Open University
Open University Affiliated Research Centre Program
From 2006 to 2025, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research served as an Affiliated Research Centre of the Open University.
Affiliated Research Centre of the Open University
From 2006 to 2025, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research served as an Affiliated Research Centre (ARC) of the Open University. During that time, predoctoral researchers conducted their experimental work at the Stowers Institute while being formally registered with the Open University.
Student progress and assessment followed Open University procedures, creating a strong pathway for researchers who had already developed advanced, specialized knowledge and were ready to begin intensive laboratory-based training.
These research degree arrangements complied with the UK Quality Assurance Agency’s requirements for postgraduate research degree programs and collaborative provision. More than 30 students completed graduate degrees through this program, which concluded following the accreditation of the Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Meet our Alumni
The Stowers Institute’s Open University program supported more than 30 doctoral graduates between 2006 and 2025. Below are alumni of the program and their last known professional positions.
For further information about graduates of the Stowers Institute’s Open University program, please contact former Research Degree Coordinator Leanne Wiedemann at LMW@stowers.org, or the Open University Graduate School at graduate-school@open.ac.uk, or +44 (0)1908 653806.
Michelle Devore, Ph.D.
Graduated: February, 2025
Mentor: Ariel Bazzini, Ph.D.
Thesis: Codon optimality: A fundamental mechanism governing gene expression homeostasis in vertebrates
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Kansas Medical Center
CiCi He, Ph.D.
Graduated: May 2, 2024
Mentor: Linheng Li, Ph.D.
Thesis: Characterization of Key Signaling Pathways in Homeostasis and Cancer
Current Position: Senior Research Specialist, Stowers Institute
Alice Bedois, Ph.D.
Graduated: January 20, 2023
Mentor: Robb Krumlauf, Ph.D.
Thesis: LampRA: A Study of the Evolution of the Retinoic Acid Signalling Pathway and Its Coupling to Vertebrate Hindbrain Segmentation Using the Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus
Current Position: Medical Genetics Specialist, Eurofins, Lyon
Shaolei Xiong, Ph.D.
Graduated: December 21, 2021
Mentor: Nicolas Rohner, Ph.D.
Thesis: How cavefish gain high body fat to adapt to food scarcity
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois
Mickael DeCarvalho, Ph.D.
Graduated: September 28, 2021
Mentor: SaraH Zanders, Ph.D.
Thesis: wtf genes are ancient meiotic drivers
Current Position: Orphanet nomenclature & Gene Manager
Tej Kandola, Ph.D.
Graduated: September 10, 2021
Mentor: Randal Halfmann, Ph.D.
Thesis: Unzipping the Polyglutamine Steric Zipper using High Throughput Flow Cytometry
Current Position: Application Scientist, Tecan
Sergio Garcia-Moreno Alcantara, Ph.D.
Graduation Date: July 27, 2021
Mentor: Julia Zeitlinger
Thesis: Analysis of the structural organization of TFIID in vivo using ChIP-nexus
Current Position: Alcantara Clinical NGS Specialist, Nevogene Rurope
Rishabh Raj, Ph.D.
Graduated: February 12, 2021
Mentor: Ron Yu
Thesis: An Adaptive Strategy for Sensory Processing
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Stowers Institute
Wenjing Xu, Ph.D.
Graduated: January 11, 2021
Mentor: Ron Yu
Thesis: Non-coding RNAs function on olfactory sensory neuron development
Current Position: Software Engineer, Google
Devika Salim, Ph.D.
Graduated: March 26, 2020
Mentor: Jennifer Gerton
Thesis: Regulation of stability and copy number of tandem repeats in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Current Position: Remote Site Monitor, Clinical Monitoring Team, PPD, part of Thermofisher Scientific
Theo Tettey, Ph.D.
Graduated: August 17, 2017
Mentor: Joan Conaway
Thesis: Roles of the histone chaperone FACT in Drosophila gene regulation and chromatin architecture
Current Position: Research Fellow, NCI Gordon Hager Lab, Bethesda, MD
Sneha Gopalan, Ph.D.
Graduated: August 17, 2017
Mentor: Joan Conaway
Thesis: Regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II in S. pombe
Current Position: Post Doctoral Associate Fazzio Lab, Molecular Cell & Cancer Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Karthik Dhatchinamoorthy, Ph.D.
Graduated: June 17, 2017
Mentor: Jennifer Gerton
Thesis: Analysis of kinetochore and centromere changes during the cell cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Current Position: Post Doctoral Associate, Rock Lab, Pathology Department University of Massachusetts Medical School
Yunming Wu, Ph.D.
Graduated: April 17, 2017
Mentor: Ron Yu
Thesis: Critical Period for Murine Olfactory Map Formation
Current Position: HHMI Postdoc Associate, Liqun Luo Lab, Department of Biology, Stanford University
Agne Kozlovskaja-Gumbriene, Ph.D.
Graduated: April 17, 2017
Mentor: Tatjana Piotrowski
Thesis: Zebrafish posterior lateral line organogenesis regulation by Notch signaling
Current Position: Embryologist, Center of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaunas Clinics, Lithuania
Aurimas Gumbrys, Ph.D.
