Members

Principal Investigator

Nadja Zeltner, PhD

Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Department of Cellular Biology
Center for Molecular Medicine
325 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602
Phone: 706 542 2650
nadja.zeltner@uga.edu

Bio: Dr. Zeltner was born and raised in Switzerland and received a masters degree in Zoology from the University of Zürich. She completed her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, working on the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) for gene therapy. She then was a post-doctoral fellow and later a Research Associate in Dr. Lorenz Studer’s lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she established disease models for Familial Dysautonomia using hPSCs. Dr. Zeltner joined UGA as a junior faculty in early 2018 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2024. In addition to her academic work, she is the founder of Neela Cell, a biotechnology startup translating stem cell research into novel therapeutics.

Administrative Manager

A man with a beard and mustache, wearing a white button-up shirt, looks to the side against a plain background in a black and white photo.

Jordan A. Rothacker, MA, PhD

jordanr@uga.edu

Bio: Jordan A. Rothacker is Dr. Zeltner’s administrative assistant. As an undergraduate at Manhattanville College, he majored in Philosophy. Over the last 20 years at UGA, Rothacker has received an MA in Religion, a PhD in Comparative Literature, and has taught in those departments along with English. When not assisting Dr. Zeltner he is writing journalism or working on his current novel.

Lab Manager

Ryan Feauto, MS

Ryan.Feauto@uga.edu

Bio: Ryan was born and raised in Carroll, Iowa. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, majoring in Animal Science. He received his master’s degree in Biomedical Science from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Outside of lab Ryan enjoys playing golf competitively, fishing, and spending time at the gym.

Post Doctoral Research Associate

Bhavik Dalal, PhD

bhavik.dalal@uga.edu

Bio: Bhavik earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Mumbai University, conducting research at the ICMR-National Institute of Immunohaematology. Before joining UGA, he completed a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, NIH. His expertise includes metabolomics, cancer biology, and system-level biomarker discovery. Outside the lab, he enjoys nature, the beach, and playing the piano.

Project: Bhavik’s research focuses on developing 2D and 3D adrenal gland models from human pluripotent stem cells. He investigates the distinct roles of medullary progenitors, their interactions with adrenal cortex cells, and the metabolic pathways involved in diseases like congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) to advance regenerative therapies.

Isis Thomas, PhD

int22795@uga.edu

Bio: Isis earned her Ph.D. in Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Her doctoral research focused on the mechanisms of cyst initiation and expansion in polycystic kidney disease (PKD), with an emphasis on tubule flow remodeling and p21-driven epithelial reprogramming. Her work combined in vivo mouse models, intravital imaging, flow cytometry, and molecular characterization to investigate how epithelial cell state changes contribute to cyst progression. Outside the lab, Isis enjoys fitness, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Project:

Graduate Students

Jessica McAlpine

Jessica.McAlpine@uga.edu

Bio: Jessica grew up in Daphne, AL. She got her B.S. in Biological Chemistry at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA in 2014 and spent 3.5 years working as a research technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she met Dr. Zeltner. She is currently planning to apply for graduate school. For fun she loves nature, hiking, and music.

Project: Jessica is working on optimizing protocols for the generation of intermediate mesoderm and sympathoadrenal progenitors, which she will use to generate and study adrenal gland organoids.

Jennifer Art

Jennifer.Art@uga.edu

Bio:Jennifer was born and raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She received a B.S. in Biochemistry from New Mexico State University in 2021. Her passion for neuroscience and biomedicine led her to join the Zeltner lab. Outside of the lab, Jennifer enjoys dancing, playing board games, and spending time with her husband and two sons.

Project: Jennifer will work on understanding how stress affects the cells of the peripheral nervous system, specifically focusing on effects of PTSD in sympathetic neurons.

