CV

Downloadable CV

Education

• Ph.D in Computational Biology, Mississippi State University, 2025 (expected)
  • Advisor: Dr. Amy Dapper
• Postgraduate Diploma, Global Health and Infectious Disease, The University of Edinburgh, 2018
  • Advisor: Dr. Jenna Fyfe
• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 2015
  • Advisor: Dr. Raj Prabhu

Work experience

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, 2021 - Present
  • Mississippi State University
  • Duties includes: Teaching, grading, and preparing materials for lab sections within the Department of Biological Sciences
  • Supervisor: Dr. Justin Thornton
• Intern, 2020-2021
  • USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement/Mississippi State University
  • Duties included: Organizing and leading webinars for farmers and USDA stakeholders on farm stress and mental health.
  • Supervisor: Dr. David Buys, Dr. Mary Nelson Robertson
• AmeriCorps VISTA, 2019-2020
  • Mississippi State University Extension Service
  • Duties included: Teaching Mental Health First Aid courses to teachers, community members and first responders; Giving on-site classes and online webinars in lead poisoning prevention.
  • Supervisor: Dr. David Buys, Dr. Mary Nelson Robertson
• Research Technician II, 2015-2019
  • Washington University School of Medicine
  • Duties included: Wet-lab and microscopy research on the actin binding protein L-Plastin and its role in patient susceptibility to pneumococcal disease.
  • Supervisor: Dr. Celeste Morley

Fellowships and Awards

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP) Honorable Mention, 2022
• University of Washington Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics (SISG) Scholarship, 2022
• Mississippi State University Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program, 2024 - Present

Funding

• Graduate Student Travel Support Program (GSTS), 2023
  • College of Arts and Life Sciences
  • Mississippi State University
• Graduate Student and Postdoc Travel Supplement, 2023
  • The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE)
• WUCCI Microgrant, 2016
  • Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging

Publications

Comparative Phylogenetics Reveal Clade-specific Drivers of Recombination Rate Evolution Across Vertebrates

Taylor Szasz-Green, Katherynne Shores, Vineel Vanga, Luke Zacharias, Andrew K Lawton, Amy L Dapper, Comparative Phylogenetics Reveal Clade-specific Drivers of Recombination Rate Evolution Across Vertebrates, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Volume 42, Issue 5, May 2025, msaf100, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf100

Novel coenzyme Q6 genetic variant increases susceptibility to pneumococcal disease

Walker, E.C., Javati, S., Todd, E.M., Matlam, J., Lin, X., Bryant, M., Krone, E., Ramani, R., Chandra, P., Green, T.P., Anaya, E.P., Zhou, J.Y., Alexander, K.A., Tong, R.S., Yuasi, L., Boluarte, S., Yang, F., Greenberg, L., Nerbonne, J.M., Greenberg, M.J., Clemens, R.A., Philips, J.A., Wilson, L.D., Halabi, C.M., DeBosch, B.J., Blyth, C.C., Druley, T.E., Kazura, J.W., Pomat, W.S., Morley, S.C. Novel coenzyme Q6 genetic variant increases susceptibility to pneumococcal disease. Nat Immunol 25, 2247–2258 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-01998-4

Novel Mouse Model Reveals That Serine Phosphorylation of L-Plastin Is Essential for Effective Splenic Clearance of Pneumococcus

Anaya, E.P., Lin, X., Todd, E.M., Szasz, T.P., Morley, S.C.; Novel Mouse Model Reveals That Serine Phosphorylation of L-Plastin Is Essential for Effective Splenic Clearance of Pneumococcus. J Immunol 1 May 2021; 206 (9): 2135–2145. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2000899

The actin-bundling protein L-plastin regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages

Joshi, H., Anaya, E., Almgren-Bell, A., Szasz, T.P., Todd, E.M., Morley, S.C.; The actin-bundling protein L-plastin regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. J Immunol 1 May 2020; 204 (1_Supplement): 144.24.

Inhaled GM-CSF in neonatal mice provides durable protection against bacterial pneumonia

Todd, E. M., Ramani, R., Szasz, T. P., & Morley, S. C. (2019). Inhaled GM-CSF in neonatal mice provides durable protection against bacterial pneumonia. Science Advances, 5(8). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax3387

Inflammasome activation in macrophages is regulated by actin-bundling protein L-plastin

Joshi, H., Todd, B.E., Szasz, T., Anaya, E., Morley, S.C.; Inflammasome activation in macrophages is regulated by actin-bundling protein L-plastin. J Immunol 1 May 2019; 202 (1_Supplement): 117.14. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.202.Supp.117.14

Colonization with 19F and other pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotypes in children in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

McFarland, M., Szasz, T.P., Zhou, J.Y., Motley, K., Sivapalan, J.S., Isaacson-Schmid, M., Todd, E.M., Hogan, P.G., Fritz, S.A., Burnham, C.D., Hoffmann, S., Morley, S.C., Colonization with 19F and other pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotypes in children in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 34, 2017, Pages 4389-4395, ISSN 0264-410X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.06.047.

