Chris is a second year PhD student in the Molecular Medicine program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. As a member of Dr. Ronna Hertzano’s lab, he investigates the molecular mechanisms contributing to hearing loss and hair cell development. In particular, he aims to study the Ikzf2 pathway using a combination of wet lab and bioinformatics. Chris graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with a master’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He also received his bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from Tennessee Tech University.