Jered Stratton

Lab Manager

Jered is the lab manager for the Clark Lab. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Genetics at Iowa State University and his PhD in Genetics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has a long running interest in evolution and the genetic basis of phenotypic variation in nature. His training has spanned both computational and molecular biology techniques across many different systems including influenza, mice, human cell lines, and zebrafish.  In the Clark Lab, Jered is supporting and mentoring trainees at every level and is thrilled to share in their scientific discoveries and growth. Outside of the lab, Jered enjoys strategy games, music, and spending time with his family including cats, a dog, a guinea pig and a tortoise.

Jordan Little

Ph.D. Student

Jordan is a PhD student at the University of Utah. She is focusing on using evolutionary tools to find novel genetic and protein interactions. She is also interested in conservation genomics, specifically focusing on climate niche adaptation of squamates. Outside of research she enjoys anything outdoors, college sports, and crochet.

Dwon Jordana

Ph.D. Student

Dwon is a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. His current interest is to understand the role of cis-regulatory elements in disease. He also seeks to learn computational techniques to assist him with his research goals. Outside of academia he mainly enjoys biking, hiking, and fishing.

Courtney Charlesworth

Ph.D. Student

Courtney is a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2022, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Rowan University. She is focusing on discovering and characterizing novel ocular genetic regions. She is also interested in the molecular mechanisms of retinal maldevelopment as a result of albinism. Outside of the lab, Courtney enjoys playing video games, jigsaw puzzles, and anything stereotypically “girly.” She is also always open to sharing pictures of her cats.

Guillermo Hoffmann Meyer

Technician / Programmer

Guillermo is a research technician working on keeping the lab’s codebase up to date with new methods and examining evolutionary rate signal over time in yeast. He received his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2024 from Mississippi State University, and intends to enter graduate school next year. Outside the lab, he enjoys cooking, fencing, and volunteering at the aviary.

Alex Preble

Undergraduate Researcher

Alex is a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh who majored in ecology and evolution along with history. He is broadly interested in evolution, and is currently working on a project related to host-pathogen coevolution in marine mammals. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, playing the violin, and spending time with his friends.

Justine Denby

Undergraduate Researcher

Justine is Departmental Honors Student Researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She is studying in Computational Biology and Information Science, with an expected graduation in Spring 2026. Her research uses computational methods to uncover how evolutionary pressures shape genetic networks in mammals. After graduation, Justine hopes to pursue a PhD in bioinformatics. When not in the lab, she enjoys going to concerts and reading.

Nico Schwartz

Undergraduate Researcher

Recent graduate joining the Integrative Systems Biology PhD program here at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall.

Shahd ElSayed

Undergraduate Researcher

Sneha Chaudhuri

Undergraduate Researcher

Daniel Fritsch

Undergraduate Researcher