Shoban Gaddameedhi contributed to an article published in the Technician

Shobhan Gaddameedhi, an associate professor in the department of biological sciences and principal investigator in the Circadian Clock and Genotoxic Stress Laboratory, said the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle is a circadian rhythm, meaning it is coordinated by an internal biological clock that is set by external cues. Gaddameedhi said a common disruption to students’ sleep-wake cycle is called social jetlag, which occurs when people stay up late and sleep in on weekends. This shift in one’s sleep schedule affects the circadian rhythm similar to traveling across time zones. Article

Lacey Brown, New CHHE/Superfund Program Manager



Lacey is the Community Engagement Specialist for both CHHE and Superfund. As a North Carolina native, Lacey has forged connections with folks across the state and seen firsthand how environmental pollution can upend lives. After moving to Wilmington in 2021, she became aware of PFAS and their associated risks to human health and the environment. Since then, she has been an active member of the grassroots effort to reduce and eliminate PFAS contamination in the area. Lacey is a member of Clean Cape Fear’s Leadership Team. Lacey holds a double B.S. in Communication Studies and Public Relations. She is currently pursuing an M.S. via NC State’s Climate Change and Society program, studying climate change communication and environmental policy.

Maria Rodgers, New Full Member

The Rodgers Lab broadly focuses on research questions in immunotoxicology. Ongoing projects include using microfluidic intestine-on-chip technology to examine how PFAS chemicals influence intestinal immunity and microbial assemblages, examining current PFAS levels in the Long Island Sound and how these levels will impact fish under future climate change scenarios, and examining humoral immune responses in wild sea turtles in the southeastern United States.

Yang Zhang, New Full Member

Zhang’s research focuses on the development of functional fluorescent probes for imaging and sensing applications at the nanoscopic level. He further seeks the integration of novel functional imaging probes and multi-dimensional single-molecule optical imaging methods to map spatially-resolved omics, higher-order chromatin structures & epigenetics, and molecular interactions with nanometer resolutions. Further, He is interested in applying integrated molecular imaging tools to address biomedical questions related to human vision, eye disease, neurological disorders, and color perception.

Tracey Leigh Woodlief, New Full Member

Dr. Woodlief's research program explores the impact of exposure to environmental contaminants on bioenergetics at the whole-body level, as well as within the immune system, liver, and skeletal muscle. We seek to uncover novel mechanisms within metabolism, fuel utilization, inflammation, and immunology as they relate to public health. Our research focus is on mechanisms to elucidate the molecular links between cell specific and whole-body bioenergetics and biological perturbations, such as diet, exercise, age, disease and toxicants. Altogether, we are especially interested in discerning how peroxisomal-mitochondrial energetics respond to and/or drive health and disease within the population as a whole and within various subpopulations, such as between different ethnic groups, young versus old, certain disease states (diabetes, obesity, cancer), and in contaminant-exposed populations.

Clarlynda Williams-Devane, New Full Member

Natalia Duque-Wilkins, New Full Member