Technical Advance: New in vitro method for assaying the migration of primary B cells using an endothelial monolayer as substrate

Stewart-Hutchinson, P.J., Szasz, T.P., , Jaeger, E.R., Onken, M.D., Cooper, J.A., Morley, S.C., Technical Advance: New in vitro method for assaying the migration of primary B cells using an endothelial monolayer as substrate, Journal of Leukocyte Biology , Volume 102, Issue 3, September 2017, Pages 941–948, https://doi.org/10.1189/jlb.1TA0117-008R.

Alveolar macrophage development in mice requires L-plastin for cellular localization in alveoli

Elizabeth M. Todd, Julie Y. Zhou, Taylor P. Szasz, Lauren E. Deady, June A. D’Angelo, Matthew D. Cheung, Alfred H. J. Kim, Sharon Celeste Morley; Alveolar macrophage development in mice requires L-plastin for cellular localization in alveoli. Blood 2016; 128 (24): 2785–2796. doi: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2016-03-705962

Prospective Preliminary In Vitro Investigation of a Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Conjugated with Ligand CD80 and VEGF Antibody As a Targeted Drug Delivery System for the Induction of Cell Death in Rodent Osteosarcoma Cells

Kovach, A. K., Gambino, J. M., Nguyen, V., Nelson, Z., Szasz, T., Liao, J., Williams, L., Bulla, S., & Prabhu, R. (2016). Prospective preliminary in vitro investigation of a magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle conjugated with ligand CD80 and VEGF antibody as a targeted drug delivery system for the induction of cell death in rodent osteosarcoma cells. BioResearch Open Access, 5(1), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1089/biores.2016.0020

L-Plastin promotes podosome longevity and supports macrophage motility

Zhou, J.Y., Szasz, T.P., Stewart-Hutchinson, P.J., Sivapalan, J., Todd, E.M., Deady, L.E., Cooper, J.A., Onken, M.D., Morley, S.C., L-Plastin promotes podosome longevity and supports macrophage motility, Molecular Immunology, Volume 78, 2016, Pages 79-88, ISSN 0161-5890, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molimm.2016.08.012.

Defective monocyte motility disrupts alveolar macrophage development in mice deficient for L-plastin

Morley, S.C., Todd, E.M., Zhou, J.Y., Deady, L.E., D’Angelo, J.A., Szasz, T. ; Defective monocyte motility disrupts alveolar macrophage development in mice deficient for L-plastin. J Immunol 1 May 2016; 196 (1_Supplement): 119.9. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.196.Supp.119.9

Talks

Genome-wide signatures of a historical bottleneck in Alligator mississippiensis

June 22, 2025

Talks at Evolution Meeting 2025, Athens, GA, USA

Patterns of genetic diversity within American alligator genomes

February 14, 2025

Talks at MSU Graduate Student Seminar, Starkville, MS, USA

Population Genetics of the American Alligator

October 13, 2024

Talks at Southeastern Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Annual Meeting 2024, Clemson, SC, USA

Evolution of the meiotic recombination pathway in birds

June 24, 2023

Talk at Evolution 2023, joint meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the Society for the Study of Evolution, Albuquerque, NM, USA

Evolution of the meiotic recombination pathway in birds

March 26, 2022

Talk at Southeastern Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Annual Meeting, Eatonton, GA, USA

Teaching

Avian Diversity

Animal Diversity

Biology I

Human Anatomy

General Microbiology

Service and leadership

• Officer, 2022-2024
  • MSU Biology Graduate Student Association
  • Roles: Vice President, Secretary, Social Programs
• Summer Enrichment Camp Instructor, 2023 - Present
  • The Mississippi School for Math and Science
  • Activities: Middle and High School Robotics; Intro to Data Science and Visualization
• Science Night at the Museum Volunteer, 2022 - Present
  • Mississippi State University
  • Activities: Natural Selection of Paper Butterflies; C. elegans Under the Microscope
• Undergraduate Student Research Mentor, 2021 - 2022
  • Mississippi State University
  • Mentees: Katherynne Shores, Vineel Vanga, Luke Zacharias
• Alumni Outreach, 2019 - Present
  • The Mississippi School for Math and Science
  • Activities: Judge, Science Bowl; Reviewer, Application Review; Guest Lecturer, Microbiology; Invited Speaker, Opening Ceremony
• Public Programs Volunteer, 2016 - 2019
  • The St. Louis Science Center
  • Youth Programs: Video Game Design, Intro to Coding, Fossils and Polymer Science, Science Lab, Engineering Design
  • Adult Programs: Wine Night at the Museum, Drunk Goggles Demo