Ellen completed a BA in Biology at Amherst College and an MPhil in Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She then spent a year studying Mandarin in Lanzhou, China before pursuing a PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Chicago with Molly Przeworski. She worked with Chris Spencer and Dominic Kwiatkowski at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford as a postdoctoral fellow. In February 2020, she began her position at the University of Utah, where she holds a Mario Capecchi endowed chair. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family and experiencing varied Utah landscapes.
Helena studied Biomedical Science and Geography at Texas A&M University as an undergraduate before joining the Department of Human Genetics as a graduate student in 2020. Her research interests include evolutionary processes, host-pathogen interactions, and comparative genomics. In her free time, she likes to enjoy all of the outdoor activities Utah has to offer, play board games, and explore SLC.
Paige received her BS in Cell and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Oklahoma City University. During her time at OCU, she did two and a half years of research in the Mullen lab studying synaptic transmission in C. elegans. In August of 2019, she moved to Utah to pursue a Ph.D. in Genetics. When she is not working in the lab or studying, she likes to spend her time rock climbing, skiing, or hiking.
Radek completed his BSc at the University of Salzburg in Austria and his MSc at the LMU in Munich, Germany. For his graduate studies, he moved to Singapore where he worked with Peter Preiser at the Nanyang Technological University. He joined the Leffler and Sigala groups at the end of 2022 as a postdoc. He enjoys visiting new places and exploring the unknown in his free time.