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Dr. Thatcher is an accomplished medicinal chemist and pharmacologist whose career is defined by pioneering work in drug discovery and translational research. His leadership in founding drug discovery centers and mentoring programs has significantly advanced therapeutic development, particularly in oncology and neurodegenerative diseases.

Carrie McDonough, PhD, associate professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, studies how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)—persistent environmental contaminants known as “forever chemicals”— accumulate and transform in the body. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry, McDonough’s group investigates how molecular structure and chemical properties determine the impact of contaminants on aquatic food webs and human health.

Dr. Carlotta Ronda is a Principal Investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley, who pioneered targeted in situ microbiome editing tools to engineer microbes within their native ecosystems. Her lab integrates systems biology, synthetic biology,
multi-omics, and computational modeling to decode and reprogram host–microbiome interactions. Combining high-throughput organoid assays, precision microbiome editing, and computational approaches, her team maps microbial signaling networks and develops strategies to modulate them. Beyond microbiome engineering, her group advances CRISPR technologies and organoid–microbiome co-cultures to study host–microbe communication and enable functional modulation in microbial and eukaryotic systems.

Dr. Fuglevand has a long-standing interest in understanding how the nervous system orchestrates the activities of multiple muscles in the elaboration of movement. He uses various neurophysiological approaches (recording, stimulation, inactivation) in his work and also uses computer simulation. A natural outgrowth of his research has been toward more applied investigations into methods to restore movement and sensation in paralyzed individuals.

As a new Assistant Professor at UNC, she is combining her multidisciplinary training to uncover reciprocal interactions between the intestinal microbiota and pharmaceutical compounds, and their implications on host gastrointestinal health.

The University of Arizona's Physiological Sciences GIDP presents Mary Catherine Roa and Giuliana Fusco as part of the Physiological Sciences Student Forum.