Tripti Saini

Tripti.saini@uga.edu

Bio: Tripti was born and raised in Punjab, India. She received her bachelor’s degree from Punjab Agricultural University, India, majoring in Genetics and Biotechnology. In Spring 2020 she joined Sahoo lab at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas to pursue a master’s degree. At his lab, she studied autophagy mediated bacterial clearance in mammalian cells and explored stress signaling in bacteria and plants as side projects. For fun she loves to read, hike, and dance. When she is not in lab you can find her in gym, dog shelters, or watching Shark Tank.

Project: Tripti’s project is focused on understanding peripheral neuropathy and a small molecule- ‘Genipin’ mediated peripheral nerve regeneration. She is particularly interested in exploring underlying molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in neural regeneration.

Christina James

christina.jms@uga.edu

Bio: Christina was born and raised in Georgia. She is currently a graduate student in the lab. Her primary interests include genetics, cognitive neuroscience, and cell biology. Outside of the lab, she loves to hike, cook, and learn new languages.

Project: Christina works on investigating chromaffin cells and engineering adrenal organoids

Meagan Shinn

Meagan.Shinn@uga.edu

Bio: Meagan was born and raised in Laredo, Tx. She earned her B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience and a minor in dance from the University of Texas, San Antonio in 2021. Her hobbies include baking, dancing, going to coffee shops, and beinga dog mom!

Project: Meagan’s project is focused on understanding peripheral neuropathy and using a small molecule ‘Genipin’ to prevent sensory nerve degeneration.

Archie Patel

archie@uga.edu | LinkedIn

Bio: A Georgia native, Archie earned her B.S. in Biology and Psychology from the University of Georgia in 2023. She then pursued a dual Master’s in Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she gained valuable hands-on experience in industry settings. She is committed in bridging the gap between groundbreaking scientific research and real-world applications. Outside of the lab, Archie is always exploring new flavors, destinations, or books to dive into!

Project: Archie’s project is focused on creating novel pluripotent stem cell models to study diabetic autonomic neuropathy and assessing novel drug compounds (genipin).

Undergraduate Students

Nicholas Harper

nicholas.harper@uga.edu

Bio: Nick is a third-year Regenerative Bioscience student from Kennesaw, GA. He is a founding member of the UGA Vertically-Integrated-Projects & Research Society where he still serves as an Event Coordinator. In his free time, he loves spending time with friends, traveling, and trying new local food spots in Athens. In the future, he hopes to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience and have a career in research designing useful therapies for neurodegenerative disease.

Corbin McKay

corbin.mckay@uga.edu

Bio: Corbin is a first-year undergraduate from Cartersville, Georgia, studying biochemistry and molecular biology on the pre-med track. He one day plans on pursuing a career in surgery. At UGA, he is involved with Mathcounts, tutoring high schoolers at local schools in the area, as well as the Wesley Foundation and Athens First UMC. Outside of these commitments, he enjoys running and trying new restaurants.

Mason Alleyne

mason.alleyne@uga.edu

Bio: Born in Harlem, New York and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Mason is a second-year Honors undergraduate student pursuing majors in Regenerative Bioscience and Applied Biotechnology. He aspires to become a scientist specializing in stem cell therapies. He serves as the Internal Affairs Chair of the Regenerative Bioscience Undergraduate Society (RBUS) and is a member of the Black Male Leadership Society (BMLS) on campus. In Athens, you can catch him interning at a local photography studio, working at the McBay Science Library, or studying at the Poultry Science building. Outside of school and work, Mason enjoys spending time with friends, working out, playing basketball, and browsing Ebay for steals.

Ella Goodwin

ella.goodwin@uga.edu

Bio: Ella is a third-year undergraduate student from Marietta, GA. She is majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with the hope of pursuing a career in the medical field. On campus, she is a proud member of Aurora at UGA, the Alpha Lambda Delta and Alpha Epsilon Delta honors societies, as well as Puppies and Pilates, and Alpha Xi Delta, of which she is a founding member. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes, volunteering at the Athens Area Humane Society, dancing and singing, and spending quality time with friends and family.