Meet the team behind the Equine Pregnancy Lab

Don grew up here in Central New York on a horse farm.  Before joining the de Mestre lab in 2023, he worked in Professor Doug Antczak’s lab with a research focus primarily on the Major Histocompatibility Complex of the horse.  Don joined Professor de Mestre’s lab when she arrived from the Royal Veterinary College and has been researching primarily Copy Number Variants (CNVs) in the horse.  Outside of work he likes to cook and travel.

Panpan grew up in Maoshan Mountain, located near the city of Nanjing, China. She started her journey in genomics at the University of Helsinki in Finland and finished her PhD in bioinformatics at the University of Montpellier in the South of France. There, she enjoyed the natural diversity and experienced both extremes of temperature. She joined the Equine Pregnancy Lab as a postdoctoral associate in January 2026. In her free time, she enjoys live concerts, dancing, and exploring Ithaca’s outdoor activities.

Sharmila is from Kolkata, India. She earned her BS in Biology from Presidency College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata. She then pursued an MS in Biology at Central Michigan University before moving to College Station, Texas, to earn a PhD in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University. Her thesis research focused on comparative genomics of various horse breeds and reproductive genetics. Sharmila joined the lab in October 2024 and currently investigates the mechanisms and consequences of chromosomal instability in mammalian development. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, painting, and cooking.

Anna grew up just an hour away from Cornell in Corning, NY. She completed her Bachelor's degrees in Molecular Biosciences and Interdisciplinary Studies through a dual-institutional program at Duke Kunshan University in China and at Duke University in North Carolina. While an undergraduate, she primarily researched gene therapies for Glycogen Storage Disorders using a naturally occurring dog model, but also ventured a bit into the world of Drosophila to generate an improved model of a neurodegenerative disease. She has also enjoyed her research as a vet student looking at antibacterial effects of bovine colostrum and potential therapies for equine post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Anna joined the Das and de Mestre labs in January 2024 and studies the centromere as a potential mediator of aneuploidy in early pregnancy loss. Outside of work, she loves hiking and running with her dog, Pogie. 

Growing up in Tampa, Florida, Alexis became deeply invested in environmental health. She earned a dual-degree BSc in Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Florida. While a research intern at the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, she built computational models of interannual climate variations at an ice core drilling site in East Antarctica. She later applied these skills back at UF in the Eshraghi Lab, where she characterized PPIs of the F. novicida type VI secretion system. Alexis joined the de Mestre lab in March 2025, combining her interests in computational modeling and immunobiology to study tolerance at the maternal-fetal interface. Rain or shine, you can find her on the water or in the mountains with her dogs, Blaise & Frost.

Isha Chauhan is a second-year DVM/PhD student from Oldham County, Kentucky. She received her B.S. In biology from the University of Kentucky in 2024 and then joined the de Mestre Lab in 2026 through the DVM/PhD program to meld her clinical medicine and research interests. At the University of Kentucky, she studied sterol dysfunction in progressing cardiovascular disease as well as engaged in ecology and wildlife research to create a well-rounded understanding of One Health. In the Equine Pregnancy Lab, she studies the genetic underpinnings of aneuploidy causal in early pregnancy loss through genome-wide association studies and diagnostic imaging techniques. Outside of the lab, she loves to read, write, bake, and watch movies!

Donya grew up in Orange County, California and is currently majoring in Biology and Society with a concentration in Healthcare Policy. She joined the Equine Pregnancy Lab in spring 2025. She is currently working on a bioinformatics project to determine the similarities between equine and human immune cell populations. Outside of the lab, Donya is involved as an administrative intern at Kendal at Ithaca and member of Women in Healthcare Leadership (W+IHL).

Libby is from Columbus, Ohio. She is a sophomore majoring in biological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell. She joined the Equine Pregnancy Lab in summer 2025 and spent most of her time doing wet lab and computational work alongside Don Miller. Now, she uses R to visualize data related to the ongoing  aneuploidy and EPL association studies in the lab. Outside the lab, she is on the Cornell Club Triathlon and Club Tennis teams. 

Isabelle grew up in Boston, MA, and is currently majoring in Chemistry and Biology at Cornell. Previously, she worked in the Lavagnino Lab studying novel cross-coupling reactions and with Xheme Inc., where she researched antioxidant catalysts to improve blood bag storage. She joined the de Mestre Lab in February 2026 and is excited to begin work focused on identifying genes involved in equine development. Outside of the lab, Isabelle is a member of the Cornell Varsity Polo Team.