LAB MEMBERS

Post-Docs

Kathryn Gallman

I received my PhD from the federated biology program at Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2023 where I trained in the labs of Drs. Eric Fortune and Daphne Soares. My research interests include investigating the neural basis of sleep and circadian behaviors. My dissertation research focused on the impacts of external environment cues on the control of activity rhythms in two species of fishes, the Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, and the weakly electric fish, Eigenmannia virescens. My current work in the Keene lab is also focused on the Mexican cavefish and investigates the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of sleep loss and biological resilience.

Graduate Students

Kaya Harper

I received an honors B.S. in Molecular Biology and a minor in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Lehigh University in 2022. In my sophomore year I joined the lab of Dr. Gregory Lang studying hybridization and sporulation dynamics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. My current research interests include investigating the genetic plasticity of complex traits in the surface and cave populations of Astyanax mexicanus. In addition I am also a member of Dr. Heath Blackmon’s lab at TAMU. There I am developing protocols to study rest and activity behavior in Tribolium castaneum. I am most interested in how anthropogenic activities are influencing adaptation and behavior in a wide range of species, and hope to explore this theme in Astyanax and a wide range of beetle species. 

Sophia Beglari

I completed my M.Sc. in Human Genetics at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, where I conducted research on chromosomal microarray and whole exome sequencing in autism spectrum disorder. I am currently a Ph.D. student in Biology at Texas A&M University, focusing on the interaction between the fat body and brain in Drosophila melanogaster and its role in sleep regulation under the guidance of Dr. Alex Keene. My research interests include understanding how fat body-secreted molecules influence sleep behavior and metabolic processes in Drosophila, aiming to uncover molecular pathways that regulate sleep.

Eshani Yeragi

I hold a Bachelor of Dental Surgery and a Master of Dental Surgery in Periodontology and Implantology from
Y.M.T. Dental College, Mumbai, India. My current research focuses on the Genetic Basis for Sleep, Longevity, and Interaction and to do this I am using Drosophila Melanogaster as a model organism. Sleep disruptions are linked to adverse health outcomes and reduced lifespan, yet the connection between age-related changes in sleep and longevity remains poorly understood. By tracking sleep patterns over the entire lifespan of individual flies, I assess variables such as sleep duration, bout number, bout length, and waking activity. Applying epidemiological techniques from human studies, I seek to uncover how genetic diversity impacts sleep and aging. I am also working in collaboration with Hugo Moebel, an undergraduate researcher, on a project identifying female-specific nocturnality in banded crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus).

Jiwei Zhang

I received an MSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Southwest University in Chongqing, China. In my master's thesis research, I focused on understanding the circadian regulation of nocturnal feeding and daytime detoxification in a formidable Asian pest Spodoptera litura, which was supervised by Dr. Kazuei Mita (main PI), Dr. Marian R. Goldsmith (University of Rhode Island) and Dr. Makio Takeda (Kobe University). 

Currently, I am a PhD student working on Drosophila in Keene Lab from October 2021. My research work primarily investigates the mechanisms behind circadian rhythms and sleep regulation, glial cell dysfunction and aging, as well as age-related neurodegenerative diseases and related genetic factors through molecular and behavioral experiments and data analysis with R/Python. Additionally, I am engaged in a collaborative project, co-mentored by Dr. Alex Keene and Dr. Zach Adelman, aimed at exploring the relationship between blood feeding and associated metabolism and sleep/wake behaviors in mosquitoes (Ae. aegypti). Outside of the lab, I have been playing volleyball for over ten years and I also enjoy tennis, traveling, photography, and some outdoor activities.

Lawal Agboola

I completed my MSc in the European Master’s in Animal Breeding and Genetics (EMABG) program, earning degrees from Georg August University in Göttingen, Germany, and AgroParisTech in Paris, France. My master’s research focused on the relationship between feeding rhythms and feed efficiency in pigs, exploring how genetic selection may influence the frequency of core clock genes associated with feed efficiency in French pig populations.

Currently, as a PhD student in Dr. Keene's lab, my work centers on investigating the biology of resilience in cavefish as a model for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Specifically, I am studying oxidative stress pathways in neurodegeneration by pharmacologically inducing oxidative stress in cavefish and their surface counterparts. Additionally, I conduct research on sleep and stress behaviors in cichlid species.

Aakriti Rastogi

I received my master's degree in applied microbiology from Madras Christian College, University of Madras, India. During this time, I interned in Dr. Kumarsamy Thangaraj’s lab at the Center for Cell and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, researching non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss in humans with a focus on the connexin gene family. My work included using clinical samples to study mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation disorders, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia by screening for mutations or multiple deletions in mtDNA.

After completing my master’s, I worked at the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, India in aquaculture, focusing on fish health and disease management. There, I developed and characterized new cell lines for commercially important fish species, isolated viruses, and conducted parasite and virus screening.

I am currently a PhD student in Dr. Alex Keene’s lab, investigating the evolution of sleep and activity patterns. My research utilizes Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) to study evolved sleep loss in their cave morphs and African cichlids to explore shifts in sleep timing to nocturnality. By focusing on the wake-promoting neuropeptide hypocretin and sleep-promoting melatonin, my work aims to identify the environmental and genetic factors driving these behavioral adaptation.

Kinsley Moore

Howdy! My name is Kinsley Moore, and I am a recent graduate from Texas A&M! I have a Bachelors of Science in Bioinformatics, and a minor in health and business. I work in the lab as a research assistant, and most of my projects involve data analysis. I am really interested in learning about neurodegenerative diseases and the effects of aging.

Undergraduate Students

Hugo Moebel

I am a senior at Texas A&M University getting my B.A. in Biology and minoring in business. I joined the Keene lab in May of 2024 and I am studying the effects of sleep on aging in Drosophila with Eshani Yeragi. I am also investigating the circadian rhythm of Gryllodes Sigillatus with the help of Eshani.

Owen North

I am currently a senior at Texas A&M University and I will receive my B.S. in Biology in May of 2025. I have been a member of the Keene lab since August of 2022 working on the evolution of sleep in fish models. I recently participated on a project where we characterized postprandial sleep in A. mexicanus larvae. I am currently working on a collaborative project with a group from Mexico City, investigating how widespread sleep loss occurs across the A. mexicanus phylogeny. I plan to attend graduate school in hopes of pursuing a career in academia.

Ciara Payne

I am a junior at Texas A&M University, and I will receive my B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology in Fall of 2025. I joined the Keene lab in January of 2024 and am studying a gene expressed in the fat body of Drosophila melanogaster and its role in sleep regulation with Samaneh Biglari. After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career in research.