Graduated: March 17, 2017
Mentor: Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado
Thesis: Epidermis and re-epithelialization in Schmidtea mediterranea
Current Position: Product Development Project Manager, Thermofisher, Vilnius, Lithuania
Kevin Liang, Ph.D.
Graduated: May 16, 2016
Mentor: Ali Shilatifard
Thesis: MLL/COMPASS in transcription, cell cycle and disease control
Current Position: Director, Research Center for Medicine and Structural Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University
Parama Paul, Ph.D.
Graduated: September 1, 2015
Mentor: Rong Li
Thesis: HDAC5 mediated regulation in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Disease
Current Position: Licensing Manager, Corteva Agriscience
Nina Koenecke, Ph.D.
Graduated: July 1, 2015
Mentor: Julia Zeitlinger
Thesis: Genome-wide identification of markers for active and repressed enhancers in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo
Current Position: Quality Manager Design Quality Assurance, Roche Diagnostics GmbH
Liang Liang, Ph.D.
Graduated: April 1, 2014
Mentor: Matt Gibson
Thesis: Functional genomic analysis of the periodic transcriptome in the developing Drosophila wing
Current Position: Life Science Research Scientist, Stanford University
Dominic Heinecke, M.Phil.
Graduated: March 1, 2014
Mentor: Rong Li
Thesis: Identification of Genes that Affect Chromosomal Instability (CIN) in a Dosage-Sensitive Manner in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Current Position: Quality Expert Batch Record Review, Roche, Penzberg, Bavaria, Germany
Jin Zhu, Ph.D.
Graduated: January 1, 2014
Mentor: Rong Li
Thesis: The Consequences of Aneuploidy in Budding Yeast
Current Position: Senior Research Fellow, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Bony De Kumar, Ph.D.
Graduated: November 1, 2013
Mentor: Robb Krumlauf
Thesis: Induction of ‘Hox’ genes and genome wide identification of Hox binding sites in mice
Current Position: Director of Operations, Genome Analysis Center, Yale University
Marina Yurieva, Ph.D.
Graduated: September 1, 2013
Mentor: Robb Krumlauf
Thesis: Analysis of the Hox transcriptional programs in vertebrate segmentation
Current Position: Assistant Computational Scientist, Jackson Laboratory, Farmington, CT
Kai Chen, Ph.D.
Graduated: May 1, 2013
Mentor: Julia Zeitlinger
Thesis: Establishment of Zygotic Transcription and Chromatin Organization in the Early Drosophila Embryo
Current Position: Professor, Kunming University of Science and Technology
Chengqi Lin, Ph.D.
Graduated: January 29, 2013
Mentor: Ali Shilatiford
Thesis: The Super Elongation Complex (SEC) in Development and Disease
Current Position: Professor, Southeastern University, China
Rio Sugimura, Ph.D.
Graduated: October 1, 2012
Mentor: Linheng Li
Thesis: Non-canonical Wnt Signaling Maintains Hematopoietic Stem Cell through Flamingo and Frizzled8 Interaction in the Niche
Current Position: Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Hong Kong
Arupratan Das, Ph.D.
Graduated: February 1, 2012
Mentor: Rong Li
Thesis: GDI-mediated Cdc42 recycling at polar cortex in dynamic maintenance of cell polarity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Current Position: Principal Investigator - Assistant Professor (Tenure-track), Indiana University School of Medicine
Praveen Suraneni, Ph.D.
Graduated: January 18, 2012
Mentor: Rong Li
Thesis: Arp2/3 complex in mammalian cell motility
Current Position: Research Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Northwestern University
Chia-Hui Lin, Ph.D.
Graduated: July 1, 2011
Mentor: Jerry Workman
Thesis: Identification and Characterization of Histone H3K36 Demethylases in Drosophila melanogaster
Current Position: Scientist, Guardant Health
Manju Shivaraju, Ph.D.
Graduated: July 1, 2011
Mentor: Jennifer Gerton
Thesis: Regulators of Centromeric Nucleosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Current Position: Principal Scientist, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Massachusetts
Kiki Kanakousaki, Ph.D.
Graduated: March 1, 2011
Mentor: Matt Gibson
Thesis: The role of E1 SUMO activating enzyme in the development of Drosophila
Current Position: Medical Representative on behalf of Boehringer-Ingelheim via PromoPharma
Charles Banks, Ph.D.
Graduated: July 1, 2010
Mentor: Joan Conaway
Thesis: Regulation of RNA polymerase II transcription in Schizosaccharomyces pombe by SpELL and associated factor SpEAF
Current Position: Scientist II-Mass Spectrometry, Systems Mass Spectrometry, Stowers Institute
Stefan Tümpel, Ph.D.
Graduated: August 1, 2005
Mentor: Robb Krumlauf
Thesis: Transcriptional regulation of Hox genes during hindbrain development
Current Position: Staff Scientist, The Leibniz Institute on Aging, Germany
Contact
For all inquiries regarding our Affiliated Research Center Open University programme, please contact:
Leanne Wiedemann, Ph.D.
Research Degree Coordinator
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
An Affiliated Research Centre of the Open University
1000 50th St Kansas City, MO 64110 USA
LMW at stowers.org
+1.816.926.4052
or send a letter to:
Leanne Wiedemann, Ph.D.
Research Degree Coordinator
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
An Affiliated Research Centre of the Open University
1000 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110 USA
