Meet Our Lab

AARON M. JOHNSON, PHD

Principle Investigator
Ph.D. Rockefeller University
Postdoc Harvard Medical School
Hometown: Rochester​, MN
Pronouns: he/him/his

E-mail: aaron.m.johnson@ucdenver.edu (don’t forget the “.m.”)
Twitter: @ChromaTownie
Office: 303-724-3224
Lab: 303-724-5837

​Interests: building chromatin, live music, biking

CURRENT GRAD STUDENTS
Eli Martz
B.S. Genetics, North Carolina State University
Hometown: Holly Springs, N.C. 
Pronouns: they/them/theirs

Fellowship: NSF GRFP

Email: ELI.MARTZ@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU
​Twitter: @butchbiochemist
Interests: Beer, cats, djent, and French toast. 
Lab Project:  SIR-Heterochromatin

Justin Roberts

​B.S. Computer Science, George Washington University
B.S., M.S Biology, South Alabama University
Hometown: Mobile, AL
Pronouns: he/him/his

Fellowship: F31 NRSA (NCI)

Email: Justin.Roberts@ucdenver.edu
Twitter:​ @tjten5500
Interests: Beers, Bees, Beats, and Beads
Lab Project: RNA-Heterochromatin

PRAs and Post-Doc Fellows

April Griffin
Lab Manager
B.S. Northeastern University
M.A. Harvard University
Hometown: Buffalo Creek, CO
Pronouns: she/her/hers
​​
Email: april.griffin@ucdenver.edu
Interests: Family time, creating in the kitchen, gardening when the kitchen gets dirty
Lab Project: All projects, as she is the lab's swiss army knife

Allison Porman
Postdoc
B.S Lehigh University
Ph.D. Brown University
Hometown: East Brunswick, NJ 
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Fellowship Award
Cancer Biology T32 Post-Doc Training Grant
DoD BCRP Breakthrough Fellowship
​
​Email: allison.porman@ucdenver.edu
Twitter:​ @DrPorman
Interests: singing science parodies and supporting women & diversity in STEM
Lab Project: RNA - Heterochromatin

Maggie Balas, Ph.D.

Postdoc
​B.S. Metropolitan State University
Hometown: NY

Email: maggie.balas@ucdenver.edu
Interests: All tings junglist, solitude, vinyl toys
Lab Project: RNA-Heterochromatin

Current Rotation/Summer Students

Ethan Madden
RBI Summer Student 2021​
Undergrad @ Simpson College
Pronouns: he/him/his

FORMER LAB MEMBERS

Alexis Zukowski, PhD

Eric Nguyen, PhD

PhD Student
B.S. San Diego State University
 
Currently: Postdoc CU School of Medicine
ACS Postdoctoral Award

Residency at UCSF

Emily Meredith, PhD

 Former post-doc and now faculty at Boise State

Stephen Wu, MS

B.S. Northeastern University
Hometown: Watertown, MA
Interests: Karaoke, eating eating eating, and gastronomy
Karly Sindy, MS
​Former Lab Manager and Falconeer.
Now doing amazing things in South Carolina
  • Trevor Johns (PRA)
  • Michelle Kennedy (Cancer Center Summer Intern, now grad student at Princeton, Cristea Lab)
  • Krystal Haislop (CC Summer Intern, now Grad student at U Penn, Lynch Lab)
  • Maddie Chrupcala (RBI Summer Intern, now Grad student at Dartmouth)
  • Ariel Levine (RBI Summer Intern, now undergrad at Duke)
  • Abby Trouth (RBI Summer Intern, undergrad @Gustavus Adolphus College, now CUAMC grad student)