SMACK LAB banner
Noah Snyder-Mackler

Noah Snyder-Mackler, PhD

Professor

Noah's job is to help every team member achieve their goals. To get to this point he had a steady supply of supportive mentors during–now it's his turn to be the supportive mentor. To learn more about him, check out his CV.

Beth Slikas

Beth Slikas

Research Scientist

Beth ensures that the lab runs smoothly, assisting with safety training, ordering, equipment maintenance, and developing/improving lab protocols. Her background is in evolutionary biology and population genetics.

Ashlee Greenier

Ashlee Greenier

Research Technician

Ashlee helps carry out lab experiments and maintains lab equipment. She is passionate about contributing to research that explores the molecular mechanisms of aging and longevity.

Blaise Mariner

Blaise Mariner

Researcher

Blaise is a molecular geroscientist interested in unraveling the how and why we age differently–focusing on the genetic and environmental modifiers of aging in the epigenome and transcriptome.

Baptiste Sadoughi

Baptiste Sadoughi

Postdoc

Baptiste is interested in the evolutionary underpinnings of aging, and more specifically in understanding variation in the pace of epigenetic and physiological aging within and across individuals.

Elliot Smith

Elliot Smith

Elliot is studying if and how aging impacts cell composition and cell-specific gene regulation in the brain using single-nucleus RNA sequencing.

Kelsi Watkins

Kelsi Watkins

PhD Candidate, Neuroscience, AIxAD T32 Trainee

Kelsi is studying what factors affect how brains age at the molecular level–leveraging single-nucleus RNA sequencing data.

Cam Kelsey

Cam Kelsey

PhD Candidate, Evolutionary Biology

Cam is working on understanding how environmental and social factors influence aging and healthspan in nonhuman primates.

Brooklynn Scott

Brooklynn Scott

PhD Candidate, Evolutionary Biology, NSF Graduate Resesarch Fellow

Brooklynn is studying the population genetics of gelada monkeys in order to understand the evolution of novel karyotypes and uncover mechanisms of high altitude adaptation.

Belayneh Abebe

Belayneh Abebe

PhD Student, Global Health, Presidential Graduate Scholar

Belayneh is a wildlife ecologist focusing on the disease ecology and population dynamics of the critically endangered Walia Ibex in Ethiopia, advised by Dr. India Schneider-Crease and Dr. Snyder-Mackler.

Josue Negron de Valle

Josue Negron de Valle

Research Assistant: Cayo Santiago

An expert behavioral and demographic data collector, Josue has been a vital part of our research team at Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, for over 10 years. His documents the social relationships and individual differences that define the rhesus macaque population.

Daniel Phillips

Daniel Phillips

Research Assistant: Cayo Santiago

With over a decade of experience at Cayo Santiago, Daniel is an expert in behavioral and demographic data collection. His long-term perspective is essential to our research on social relationships and individual differences in the rhesus macaque population.

Eshete Jejaw

Eshete Jejaw

Researcher: Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project

Eshete has been an integral member of the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project since 2008. As an expert in behavioral and demographic data collection, his decades of field experience are fundamental to our understanding of gelada monkey sociality and adaptation in the Ethiopian highlands.

Setey Girmay

Setey Girmay

Researcher: Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project

Setey joined the research team in 2011 and is an expert in the behavioral ecology of the Simien Mountains geladas. His long-term dedication provides the essential longitudinal perspective required for our behavioral ecology research.

You?

Join us!

We’re always looking for talented researchers–from PhDs to high school students–to join our lab. If you think what we do is interesting and want to be part of our team, please send me an email and I’ll be in touch.

Our Values: We are community, and expect members to contribute to a friendly, safe, equitable, and welcoming environment. Everyone agrees to (1) maintain a collaborative atmosphere and learn from one another, (2) treat one another with respect, combat discrimination, and ensure that everyone is and feels equally welcome and valued, and (3) stand up for one another in the face of bias, harassment, discrimination. We agree to communicate about failures in these commitments, either directly and/or through ASU’s reporting mechanism.

In Memoriam

Ambaye Fanta

Ambaye Fanta

Researcher & Field Expert (2010–2025)

Ambaye was a cornerstone of the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project for 15 years. His expertise in the field and his deep knowledge of the gelada monkey populations were surpassed only by his kindness and dedication to his colleagues.

We dedicate the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project to Ambaye's memory and will always hold him in our hearts.

Lab Alumni

WhoWhatWhenWhere are they now?
Brianah McCoyPhD Student2020-2025Postdoc @ the Carolina Population Center
Christine AdjangbaResearch Technician2022-2024Researcher, Columbia University
Kenny ChiouPostdoc2017-2024Asst. Prof, Biology, UAB
Mitchell Sanchez RosadoPhD Student2018-2024Researcher, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals
Layla BrassingtonMSc Student2020-2023PhD student in the Lea Lab @ Vanderbilt
Sarah van DijkResearch Technician2022-2023PhD student in Immunology @ UCSD
Corbin JohnsonPhD Student2017-2022Postdoc in the Jayadev Lab @ UW
Marina WatowichPhD Student2017-2022Postdoc in the Lea Lab @ Vanderbilt
Alice BanielPostdoc2017-2022Researcher at Montpellier, France
India Schneider-CreasePostdoc2017-2022Asst. Prof. @ ASU https://wildworms.org/
Trisha ZintelPostdoc2020-2022Bioinformatics Engineer @ Sage Bionetworks
Marta KoperskaResearch Technician2022PhD Student @ Wake Forest University
Sarah FordResearch Scientist2020-2022Lab Manager, Shapiro Lab, UCSC
Viktoria UsovaLab Technician2019-2020
Sierra SamsLab Manager2017-2019Associate Genomics Solutions Specialist; Roche
Arianne MercerLab Technician2019
Grace DeCastroLab Technician2018-2019Research Techician at Benaroya Research Institute