Postdoctoral Training Program
The Section of Developmental Biology operates an integrated Postdoctoral Training Program in Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine. This program provides a mechanism for postdoctoral trainees to mature into successful independent researchers in Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Trainees are provided salary support in accordance with the NIH pay scale and the University of Colorado offers a full benefits package. The program also provides each trainee with a mentoring committee, funds to attend conferences/courses and networking opportunities in the form of interactions with visiting scientists, national/international collaborations, journal clubs, research interest groups and annual retreats. Interested trainees will also be given opportunities to teach and mentor students as well as to improve writing skills.
Interested candidates should contact a the host lab they are interested in joining. Please submit: 1) a statement explaining interest in the host lab (two-page maximum), 2) a CV and 3) arrange to have three reference letters sent. Each year, a small number of applicants will be appointed as Gates Fellows and have their stipends paid with support from the Gates Frontiers Fund.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Charles Sagerström, Co-Director of the Postdoctoral Training Program, [email protected]
Dr. Alexa Burger, Co-Director of the Postdoctoral Training Program, [email protected]
To communicate directly with the postdoctoral fellows currently in the Postdoctoral Training Program, please email [email protected].
Current Post-Doctoral Fellows:
Jinxing Ma, PhD
My research focuses on understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control pancreatic β-cell differentiation, maturation, and functional network formation. During development, β cells not only acquire their molecular identity but also establish coordinated functional networks that enable synchronized insulin secretion within pancreatic islets. My work explores how transcriptional regulation and enhancer sequence logic guide β-cell fate decisions and maturation. In parallel, I study how β cells develop functional connectivity during differentiation, including the establishment of gap junction–mediated coupling and coordinated electrophysiological activity. Using stem cell–based differentiation systems together with genome editing and functional assays, my goal is to better understand how molecular regulatory programs and cellular network formation interact to generate fully functional β cells, ultimately contributing to improved strategies for diabetes research and cell-based therapies. .
Kim Arena, PhD
My name is Kim Arena and I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Appel Lab. I grew up surrounded by science in Cold Spring Harbor, New York and completed my BS in Biology and Minor in Psychology at Duke University in 2016. As an undergraduate, I worked in Dr. Michel Bagnat’s lab studying notochord development in zebrafish. My love for developmental biology and zebrafish led me to pursue my PhD in Dr. Sarah Kucenas’ lab at the University of Virginia. I completed my doctoral work in 2022, which focused on identifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that modulate perineurial glial bridging after spinal motor nerve injury in zebrafish. I am excited to continue my developmental biology training here at CU in the Appel Lab, switching my focus back to the central nervous system and investigating the specification of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Outside of lab, I enjoy running through the mountains, climbing, spending time with friends, and watching Duke Basketball beat UNC.”
Raisa Bailon Zambrano, PhD
Hi! My name is Raisa Bailon Zambrano, and I’m a postdoctoral fellow in the Appel lab. I grew up in the coast of Ecuador and moved to the United States for my BS in Molecular Biology at Stetson University in 2014. After college, I moved to Colorado for my PhD in Molecular Biology at University of Colorado, Anschutz. During my PhD in the Nichols lab, I studied the development and ontogeny of the vertebrate median fins using zebrafish as a model. My experience as a graduate student in the Nichols lab, as well as the opportunity to poke embryos at the Marine Biological Laboratory, led to my passion in developmental biology. I started my postdoc in the Appel lab in September 2025. Currently, I am exploring the role of microglia during development myelination of the central nervous system. My favorite experiments always include timelapses and live imaging. I am enjoying capturing microglia zig zag around the white matter tracts of the spinal cord! Outside of science, you can find me baking some bread, reading poetry, watching movies, longing for the ocean, and biking in every new city I visit.
Raéden Gray, PhD
Hello! My name is Raéden, and I was born & raised in the beautiful islands of The Bahamas. In 2020, I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. There, I studied spinal cord & traumatic brain injury, as well as neuronal regeneration using stem cells in zebrafish. I then earned my Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics at the University of Louisville in 2025. My thesis explored the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on craniofacial development in Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) mutant zebrafish embryos. In Fall of 2025, I began my postdoctoral training in the Mosimann lab, where I look forward to studying the effects of ethanol on heart development and potential genes that, when perturbed, may lead to individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders to be more susceptible to congenital heart defects. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy reading, completing puzzles, drawing, working out, watching documentaries, spending time with my loved ones and traveling when I can. I’m also excited to pick up more outdoorsy hobbies here in sunny Colorado!
