Debby Silver, Ph.D.
Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience;      Professor, Cell Biology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Neurobiology
Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs, Cell Biology;  Investigator, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Former: Program Director, Duke Developmental and Stem Cell Biology PhD Program, Co-Director, Duke Regeneration Center

Google Scholar

Research Interest: Everything in our lab!
Hometown: Southboro, Massachusetts.
Hobbies: Hiking, biking, traveling, spending time with family and dog.

Brooke D’Arcy, Ph.D.
Lab Research Analyst, Senior
Ph.D. Silver lab, 2023
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (2018-2022)

Research Interests: Subcellular gene regulation in Radial Glial cells during cortical development.
Hometown: Elma, New York.
Hobbies: Crochet, puzzles, and baking.

Noah Dillon, Ph.D.

Research Interests: Temporal patterning of neural stem cells during cortical development
Hobbies: Running, biking, painting, and games.

Chengcheng Du, Ph.D.

Research Interests: Human neurodevelopmental diseases
Hometown: China
Hobbies: Music, and exploring different things.

Fei Chang, Ph.D.

Research Interests: How genetic and cellular mechanisms control brain evolution.
Hometown: China
Hobbies: Knitting, Reading and Cooking

Davoneshia “Missy” Lollis
DSCB/UPGG Graduate student
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (2023-2026)

Research Interests: Human-specific genomic changes involved in WNT signaling and their role in the evolution of human brain development.
Hometown: Mississippi.
Hobbies: Dog mom, reading, and advocacy for equal accessibility in education and mental healthcare.

Chia-Fang “Phoebe” Lee
Neurobiology Graduate student
International Chancellor Fellow (2023-2024)

Research Interest: Understanding the functional role of RGC endfeet in orchestrating cortical development.
Hometown: Taiwan.
Hobbies: Running and reading.

Floyd Rubonal
Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate student

CMB T32 trainee (2025-2026)

Research Interest: Organelle and RNA localization and function in radial glia cells during cortical development.
Hometown: Waipahu, Hawaii.
Hobbies: Cooking/baking, lifting weights, trying out new foods (I will try anything at least once!)

Keylin Banegas-Morales
Neurobiology Graduate student

Research Interest: Understanding how microglia and radial glial cell interactions impact cortical development.
Hometown: Raleigh, NC.
Hobbies: Reading and painting

Emily Glidewell

Research Interests: How cellular and molecular mechanisms affect the developing brain.
Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina.
Hobbies: Reading and cooking.

Grace Richardson

Research Interests: Cell fate determination and how neuron-glial cell interactions sculpt cortical development.
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hobbies: Cooking, drawing, mixing music.

Cynthia Canabal Comabella
Major: Biology
Mentor: Brooke D’Arcy

Research Interests: How subcellular gene regulation in Radial Glial cells can influence brain development and contribute to neuropathologies.
Hometown: Havana, Cuba & Miami, FL
Hobbies: Hobbies: Photography, drawing, running & trying new foods!

Taeeun “Emily” Kim
Major: Neuroscience and Biology
Mentor: Floyd Rubonal

Research Interests: Neuronal development and function, RNA regulation in neural development, and molecular mechanisms of neurological diseases.
Hometown: Daejeon, South Korea
Hobbies: Hobbies: Dancing, painting, trying new sports, and going to music festivals!