Helen Horkan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Gibson Lab working on the evolution of cell type specification using the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. Horkan completed her Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Uri Frank at the Centre for Chromosome Biology at the University of Galway in Ireland. Her Ph.D. thesis entitled, "Cell-type specific genome stability in the non-ageing animal Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus," used a combination of wet lab and genomic approaches to characterize radiation resistance in a Cnidarian. Horkan is passionate about multi-disciplinary research and the development of non-traditional research organisms as tools to understand complex evolutionary questions.