he/him/his | PI | michaelpiacentino [at] jhmi [dot] edu

Mike is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Mike received his PhD from Boston University where he studied skeletal patterning in sea urchin embryos. He fell in love with neural crest cells and chick embryology as a postdoc with Marianne Bronner at Caltech, sparking his interests in lipid metabolism during cell migration.

Mike can’t wait to unlock the mysteries of the neural crest cell membrane. Outside of lab Mike enjoys going hikes, mastering new recipes in the kitchen, and fiber crafts like knitting and crochet!

she/her/her | BCMB PhD Student

Mallorie is a PhD student in the Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology program. She earned her BS in Chemistry and Biology from Harvey Mudd College. She previously worked in a research lab under Dr. Jae Hur studying the role of the gene CG5815 in lipid metabolism in fruit flies. She is excited to continue studying lipids in the Piacentino Lab. Outside of lab Mallorie enjoys running, hiking, and looking at plants.

he/him/his | Research Technologist

Ilya is a graduate of Towson University's MSFS program with an interest in forensic and developmental biology. As the first member of the rapidly budding Piacentino lab, he's thrilled to have the opportunity to help develop the lab from "the ground up" and is looking forward to breakthrough research in an engaging environment. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, swimming, and reading about forensic or dev bio.

she/her/hers | Reserch Specialist

Stephanie obtained her BS in Health Science at Mercy College, where she discovered a passion for being in a laboratory atmosphere. During her undergraduate years, she worked in Dr. Anthony Canger’s lab, and her research focused on paxillin and actin expression during neural crest cell migration in chick embryos and retinoic acid as a teratogen in chick CNS development. Stephanie obtained her MS in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense at Johns Hopkins University. She is very excited to start working with chick embryos again and circle back to what made her initially fall in love with working in a laboratory. Outside of the lab, Stephanie enjoys cooking, hiking, reading, and watching sunsets.

she/her/hers | Undergraduate Researcher

Natalia is a current undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University studying Molecular and Cellular Biology and Public Health with a minor in Spanish for the Professions. She spent time researching in Dr. Megan Martik’s lab where she studied cardiac neural crest migration and developed a passion for neural crest research. She is very excited to continue studying the neural crest and develop her research skills in the Piacentino lab. When she isn’t studying, Natalia spends time listening to music, hiking, reading, cooking, taking pictures, and hanging out with friends.

he/him/his | Undergraduate Researcher

Alex is an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University studying Molecular Cellular Biology and History of Science and Technology with a minor in computer science. He’s excited to be joining the lab and learning about the neural crest and about lab techniques. In his spare time, Alex likes reading, watching movies, cooking, and playing on the Johns Hopkins squash team.

Your pronouns | Your position

We are looking for passionate graduate students, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral fellows to join our team! Please email us to inquire about a position!

Graduate Students - If you are looking for an outstanding PhD program, check out BCMB @ Hopkins!

Postdoctoral Fellows - check out our latest job announcement here!

Megan Butler (BCMB Rotation, 2023)

Sydney Pettit (BCMB Rotation, 2023)