Grotjahn Lab Members

Danielle attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her undergraduate degree and completed her honors thesis in the lab of Francisco Pelegri. This experience sparked Danielle’s fascination with the microscopic world as she developed a system to visualize microtubule dynamics in developing zebrafish embryos.

Danielle moved to sunny San Diego, California in 2013 to start her graduate work in The Scripps Research Graduate Program in the lab of Gabe Lander. She used cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging approaches to solve the first three-dimensional structure of the large, flexible, multi-subunit cytoplasmic dynein complex bound to microtubules.

In 2018, Danielle received the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, completed her PhD, and accepted an independent research position in the Scripps Fellows program. She completed a short visiting postdoctoral position at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the lab of Grant Jensen to train on cutting-edge instrumentation in the exciting and emerging field of cellular cryo-electron tomography before applying these advanced methodologies to her own independent research.

Danielle returned to Scripps Research in 2019 to start her lab as a faculty member in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and received a promotion to Assistant Professor in 2021. Danielle was awarded consecutive Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator Awards from the Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation in 2021 and 2023, and the Baxter Young Investigator Award in 2022. Danielle was named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences in 2023.

In addition to exciting pursuits in the lab, Danielle is co-director of the Scripps Graduate Cell Biology course, a low-key yogi, a lifelong Deadhead, and a Michael Scott aficionado.

Hamid got his BSc in Physics from University of Tehran in Iran. He went to FSU for his PhD where he worked on Ultrafast Electron Diffraction before moving to cryoEM field in Kenneth Taylor’s Lab.

His PhD was focused on the myosin coiled coil structure from the giant water bug (Lethocerus indicus) using single particle reconstruction and he is very pround of his de novo, 1600A long atomic model 7KOG.

He joined the Grotjahn lab as a postdoc to learn cryo-electron tomography and in situ studies of mitochondrial membrane. He is interested in understanding the molecular interactions that mediate membrane constriction as well as the topology of mitochondrial membrane-embedded proteins.

Outside of research, Hamid enjoys running, reading, and Iranian music.

Nitish received his undergraduate degree with a major in Biotechnology from GGSIPU, New Delhi. He earned his PhD in the lab of Anjana Badrinarayanan at the National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR, Bengaluru. During his PhD, he worked on understanding how yeast cells respond to assaults on mitochondrial genomes. He developed a tool to induce mitochondria-specific DNA damage and delineated the mechanisms involved in ensuring mitochondrial genome integrity.

Nitish is interested in understanding how mitochondrial membranes remodel, especially under mitochondrial DNA stress. In the Grotjahn Lab, he aims to learn and utilize Cryo-ET to answer these questions pertaining to mitochondrial membrane architecture regulation.

Outside of lab, Nitish can be found looking for insects or trying to run a mile.

Michaela received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego. She conducted her undergraduate and post-baccalaureate research at the Salk Institute in the lab of Dmitry Lyumkis. In the lab, she utilized biochemical and single particle cryogenic electron microscopy techniques to better understand the process of gamma retroviral integration.

Michaela joined the Grotjahn Lab at the Scripps Research Institute for her PhD, where she is interested in using the cellular cryogenic electron tomography to investigate the morphological changes in mitochondria in response to cellular stress.

Outside of lab, Michaela is a classically trained double bassist, an avid reader, a weekend hiker, and a foodie.

Dan earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from California State University, Los Angeles. He completed his honors thesis in the Zurita-Lopez lab, studying histone tail post-translational modifications using biochemical techniques. He then went on to work as a research assistant in the Rodriguez lab at University of California, Los Angeles. There, he utilized structural and biochemical techniques to study broadly neutralizing antibodies against New World Hemorrhagic Fever Arena Viruses.

Dan is now a joint PhD student in the Grotjahn and Wiseman Labs at Scripps Research Institute, where he uses cryo-electron tomography and biochemical approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial morphology in response to cellular stress.

Outside of research, Dan enjoys skating, photography, grubbing with the homies, and hanging out with his cat and doggo.

Atty received her undergraduate degree in Biological Science and Technology from National Chiao Tung University and her master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from National Taiwan University in Taiwan. She then worked as research assistant in Meng-Chiao Ho’s lab at Academia Sinica, Taiwan and utilized structural techniques to investigate the interaction between the transcriptional factor Sub1A1 and DNA in rice.

Atty explored the research abroad and continued her journey in protein structural research in Damian Ekiert/Gira Bhabha’s lab at NYU school of Medicine as a research technician. She studied the de novo designed helical proteins and the regulators of intracellular pathogen response (IPR) pathway in C. elegans by x-ray crystallography. Atty is now a PhD student in Grotjahn lab at Scripps Research Institute and study the protein import machinery on yeast mitochondria by cryo-electron tomography.

Outside of research, Atty loves to explore new restaurant, travel, and play volleyball.

Michaela received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science from the University of Arizona. As an undergraduate researcher, she used fluorescence microscopy to study aberrant cortical development in a rodent model of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Michaela then transitioned to the field of structural biology while working in the lab of Raktim Roy where she utilized mass spectrometry and x-ray crystallography to probe the structure and conformational dynamics of non-ribosomal peptide synthetases.

Michaela is now a PhD student in the Grotjahn lab at Scripps Research where she is interested in leveraging superresolution microscopy techniques to unravel the complexities of mitochondrial fission machinery under conditions of cellular stress.

While outside of the lab, Michaela enjoys slacklining, tending to her plants, and learning about disability theory and justice.

Philipp received his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry with distinction from the Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany. During his bachelor thesis, he used isothermal titration calorimetry to study avidity effects of a DARPin dimer against the p63/p73 herterotetramer.

He then went on to the Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) in Munich to join their master program in biochemistry. There, he focused on structural biology and biophysics during internships in the labs of Johannes Stigler and Karl-Peter Hopfner.

Philipp now has joined the Grotjahn lab at the Scripps Research Institute for his master thesis, where he is excited to learn more about cryo-electron tomography and the mitochondrial fission machinery.

Outside of research, Philipp is an enthusiastic soccer player and enjoys hiking and skiing.

Joan received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry, with the highest departmental honors, from the University of California, San Diego. During her undergraduate research, she studied the binding affinity between NFκB and transcription coactivators, such as ribosomal protein S3, and their binding affinity with various DNA using biochemical techniques.

Joan is now a joint research assistant in the Grotjahn and Williamson Labs at Scripps Research Institute, where she uses cryo-electron tomography to study ribosomal intermediates in E.coli.

Outside of research, Joan enjoys playing the piano, learning new choreographies, going to escape rooms with friends, and putting puzzles together.

Tumara earned her undergraduate degree in Microbiology, with academic distinction, from University of California, San Diego.

Tumara is a joint research technician for the Grotjahn and Park Labs at Scripps Research Institute, where she uses cryo electron tomography and correlative light microscopy to assist in the study of mitochondrial fission machinery, proteins responsible for M. smegmatis cell wall synthesis, and other cellular/protein analysis.

Outside of research, Tumara enjoys listening to audio books, drawing, and researching/expanding her collection of rocks.