Principal Investigator
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Trista E. North, PhD Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School CV | Twitter | LinkedIn Dr. Trista E. North is Principle Investigator in the the Stem Cell Program and Department of Hematology/Oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Co-Director of the Developmental and Regenerative Biology Graduate Program. She also serves as a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
She received her BA in Biology and Psychology from Bowdoin College in 1996. She was awarded a PhD from Dartmouth College in 2002 for her graduate work with Dr. Nancy A. Speck which identified the essential and highly conserved role of Runx1 in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development. In her postdoctoral research with Dr. Leonard I. Zon at Boston Children's, Dr. North pioneered a bio-active chemical screening approach in zebrafish to identify novel HSC modulators, leading to the first FDA approval for clinical investigational use of a zebrafish research-derived compound. Dr. North established her independent research group at HMS in 2008 to investigate the mechanisms controlling hematopoietic stem cell formation and function in the vertebrate embryo, with the goal of aiding the development and optimization of therapeutic strategies to alleviate blood disease. Dr. North is faculty of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and Affiliated Faculty of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. She is an active member of the Zebrafish Disease Models Society (ZDMS), currently serving on the Executive Board as Treasurer, and formerly a member of the Board of Directors, and the founding Chair of the Hematology Research Interest Group. She also is a member of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Scientific Committee on Stem Cells and Regeneration, and a former member of the Board of Directors for the International Society of Experimental Hematology (ISEH) and founding editor of the Simply Blood blog. Dr. North’s ongoing research is focused on extrinsic regulatory factors influencing hematopoietic stem cell fate. In her free time, Dr. North enjoys traveling the world, gardening, singing and time with her friends and family. |
Postdoctoral Fellows
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Elenor Meader, PhD
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Olivera Miladinovic, PhD Olivera comes from Serbia, where she finished her bachelor studies at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade with a major in General Biology. She then moved to Paris, France as a holder of a French Government Scholarship to proceed with her Master studies at Sorbonne Univeristé. She completed her PhD at Sorbonne Univeristé in the Jaffredo/Durand team working on the molecular profiling of the AGM hematopoietic niche using the zebrafish embryo. Olivera joined the North Lab in May 2023 and is interested in investigating how ECM molecules shape different hematopoietic developmental niches. In her free time Olivera enjoys dancing and teaching ballet, going to theater, and spending time in nature with family and friends.
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Wade Sugden, PhD
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Morgan Walcheck, PhD Morgan earned her B.S. in pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed her Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Toxicology in the Ronnekleiv-Kelly lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in the development of inflammation and cancer. Morgan joined the North lab as a post-doctoral fellow in February 2022 and is interested in the mechanisms of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory stimuli influencing HSC development.
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Graduate Students
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Stephan George Stephan is a graduate student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at Harvard Medical School. Stephan is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Genetics from the University of Georgia. Stephan's research is focused on understanding how external signaling cues regulate HSPC specification and development, using both predictive methods and validation studies to investigate. When not in the lab, Stephan enjoys playing tennis, piano, and gaming with friends.
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Brittney Love Brittney is a graduate student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at Harvard Medical School. Brittney is originally from Albuquerque, NM, and earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico. Brittney’s research is focused on epigenetic regulation of hematopoietic stem cell induction and expansion. Brittney enjoys reading, baking, and doing yoga when not in lab.
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Technicians and Undergraduates
 | Julia Goldstein Julia joined the North Lab after graduating from Bates College in 2023 with a BA in Biology. She assists with experiments in lab, and outside of lab she likes to explore Boston and knit.
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 | Elizabeth "Libby" Molnar Libby joined the North Lab after completing a season of field ecology with the National Ecological Observatory Network. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2019 with a B.S. in Marine Biology. As a research assistant for the North Lab, Libby aids with the husbandry and organization with the zebrafish model. Libby enjoys to spend her free time outdoors hiking with her dog.
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 | Harrison Moore Harrison (Harry) Moore is an undergraduate senior at Harvard College studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. Mentored by Morgan Walcheck in the North Lab, Harry's research primarily focuses on the role of presenilin in HSC formation. Outside of the lab Harry enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and fly-fishing.
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 | Vivian Taylor Vivian joined the North Lab after graduating from Connecticut College in 2023 with a BA in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology and a minor in Studio Art. Vivian will be working with the zebrafish in the lab and assisting the researchers with their work. In her free time she enjoys running and spinning pottery on the wheel. |