Katelyn DeNegre, Ph.D. candidate

Visiting Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Physiology

Degrees:

Ph.D. Molecular and Cell Biology with a concentration in Genetics and Genomics, University of Connecticut (anticipated 2026)
B.S. Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut

Biography:

Originally from Connecticut, Katelyn received her B.S. and is soon to receive her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut (UConn). Her undergraduate area of study was Physiology and Neurobiology with a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology.

Between undergraduate and graduate school, she was a research assistant for three years at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) in Bar Harbor, Maine where she worked on the Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP). At JAX she worked on two pieces of a large, international project aimed at understanding the function of each gene in the mouse genome. She worked on the LacZ and embryo lethal pipelines in the lab of Dr. Steve Murray.

Katelyn's Ph.D. work was conducted in the lab of Dr. Michael O'Neill and focused on a group of imprinted genes on the mouse X chromosome. These genes are part of the Xlr super-family of genes, and she has largely focused on the functional copies of Xlr3. She assessed their role in male meiosis and reproduction. She used elaborate breeding schemes to study a transgenerational epigenetic effect that links defects in meiosis with neurodevelopment in subsequent generations. This work gave her expertise in many techniques of molecular bioasslogy and genetics, mouse breeding, and behavior testing. She presented her work at two international conferences: The International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) and the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR).

She began teaching at the undergraduate level during her Ph.D. and taught Genetics and Introduction to Biology. Her first full-time teaching appointment was at Anna Maria College where she taught Anatomy and Physiology, Introduction to Biology, and Biotechnology.

When not in the classroom or lab, she loves to read, especially historical fiction and books about science history, as well as travel and listen to true-crime podcasts.