Lab Members

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Galadriel Hovel-Miner, PhD

Associate Professor

Galadriel Hovel-Miner has been a member of the MITM Department at GW since 2016. Her career-long dedication to uncovering the genetic basis of microbial infections began as an undergraduate at the University of Montana where she received a BS in Microbiology from the University of Montana in 2000. After honing her research skills in the Seattle biotech industry, she began her Doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York where, under the mentorship of Dr. Howard Shuman, she discovered regulatory pathways in Legionella pneumophila that are required for its intracellular growth. After receiving her PhD in Microbiology, Immunology and Infection in 2009, Dr. Hovel-Miner performed postdoctoral studies at Rockefeller University, analyzing antigenic variation in African trypanosomes, where she discovered specific genetic elements that control Trypanosoma brucei antigenic variation. 

The Hovel-Miner lab at GW began with a goal to generate genetic tools to fill major gaps in the functional biology of trypanosomatids. This resulted in the generation of a whole-genome ORFeome for T. brucei, which was then used to develop an inducible Gain-of-Function expression library for the parasite. This powerful tool guided the Hovel-Miner lab to begin investigating drug resistance in trypanosomatids. We now are able to identify novel genes that promote drug resistance. Dr. Hovel-Miner combines novel and classical genetic approaches with cutting-edge cell biology analysis techniques to discover the underlying mechanisms of anti-parasitic drug action and resistance. 


Ignacio Durante

Post-Doctoral Fellow


Paprika Berry    

Senior Research Assistant


headshot of Karen. A woman with a white shirt and brown hair

Karen Amaya Aguirre    

Research Assistant 


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Kenna Berg    

Master’s Student


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Hayley Ramirez    

Master’s Student


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Laura Gershman    

Master’s Student


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Marwa Hameed

Undergraduate Student


Mishkat Habib

Undergraduate Student


Meghan Brink

Undergraduate Student


Katherine Chen

Undergraduate Student