Anne Meyer, PhD
Hey there! My name is Anne Meyer and I am a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Peter Dempsey’s lab. I grew up in Castle Rock, Colorado before obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2015. After leaving Colorado, I found a home in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences at Vanderbilt University where I completed my doctoral training in Cell and Developmental Biology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jim Goldenring, my doctoral research focused on the coordinated response to injury in the stomach and the development of precancerous lesions. I returned to Colorado and joined the Dempsey lab in the Department of Pediatrics at CU Anschutz in September of 2020. Now, my research is centered on intestinal development, homeostasis, regeneration, and disease utilizing both mouse and organoid model systems. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing volleyball, hiking, baking, board games and puzzles, painting, and spending time with friends, family, and my dog Jackson.
Katie Ranard, PhD
Hi there! My name is Katie Ranard, and I’m a postdoctoral fellow in the Appel lab. I grew up in Newton, Iowa and completed my BS in Nutritional Sciences at Iowa State University in 2015. I then moved one state away for my PhD in Nutritional Sciences at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. During my PhD, I studied the effects of natural vs. synthetic vitamin E in the murine central nervous system. After graduating in December 2020, I became a postdoc at University of Illinois, where I defined a simple and reliable intestinal health assessment tool for young pigs and chickens. Getting my feet wet with neuroscience research during my PhD sparked my current research interests and my transition to the Appel lab at CU Anschutz. Broadly, I’m interested in studying the mechanisms of nutrients in the developing brain & spinal cord using the zebrafish model system. Outside of the lab, I enjoy weightlifting and hiking, solving puzzles, and watching classic/foreign films.
Swapnil Hingole. PhD
Hello!! I am a postdoctoral fellow in Mosimann lab where I have been working since May 2025. I am originally from India and currently conducting my research in United States on a J-1 visa. I hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in biotechnology, during which I first developed a strong interest in Developmental Biology and Genetics. Before joining Mosimann lab, I completed my PhD at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, India. My doctoral research focused on elucidating the role of Wnt gradient and Wnt-dependent and Wnt-independent activities of Frizzled receptor during Drosophila wing development. This work strengthens my foundation in developmental signaling and pattern formation. Currently I am using zebrafish to investigate the developmental origins as well as the factors that guide the early embryonic pattering events of cells and tissues that give rise to the heart and blood vessels. Additionally, I am exploring the potential roles of Wnt signaling in cardiac development, with the goal of clarifying when and how this pathway contributes to heart formation. Outside lab I enjoy hiking, biking, playing and watching cricket, painting and cooking, which helps me maintain balance and creativity in my work and personal life. !
Jenn Jaime, PhD
Hey there! My name is Jenn Jaime, and I am a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jen McKey’s lab. I grew up in Denver, Colorado, and received my bachelor’s degree in psychology and neuroscience from the University of Colorado, Denver, in 2019. That same year, I joined the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Michigan and became a member of Dr. Sue Moenter’s lab. During my PhD, I studied the intrinsic properties of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons across development and how these properties are altered in a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
In 2024, I began my postdoctoral training at CU Anschutz in the McKey lab, where we study the perinatal determinants of female fertility, focusing on the architectural establishment and functional differentiation of the mammalian ovary.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy watching sports, running, hiking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Marycruz Flores-Flores, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Christian Mosimann’s lab. Originally from Puebla, Mexico, I began my academic journey at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, where I studied the role of purinergic receptors and their dual functions in breast and prostate cancer cell lines. Later, I moved to Mexico City to pursue my master’s and doctoral studies in the Department of Physiology, Biophysics, and Neurosciences at CINVESTAV. My master’s thesis described how oriented cell division is established during organ development, while my PhD thesis focused on how robustness is acquired during cell differentiation, using Drosophila melanogaster wing development as a biological model.
In the Mosimann lab, my research focuses on how bioelectricity drives the development of the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM), using zebrafish as a model. By combining transgenesis with fluorescent reporters, we aim to understand how resting membrane potential patterns are established during early development. When I moved to Denver, I didn’t know about all the outdoor activities the city offers; now, I’m excited to explore them. Outside of the lab, I love watercolor and acrylic painting—anything with color! I also enjoy cooking and traveling solo.
Ryan Finnerty, PhD
After my five-year service in the United States Marine Corps as a cryogenic technician, I attended Iowa State University to obtain my bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. During my time at Iowa State University, I assisted a graduate student, Tibebe A Teklemariam, in Dr. Scott Nelson's lab in identifying notable inhibition sites of the Mre11/Rad50 (MR) complex (DNA repair enzyme).
During my graduate studies at Washington State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, I became adept in systems biology, specifically focusing on the oviduct during pre-implantation development. Dr. Wipawee Winuthayanon and I integrated 3 independent bioinformatic techniques (bulk-RNA sequencing, single-cell sequencing, proteomics (LC-MS/MS)) to establish a large public database elucidating adaptive responses in the oviduct during fertilization and pre-implantation development over 4 sequential days.
I am excited about my next opportunity as a postdoctoral researcher to study uterine remodeling with Dr. Elle Roberson!
Outside the lab I enjoy gaming, reading, scheming science, listening to music, and exercising.