Graduate Student Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy
BS, Carthage College, 2010
Faculty Advisor: Joseph C. Besharse, PhD
Mailing Address: Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy 8701 Watertown Plank Road Milwaukee, WI 53226-3548 USA
Phone: (414) 955-8188 FAX: (414) 955-6517 Email: tlewis@mcw.edu
Research Area: Role of homodimeric kinesin Kif17 in the outer segments of photoreceptors
I graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha, WI with majors in Biology and Chemistry in May '10. After working for a year as a research technologist for the Pediatric BioBank at MCW, I enrolled in the IDP program in August '11 and subsequently joined Dr. Joseph Besharse's lab.
The Besharse lab is currently focused on the trafficking of phototransduction components in photoreceptors via intraflagellar transport (IFT). I am particularly interested in the homodimeric kinesin Kif17 and its role in the development of the outer segments of photoreceptors. Using both zebrafish and mouse models, I hope to further understand the role this molecular motor plays in photoreceptor degenerative diseases.