Ashley Kalinski, Ph.D
Principal Investigator
Ashley received her B.A in Biology and Japanese Studies from Adrian College in 2010 and her Ph.D in Biological Sciences from Drexel University in 2015. Her thesis work focused on molecular mechanisms of axonal regeneration under the supervision of Jeffery L. Twiss, M.D., Ph.D. She did a 5 year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan with Roman Giger, Ph.D. There she focused on neuroinflammation in models of traumatic injury. She started her lab in the Department of Biology at Ball State University in August of 2020. In August 2024 she officially transitioned her lab to the University of South Carolina in the Department of Biological Sciences and is part of the Center for Childhood Neurotherapeutics.
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I thoroughly enjoy a good cup of coffee and I am currently sampling coffee from roasters all around the world. In my spare time I enjoy spending time at the lake with my family.
Julianna Bennett
Laboratory Technician
Julianna has been the Kalinski Lab technician since 2022. She is currently working on understanding how macrophages impact sensory neuron growth. She has developed a co-culture system to look at axon dynamics in vitro. Julianna is interested in the role Sarm1 plays during axon regeneration.
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Noah Leever
Graduate Research Assistant
Noah is a second year graduate student. He started his MS at Ball State University in Fall of 2023 and is now a PhD student in Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina. Noah is interested in neuronal communication following PNS injury and how non-neuronal cells shape the microenvironment to support regeneration.
Halimah Adesunkanmi
Graduate Research Assistant
Halimah joined the lab in Spring of 2024 at Ball State University as an MS student. She is now a PhD student in Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina. Halimah is interested in how immune cells are activated following injury and what role Sarm1 plays in the inflammatory response.
Grace Bergeron
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Grace joined the lab in the Fall of 2024. She is an undergraduate in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina and the first to join our lab at UofSC! She will be working on macrophage biology with Julianna!
Josh Small
Undergraduate
Research Assistant
Josh joined the lab in the Fall of 2024. He is an undergraduate in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina. He is working with Julianna and macrophage biology during PNS injury.
Cathryn Holladay
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Cathryn joined the lab in the Fall of 2024. She is an undergraduate in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina. She is working with Halimah on understanding if Sarm1 regulates the HIPPO signaling during PNS injury.
Aneena is joining us in the Fall of 2025!
She is a freshman honors college student who will be studying neuroscience. She will be working with Julianna on macrophage biology during injury
Aneena Rostrom
Undergraduate
Research Assistant
Manshi Swain
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Manshi is joining us in the Fall of 2025!
She is a freshman honors college student who will be studying neuroscience. She will be working with Noah on Sarm1 requirements during injury