Visiting scientists in the Murawala lab
- The Murawala lab firmly believes that today’s science is highly interdisciplinary and requires collaborative efforts among like-minded people.
- With an active visiting scientist program at MDIBL, every year we welcome many researchers from across the world to spend a few weeks/months with us in the pristine environment of Mount Desert Island. These researchers enrich our knowledge and also get opportunities to learn science that is ongoing in our lab.
- If you would like to visit our lab to foster collaborations, please write to Prayag.

Karen Crawford, Visiting Scientist 2023
– Professor, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Maryland

Moshe Khurgel, Visiting Scientist 2023
– Associate Professor, Bridgewater College, Virginia

Catherine McCusker, Visiting Scientist 2022-23
– Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Prof. McCusker studied craniofacial development using Xenopus during her Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Alfandari at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She did her postdoc with Prof. Susan Bryant and Prof. David Gardiner at the University of California, Irvine studying axolotl limb regeneration. Since 2015, she is running her own lab at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in the department of Biology. Her core interests are limb development and limb regeneration. The Murawala lab collaborates with the McCusker lab on the role of nerves during axolotl limb regeneration.

Fabian Voigt, Visiting Scientist 2022-23
– Postdoctoral Researcher, Harvard University, Boston
Dr. Voigt is a developer of the mesoSPIM microscope during his Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Fritjof Helmchen, University of Zürich, Zürich. Currently, he is doing his postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. Florian Engert, Harvard University, Boston. So far, he has overseen the development of 12 mesoSPIM microscopes in various parts of the world. Dr. Voigt was instrumental in our effort to build a mesoSPIM microscope at the MDI Biological Laboratory which was built in 2022. He continues to collaborate with the Murawala Lab to improve the functionality of mesoSPIM microscopy further.
– mesoSPIM website

Hillary Maddin, Visiting Scientist 2022
– Associate Professor, Carleton University & Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada
Prof. Maddin did her Ph.D. in evolutionary biology at the University of Calgary and her postdoc with Prof. James Hanken at the Harvard University. Since 2015, she is running her own lab at the Carleton University. Her core interests are morphological and structural evolution of body plan with a special focus on amphibians. The Murawala lab collaborates with the Maddin lab on fin to limb evolution and understanding the principles of limb field induction.

Johannes Roeles, Visiting scientist 2021
– Resident Physician, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
Dr. Roeles did his medical doctorate (Dr. med.) from Hannover Medical School, Germany. Currently, he is serving as a resident physician at the Clinic for Kidney and Hypertension Diseases, Hannover Medical school. Dr. Roeles is passionate about vascular architecture of kidney. He is a visiting scientist in the Murawala Lab at MDIBL, where he is learning the basis of tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy which he wants to apply to African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri).