Education and training
The Functional Epigenomics Lab is committed to creating an excellent learning environment for students and postdoctoral trainees.
Graduate students
Each year, through a highly competitive selection process, students are admitted to Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. programs at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Selected students pursue research in one academic specialization, including:
Students have exceptional flexibility to choose a research mentor. Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences provides stipends and full-tuition scholarships for all Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. students.
Candidates interested in the Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. programs should note the application deadlines and apply through the appropriate Mayo Clinic website:
Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate research opportunities
- Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). PREP is an intense program of up to two years. The program is designed to expose students from underrepresented communities with undergraduate degrees to basic and translational research prior to applying to the Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. program. Participants receive stipends to cover their expenses.
- Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). This 10-week research fellowship is for undergraduate students in their sophomore or junior years at a U.S. college or university who are interested in pursuing admission to a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. program. While in SURF, students develop and complete research projects or work on existing research projects and receive stipends.
Candidates interested in PREP or SURF should note application deadlines and apply through the appropriate Mayo Clinic website.
Postdocs
Researchers with a track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications and the motivation and passion to work in chromatin biology in the new omics era are encouraged to pursue postdoctoral study in the Functional Epigenomics Lab at Mayo Clinic.
For consideration, contact Dr. Maia and provide a curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interests and three references.
Former trainees
2021-2025
Amik Munankarmy, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (with Fergus J. Couch, Ph.D.)
2022-2024
Leticia Assad Maia Sandoval, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
2022
Nika Foglar
Visiting Ph.D. Student (Zagreb, Croatia)
2021-2022
John W. Moore-Weiss, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
2021
Manvir Bains
Research Assistant
Qiong Wang
Visiting Student (Reykjavik, Iceland)
2020-2021
Nazanin Nahrjou, M.S.
Research Technologist
2018-2020
Stephanie L. Safgren, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
Lynzie Shimp
Graduate Research Employment Program (GREP)
2018-2019
Marina Buciuc, M.D.
Research Fellow
Jagneet Kaur
GREP
2018
Sandeep Potluri, M.D.
Clinical Visiting Fellow (Birmingham, U.K.)
Rotating students
2025
Liz Bering
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2024
Nuan Han
Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
2023
Julie R. Duffield
Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
2021
Monique S. Bagwell
Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
2020
Carli M. Stewart
Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
2019
Joana E. Aggrey Finn
Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Taylor McNeely
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Summer internships
2025
Sharon Ignatius Newton
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois)
Leonie Verschoore
Summer Internship (KU Leuven Medical School, Leuven, Belgium)
2024
Martin Winn
SURF (University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida)
2023
Zefanias Ngove
SURF (Wartburg College Waverly, Iowa)
2022
Tashi Tsering
SURF (Wartburg College Waverly, Iowa)
2021
Kelsey Leach
SURF (Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, Minnesota)
2020
Mengchu Li
SURF (Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana)
2019
Manvir Bains
SURF (Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana)
2018
Meredith Nix
SURF (Scripps College, Claremont, California)