Michael Zrzavy

Hi, I’m Michael! I’m a first-year PhD student in the Pathobiology and Mechanisms of Disease program at CUIMC. During my rotation at the Zaccara lab, I aim to further elucidate the crosstalk between YTHDF2 and P-bodies, and develop a tool to barcode P-body specific RNAs.

As an undergrad, I spent my summers researching the role of the transcription factor splice variant ∆FosB in opioid addiction with Dr. Leila Jabbour at Franklin Pierce University, and I graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Fordham University. I then joined the lab of Dr. Ulrich Hengst at Columbia as a technician, studying the role of transcription factor regulation in Alzheimer’s Disease and RNA-binding proteins in aging.

I am excited to continue studying the roles of nucleic acid binding proteins in disease!