Principal Investigator
Andre Luiz Pasqua Tavares
Assistant Professor
University of Delaware
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Biological Sciences
email: tavaresa@udel.edu
Office: 322 Wolf Hall
Lab: 262 Wolf Hall
Dr. Tavares has training in dentistry and expertise in the field of developmental biology, with emphasis in cardiovascular and musculoskeletal craniofacial biology and development. During his MS. and Ph.D. studies, he received broad training in anatomy, histology, and cell and molecular biology. For the execution of his Ph.D. dissertation, he received a highly competitive grant award from the Brazilian government to travel abroad and work in the laboratory of Dr. Raymond Runyan at the University of Arizona where he later became a postdoctoral research scholar. Because of his training in dentistry, Dr Tavares started a second post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. David Clouthier at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. During that time, he studied normal and abnormal craniofacial development by working with different transgenic mouse lines, zebrafish, and different cell lines relevant to craniofacial development. Following this time at the University of Colorado, Dr. Tavares became an Assistant Research Professor at the George Washington University (GW) where he received an R03 grant application from NIH to fund his independent research. At GW, Dr Tavares analyzed development of the cranial bones, jaws and ear using transgenic mice and Xenopus in order to study the role of SIX1 and SIX1-associated genes in neural crest cell patterning and differentiation, and in the development of musculoskeletal elements of the face and skull. In vitro cell culture complements the work with animal models.
Dr. Tavares believes that the work with mouse, Xenopus and cell culture provides a rich research environment for trainees at different levels (e.g., undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars). By uncovering the role of SIX1 during craniofacial development, these studies will help patients and their families understand the genetic causes of SIX1-related birth defects (e.g., branchio-oto-renal syndrome, craniosynostosis), and lead to preventive and corrective strategies in the near future.
Research Associate
Fiona Clark
Research Associate
Email: clarkf@udel.edu
Fiona is from Charlotte, North Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2022). She worked as a Senior Research Assistant at The Oregon National Primate Research Center for 2 years before coming back to the east coast. She loves being outdoors and working on different craft projects.
Lab Technician
Eleanor Helm
I am a senior Biological Sciences major with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology & Genetics. For the past two summers, I have worked at the Fox Chase Cancer Center studying Z-RNA and B-catenin. I plan on pursuing a PhD in Cell Biology after graduation.
Graduate Students
Gabriel Dasilva
Gabriel Dasilva is a rising graduate student at the University of Delaware starting this Fall! He has made expression constructs and does work with cell culture. His love and passion for research means he is planning on pursuing a Ph.D. in biology to continue doing research
Kelechi Blessing Chukwuocha
Graduate Student
Email: kelechib@udel.edu
Kelechi is currently pursuing her PhD in Molecular Biology & Genetics. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Michael Okpara University in Nigeria and later obtained her master’s degree in Molecular Biology & Genetics from the University of Delaware, where she also obtained a graduate certificate in Applied Bioinformatics. She also holds certifications in Fundamentals of AI/ML in Precision Medicine, and the Fundamentals of Data Science in Precision Medicine and Cloud Computing from Stanford University’s Deep Data research Center. Kelechi is passionate about science, with a strong interest in discovering novel therapeutics for the treatment of diseases. Her current research focuses on utilizing transgenic mice to understand the effects of mutations in the Six1 gene on neural crest development, which could lead to the development of therapies for treating craniosynostosis. Outside the lab, Kelechi enjoys singing, cooking, and designing her own clothes.
Matthew Smith
Graduate student
email: mesmit@udel.edu
Matt is from York, Pennsylvania, the original home of the York Peppermint Patty! He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Millersville University (2014) and his Master of Science in Biomedical Forensic Sciences and Certificate of Advanced Study in Medicolegal Death Investigation from Syracuse University (2017). He is currently working toward earning his PhD in Biological Sciences with the goal of teaching and conducting research at the undergraduate level. His current research utilizes Xenopus as a model to investigate the causes of craniofacial structural birth defects. In his free time, Matt enjoys spending time with his partner and family, playing video games like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, anything related to the X-Men, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and watching TV shows like Charmed, Star Trek, Stargate, and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Undergraduate Students
Kailey is from Long Island, New York and is a junior undergraduate student on a pre-med track at the University of Delaware. She is a biology major with a minor in women and gender studies. Kailey is the vice president of finance for the international medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon and organizes fundraisers for their philanthropy supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. She is also an organic chemistry TA and volunteers at her local cat shelter, LiI Feline Adoption Center. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, yoga and spending time with her loved ones. She is currently planning her senior thesis in which she will be exploring novel cofactors and their effects on Six1 transcriptional activity.
Alumni
Graduate Students
Asif Ahmed – Master’s degree
Visnu Chowdhury
Undergraduate Students
- Meredith Eaton, Biological Sciences BS/Forensic Science 2026 – present
Research (BISC468, 1 credit, Spring 2026): Project TBD - Brooke Donahue, Medical Laboratory Science BS/Forensic Science 2026 – present
Research (BISC468,1 credit,Spring 2026): Project TBD - Aishani Kashyap, Medical Diagnostics BS/Art 2025 – present
Research (BISC468, 2 credits, Spring 2026): Project TBD - Kailey Jaeger, Biological Sciences BA/Honors/Women and Gender Studies 2025 – present
Research (BISC468,2 credits,Spring 2025): Cloning of Xenopus Six1 in a BiFc vector
Senior Thesis (UNIV401,3 credits,Fall 2025): Investigating the effect of Kdm6b on Six1 transcriptional activity
Best flash talk presentation runner-up award, Fourth Annual Biology Research Day 2026 - Elie Christenbury, Biological Sciences BS 2025
Research (Summer 2025): Generation of a BiFc vector system to study mouse Six1-Eya1 interaction in vitro
Delaware INBRE Summer Scholars Program Scholarships ($5,000.00) 2025 - Abigail Bombas, Biological Sciences BS/Dance 2025
Research (BISC468, 2 credits, Spring 2025): Cloning of Xenopus Eya1 in a BiFc vector - Eleanor Helm,Biological Sciences BS/Honors/Spanish Studies 2024 – 2025
Senior Thesis (UNIV401, 3 credits, Fall 2024; UNIV402, 3 credits, Spring 2025): Characterizing Hey2 as a Six1-interacting protein
Senior Thesis defense: 5/5/2025 - Gabriel Dasilva, Biological Sciences BS 2024 – 2025
Research (BISC468, 2 credits, Fall 2024): The impact of BOR SIX1 mutations on the development of the bones of the face and skull
Delaware INBRE Summer Scholars Program Scholarship ($5,000.00) 2024DE-INBRE Student Research Program Academic Year Fellows Award ($3,500.00) 2024
Biology Department Undergraduate Research Award 2025 - John Ehab Hamour, Biological Sciences BS/Chemistry/Philosophy 2024
Research (BISC468, 4 credits, Spring 2024) - Gabriela Krochta, Biological Sciences BS/Human Development & Family Science 2023 – 2024
Research (BISC468, 3 credits, Fall 2023): Characterization of Six1 osteogenic function in vitro
The Undergraduate Research Program Winter Fellows Award ($500.00) 2024 - Jason Puza, Biological Sciences BA/Neuroscience 2023 – 2024
Research (BISC468, 1 credit, Fall 2023 – Fall 2024): The impact of Six1 variants on craniofacial development
The Undergraduate Research Program Winter Fellows Award ($500.00) 2024 - Venkata Sai Pavithra Cho Kalluri, Biological Sciences BA 2023
Research (BISC468, 1 credit, Fall 2023)