s lab and explored plasmonic nanoparticles in computational chemistry projects in Dr. Jim Barr’s lab.
I joined the Karbstein Lab because I am fascinated by the complexity of ribosomes in protein synthesis and their implications for understanding diseases such as cancer. My aspiration is to pursue a career in medicine while continuing research and being part of large family working to bridge healthcare disparities by applying the knowledge I have gained from various peers and scientific endeavors.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing the piano and running.
Undergraduate Students
ALUMNI
FORMER POSTDOCS
Dr. Yoon-Mo Yang (TSRI, 11/2018-07/2023); now: Assistant Professor, Hanyang University, Korea
Dr. Sohail Khoshnevis (TSRI, 04/2012-06/2018); now: Assistant Professor, Emory University
Dr. Homa Ghalei (TSRI, 04/2012-10/2017); now: Associate Professor, Emory University
Dr. Jason Collins (TSRI, 10/2015-08/2017); now: Postdoctoral Researcher, NIH, NIDCR Director’s Diversity Fellowship Recipient
Dr. Miriam Koch (TSRI, 10/2016-08/2017); now: Janssen Vaccines AG, Switzerland
Dr. Hari Bhaskaran (TSRI, 05/2013-08/2014); now: Arcturus Therapeutics, San Diego
Dr. Juliette Trepreau, (TSRI, 01/2012-06/2013); now: Project Leader in Molecular and Cell Biology, CIMTECH, Universite de Marseilles
Dr. Boguslawa Korona (TSRI, 08/2011-02/2012); now: Oxford University
Dr. Darryl M. Horn (TSRI, 09/2010-08/2012); now: Assistant Professor, Keystone College, PA
Dr. Allison Lamanna (University of Michigan, 08/2007-06/2010); now: Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Boston University
Dr. Hajeong Kim (University of Michigan, 09/2008-06/2010); now: Pharmacy Student, University of Massachusetts
Dr. Scott Walker (University of Michigan, 08/2007-08/2008); now: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Michigan
Former Graduate Students
Melissa Parker, Ph.D. 2022, Now: Neurocrine Biosciences, San Diego, California
Haina Huang, Ph.D. 2022, Now: Arrakis Therapeutics, Massachusetts
Max Ferretti, Ph.D. 2019, Now: Staff Scientist, Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania
Crystal Young, Ph.D. 2012, Now: Associate Professor, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida
Bethany Strunk, Ph.D. 2011, Now: Assistant Professor, Trinity University
Heather Woolls, Ph.D. 2011, Now: Solo Hill, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Annie Labut, M.S. 2009, Now: NSF International
Former Staff Scientist
Joanne Doherty, Ph.D., Kissill Lab, Moffitt Cancer Center
Former Lab Technicians
Ebba Blomqvist, 2020-2022, Now: Graduate Student, Scripps Graduate Program
Melody Campbell, 2010-2011, Now: Associate Professor, Fred Hutch
Saundra Mason, 2009-2010, Now: Ansa Biotechnologies
Former Undergraduate Students
*Mindi Klaus, Scripps Graduate Program, **won poster prize
*Jaylin Knight, Vanderbilt University, ** won poster prize
*Gabriela Guerrero-Corcino, University of Pennsylvania, Berks
*Peyton De Marzo, Now: Predoctoral Student, UCSC
Stefan Choy (undergraduate student at FAU, FL), *** co-authored paper
*Maggie Lyons (B.S., Eckerd College, FL)
*Jessica Bush (Graduate school, Scripps Research)
Elizabeth Potts (B.S., University of Florida, post-bac, Max Planck Florida Institute), *** co-authored paper
*Hans Smith (Graduate school, University of Wisconsin, Madison)
*Rebecca Culver (Graduate school, Stanford University), *** co-authored paper
*Hannah Toutkoushian (Graduate school, UCSF, NSF predoctoral fellow)
*Katelyn Doxtader (Graduate school, UT Southwestern), *** co-authored paper
*Oscar Martinez-Armenta (Graduate school in engineering, Augsburg College)
John Bloszinski (B.S., FAU)
*Megan Novak (Ph.D., Northwestern University, NSF predoctoral fellow), ** won poster prize, *** co-authored paper
Melody Campbell (Ph.D., Scripps Research, postdoc: UCSF), *** co-authored paper
Christine Norton (Medical School, University of Michigan)
*Elia Wright (Graduate school, University of Michigan)
*Ariell Joiner (Graduate school, University of Michigan)
Sylvia Escudero (Graduate school, Harvard)
Jennifer Raymond (Dentistry School, University of Michigan)
Chris Dion
Rebecca Leone
*Summer student