DDB Trainees Represent UC Santa Barbara at the 2026 NSF NRT Annual Meeting

The Data Driven Biology (DDB) program is proud to highlight two of our outstanding graduate trainees, Elisabeth Rothman and Artury Ramirez, who recently traveled to Golden, Colorado, to represent UC Santa Barbara at the 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Traineeship (NRT) Annual Meeting.

The annual meeting brings together a national community of scholars, PIs, and students to share best practices in interdisciplinary graduate education and showcase cutting-edge research. Both Elisabeth and Artury were selected to present their work during the innovative poster sessions, where they engaged with researchers from across the country to discuss the contributions of their research and the future of their respective fields.

Featured Research

Elisabeth Rothman (2nd-year, Dey Lab) presented her research titled, "Epigenetic Fidelity in Clonal K562 Cell Populations." 

Elisabeth’s work focuses on how chromatin features are faithfully propagated across cell divisions to maintain stable gene expression and cellular identity. Using CUT&Tag alongside transcriptomic profiling, they identified clone-specific divergence in both chromatin state and gene expression across single-cell-derived K562 clones. Elisabeth’s presentation focused on how variability in key histone modifications, particularly H3K4me3 and H3K27me3, contributes to these transcriptional differences. These findings highlight that failures in maintaining epigenetic fidelity can have important functional consequences, as epigenetic dysregulation is a hallmark of both cancer and developmental disorders..

Artury Ramirez (3rd-year, O’Malley Lab) shared his findings on "Anaerobic Gut Fungi Produce Extracellular Vesicle-Like Particles." 

Artury's work examines on anaerobic gut fungi. He explored whether these fungi produce tiny particles called extracellular vesicles—small, membrane-bound packages that cells use to send molecules and communicate. In his study, he isolated and analyzed these particles from three different fungal species and found clear evidence that they do produce vesicle-like structures through imagining and particle analysis. These findings open the door to understanding how these fungi communicate and transport molecules, and they lay the groundwork for future research aimed at harnessing these systems for biotechnology and genetic engineering.

Fostering Collaborative Innovation

Beyond sharing their posters, Elisabeth and Artury spent the conference building networks with fellow NRT trainees and experts. These interactions are a cornerstone of the DDB experience, providing our students with the opportunity to view their specialized research through a broader, interdisciplinary lens.

Having our students present at a national level is a testament to the caliber of research being conducted here at UCSB. We are thrilled to see Elisabeth and Artury making meaningful connections and representing the program so well.

Congratulations to Elisabeth and Artury on their successful presentations!