Dipa Sashital
Associate Professor
I was born and raised in Livonia, Michigan and received a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison with Sam Butcher. I completed two postdocs with Jennifer Dounda at the University of California, Berkeley and with Jamie Williamson at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla. Throughout my career, my research has focused on two things I love: RNA and structural biology. Our lab combines these two interests by studying RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas immune systems at a mechanistic level. I love working with and mentoring students, and do my best to provide a supportive environment for every member of the lab. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking and watching southeastern Michigan sports teams (especially Michigan football and Red Wings hockey).
Michael Schelling
Graduate Student
I was born in Fresno, California, and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. I completed my B.S. in Biochemistry at Iowa State University and I am now a PhD candidate in the BBMB program. I joined the Sashital lab in spring 2018. My work in the lab focuses on the selective pressure bacteriophage face when infecting bacteria utilizing CRISPR-Cas systems. My main interest outside of research is listening to and playing music.
Yukti Dhingra
Graduate Student
I was born and raised in New Delhi, the capital city of India, and obtained a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology from USBT, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. I am currently a Biochemistry graduate student at Iowa State. I have always been interested in studying interactions in nucleoprotein complexes and was fortunate to join the Sashital Lab in Spring 2019. I work on understanding adaptation mechanisms of Type-I CRISPR-Cas systems with a structural perspective. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending my time cooking, traveling and watching stand-up comedy.
Ginny Nguyen
Graduate Student
I was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam where I obtained my BS in Biotechnology from Ho Chi Minh City International University. I completed my MS in Biochemistry at Stephen F. Austin State University, and now I am a graduate student in the BBMB program. I joined the Sashital lab in 2020. My project focuses on understanding non-specific cleavage activity of Cas12a. In my free time, I enjoy cooking because it is just like an experiment by mixing various ingredients.
Dinitha Caldera
Undergraduate Student
I was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A tear-drop shaped island below India. I joined Iowa State University as an International undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry. I joined the Sashital lab in January 2020 and am working on a project related to the biochemistry of Cas proteins. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, binging Netflix, working out and rock climbing.
Meriç Öztürk
Graduate Student
I was born in Izmir, Turkey. I received my bachelor's degree in Biology and master's degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Middle East Technical University. Currently, I am a graduate student in the Biochemistry program at Iowa State University. I joined the Sashital lab in 2021. I am interested in understanding the structural features of CRISPR-Cascade systems. My other interests besides science are watching sports, reading and discussing politics, and writing popular science articles and short stories
Avani Laharia
Undergraduate Student
I am an undergraduate biochemistry student born in Michigan and raised in both Michigan and Pune, India. I joined the Sashital lab in my freshman year in Spring 2021 and my project focuses on studying retron systems, a type of bacterial defense system. I love baking, gardening, and listening to music in my free time!
Aline Milach Teixeira
Undergraduate Student
I was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil and moved to the United States when I was in 5th grade. I am grateful to have become a US citizen in 2022. I am an undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biochemistry. I joined the Sashital lab in 2021 and have enjoyed studying how the Septu defense system functions in protecting bacteria against phages. I also love to read books, watch documentaries, run, and play piano. A fun fact about me is that I took a stand-up comedy class last year and have since gotten paid to give my routine at various locations around Iowa.
Caroline Meis
Undergraduate Student
I was born and raised in Le Mars, Iowa, the Ice Cream Capitol of the World. I am majoring in Biochemistry with minors in Spanish and Pharmacology and Toxicology. I joined the Sashital lab in 2022 and am studying how CRISPR-Cas systems differentiate self from non-self. I enjoy playing piano, reading books, and playing tennis on the Iowa State Competitive Club Team.
Russell Greene
Graduate Student
I was born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in Alleman, Iowa. I received my B.S. in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to joining the Sashital Lab, I worked at Corteva Agriscience in the Protein Engineering Lab where I engineered insecticidal proteins to be more efficacious towards specific insects and less phytotoxic to their heterologous expression hosts. Since joining the Sashital Lab in January 2023, I’ve worked on elucidating the function of several adaptation Cas proteins in the type I-C CRISPR-Cas system. In my free time, I enjoy camping and hiking, pheasant hunting, playing various rec sports, and spending time with my wife and dogs. My wife and I are also novice conifer collectors.