Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Adrianna is thrilled to be continuing her life-long pursuit of curiosity by opening her lab at Duke in 2024! She is fascinated by questions at the intersection of human genetics, epigenetics, and stem cell and tissue biology. She is passionate about scientific communication, outreach to the local community, and creating spaces in science where everyone feels like they belong. In her spare time she dabbles in flower farming.

email | CV

Research Technician, Joined 2024

Molly is excited to return to her alma mater as the first member of the San Roman Lab! She looks forward to contributing to research that will help improve health outcomes across the spectrum of sex. She is also interested in how genetic sex differences, compared to gendered health behaviors, play a role in human health outcomes. In her free time, Molly performs on national tour with her comedy troupe and paddles on her affordable, yet surprisingly durable, second inflatable kayak... Feel free to contact her below to find out what happened to the first one.

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Postdoctoral Fellow, Joined 2025

Maike got her bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Marburg in Germany before moving to Sweden to study for her Masters degree at the University of Linköping. She ended up staying in Linköping to pursue a PhD degree studying DNA methylation in healthy and malignant T-cells in the group of Colm Nestor. Maike is fascinated by the complex mechanisms that make us humans who we are and is happy to continue her quest for knowledge by exploring the details of our sex chromosomes. She is especially excited about applying her experience in epigenetics to study inactivation of the X-chromosome in complex systems and how this process affects sex differences. Since 2026, she is funded by a Swedish Research Council International Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Postdoctoral Associate, Joined 2025

Schuyler is a postdoctoral associate originally from Long Island, NY. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Williams College in 2017 and then pivoted to biomedical research by joining the Chavez Lab at Columbia University as a lab technician. There, he worked to develop new CRISPR tools for precision genome editing and workflows for hard-to-screen phenotypes. In 2020, he came to Duke to pursue a PhD in genetics and genomics in Dr. Tim Reddy's lab, where he mainly worked on applying Cas12a technology to epigenome editing screens. Schuyler is excited to join the San Roman lab and continue to develop CRISPR tools and methods to interrogate the genetic underpinnings of sex-biased diseases as well as those caused by sex chromosome aneuploidies. Outside the lab, you can find him hiking, playing the tuba, and hanging out with his two cats.

Graduate Student, UPGG Program, Joined 2025

Alia was born and raised in the Bay Area, CA, and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. There she studied genotype-dependent developmental delay of Drosophila resulting from rapamycin exposure in the Promislow lab. To explore more of human systems and genetics, she moved back to the Bay to work in the Corces Lab at the Gladstone Institutes, researching non-coding variation within neurodegenerative disease. She is now pursuing her PhD in Genetics and Genomics and is thrilled to be in the San Roman lab, exploring her interest in evolution as it overlaps with sex chromosome divergence and molecular function. Outside the lab, you can find her playing volleyball, hiking, making crafts or art, reading, or cooking. In 2025, she received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to support her graduate training.

Graduate Student, MGM Program, Joined 2025

Hannah Kubinski is originally from Norton, MA. She earned her BS in Molecular Genetics with a minor in Microbiology from the University of Vermont in 2023. She then worked as a Lab Technician in the Bruce Lab at the University of Vermont working on SARS-CoV-2 and influenza this past year before pursuing her PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University. Hannah is super excited to work on exploring molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences. In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time outdoors, running or hiking, as well as baking and reading.

Graduate Student, MSTP & UPGG Program, Joined 2026

Alexis is an MD/PhD student originally from Long Beach, Mississippi. She received her BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Tulane University in 2023. During her time at Tulane, Alexis was a member of the Belancio lab, where she studied the relationship between LINE-1 transposon expression and exposure to light at night. Outside of lab, Alexis enjoys traveling, learning new languages, and indoor cycling.

Undergraduate Research Assistant, Joined 2024

Vivian is a Duke undergraduate majoring in Chemistry and Chinese. She is very excited to learn about the molecular relationship between biological sex and health outcomes. In her free time, Vivian enjoys reading, playing piano, and going on walks in rainy weather.

Undergraduate X-plainers Curator, Joined 2025

Devyn Deschamps is a sophomore at Duke’s Trinity School studying Neuroscience, Journalism, and Spanish. She is a proud 7th generation Montanan, but has lived in New York and plans to go abroad to Spain, next year. She is extremely excited to be part of the San Roman lab, with the intent to make science not only understandable, but accessible to everyone.

Undergraduate X-plainers Curator, Joined 2025

Jimin is currently a freshman at Duke University from Portland, Oregon. As a prospective neuroscience major and pre-medical student, she aspires to grow her experience in the lab and in research. She is especially passionate about the intersection of science and the visual arts, and is excited to explore the fields of science communication and medicine through a creative lens with the San Roman Lab. Outside of school, she loves anything involving creativity, including crocheting/knitting, fashion, and using her artwork as a form of activism!