# Current Lab Members ## expand\_more [### Terence D. Capellini ](/people/terence-d-capellini-phd) Principal Investigator Chair of Human Evolutionary Biology Associate Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard ![PIimage](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/evolutionary_genetics/files/img_2155.jpg?itok=E_9CIFVx) [### Clarissa Coveney ](/people/clarissa-coveney) [clarissa\_coveney@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:clarissa_coveney@fas.harvard.edu)Post-doctoral Fellow I am interested in knee osteoarthritis, skeletal biology, and the effects of obseity and diet on the development and health of the human body ![clarissa](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/evolutionary_genetics/files/download-1.jpg?itok=CYXylVQm) [### Gayani Senevirathne ](/people/gayani-senevirathne) Post-doctoral Fellow I am interesting in the genetics of human girdle development and evolution ![Gayani headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/PXL_20230527_172756070_Original.JPG?itok=m-k0TpQT) [### Dylan Sosa ](/people/dylan-sosa) Post-doctoral Fellow Dylan studies regulatory and functional DNA variation modulating development of the human musculoskeletal system, particularly postcranial joints. Through the integration of comparative, computational, and functional genomics, Dylan aims to identify... ![Dylan Sosa headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-04/Dylan%20Sosa%20headshot.jpg?itok=N_3lgEyd) [### Shanen Ganapathee ](/people/shanen-ganapathee) Graduate Student I am interested in exploring how molecular and cellular differences between humans and our closest relatives shape the evolution of the brain and risk of disease, with a focus on non-neuronal cell types such as microglia. ![Shanen headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Shanen%20headshot.jpg?itok=EZlee3L4) [### Nina St. Hillaire ](/people/nina-st-hillaire) Graduate Student Nina studies the developmental genetics and morphology of the primate pectoral girdle. ![nina](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-10/copy_of_img_4509.jpg?itok=nrOtOmeB) [### Sydney Lee ](/people/sydney-lee) Graduate Student I am interested in the evolution, development, and functional morphology of the vertebral column and how differences in its structure shape human musculoskeletal health. ![Sydney headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/IMG_2932%20%281%29.jpeg?itok=NhE1I3Aj) [### Nicole Merullo ](/people/nicole-merullo) Visiting Research Fellow My dissertation explores the evolution of the human cardiovascular system. Specifically, I am looking at how areas of the genome in the developing kidney have potentially experienced natural selection and influence blood volume regulation. ![Nicole Merullo headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/03142025%20Bio%20Headshots-345.jpeg?itok=wWz9674Q) [### Marta Amani ](/people/marta-amani) [marta\_amani@college.harvard.edu](mailto:marta_amani@college.harvard.edu)Undergraduate I am interested in understanding how archaic introgressed variants inherited by modern humans affect gene expression, shape phenotypic traits, and contribute to disease risk. ![Marta Amani headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/PhotoRoom_20230512_154411.jpeg?itok=zwv4Vznw) [### Seiji Aoki ](/people/seiji-aoki) Undergraduate Seiji studies Medical Anthropology and Integrative Biology. He is currently investigating the developmental physiology and genetics of the musculoskeletal system. ![Seiji headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Aoki%2C%20Seiji%20-%20Headshot.jpg?itok=hQRbojEX) [### Anika Christensen ](/people/anika-christensen) Undergraduate Anika has assisted on projects investigating the evolutionary and developmental genetics of the musculoskeletal system. Her bachelor's thesis investigates the effect of climate change on modern day plague outbreaks through an evolutionary genetics lens. ![Anika Christensen headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Screenshot%202025-11-19%20at%2011.01.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?itok=VUhT-34m) [### Devan Kaushik ](/people/devan-kaushik) I am interested in how organisms allocate energy toward necessary processes throughout development, and specifically, insulin's role in doing so. ![Devan Kaushik headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/IMG_3817.jpeg?itok=KeD-jFMf) [### Jenna Shoman ](/people/jenna-shoman) Undergraduate I’m interested in how genetics, development, and environment interact to shape human biology. I’m especially curious about how small changes in gene regulation influence traits, disease risk, and the way different tissues grow over time. I enjoy working... ![Jenna headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Unknown.png?h=0cf048e8&itok=_WgE5boi) [### Mahham Fayyaz ](/people/mahham-fayyaz) [mahham\_fayyaz@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:mahham_fayyaz@fas.harvard.edu)Research Group Coordinator Mahham provides administrative support across daily lab operations, purchasing, financial transactions, travel and expense processing, website maintenance, and general lab assistance. ![Mahham Fayyaz headshot.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10531/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-11/Image.jpeg?itok=et8VBy-c)