LAB TEAM
DR. JODI FLAWS
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Professor, Comparative Biosciences
Director, Interdisciplinary Environmental Toxicology Program
Co-Director, Summer Undergraduate Research in Toxicology (SureTOX) Program
Email:jflaws@illinois.edu
Phone: (217) 333-7933
Angela Dean
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Angela is a postdoc in the lab and earned her PhD from the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she worked on how sex differences in bile acid signaling impacts liver cancer development. In the Flaws lab, she will focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms of how phthalates influence reproductive aging.
Flávia Caroline Farias dos Santos
VISITING SCHOLAR
Flávia is a Master’s student in the Laboratory of Endocrinology and Cellular Toxicology within the department of Physiological Sciences at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (2024). She graduated in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (2021). Flávia is currently PhD student, and her study focuses on the effects of environmental contaminants on reproductive and metabolic functions.
Lindsey Edwards
VETERINARY RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Lindsey (they/she) is a DVM Candidate for the Class of 2027. They earned their B.A. in Biology from Augustana College in 2023. She joined the Flaws lab in the Summer of 2024. They previously worked on an original research project during the summer of 2022 entitled “Safe and Cost Effective Heat Support in Rodent Recovery Cages”. She presented this research at the TBAALAS Regional Convention and was awarded first place for her poster presentation. They are excited to expand their knowledge and learn more during their time with this lab! After veterinary school she hopes to pursue a residency in Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Audrey Fields
GRADUATE STUDENT
Audrey is a M.S. Student with the Division of Nutritional Sciences. She holds a Kraft-Heinz Fellowship and F.A. Addington Q.E. Fellowship. Audrey’s projects focuses around the effects the water disinfectants have on female reproduction. Audrey graduated in May of 2023 with her B.S. Animal Sciences and a minor in Business from the University of Illinois. Once she has completed her M.S., Audrey plans to pursue a DVM-PhD from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
Teegan Gonyea
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Teegan is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry. She hopes to eventually get her pH.D. and continue in research, or attain a DVM-PhD Dual Degree.
Justin Huff
VETERINARY RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Justin is a veterinary student in the class of 2026. He joined the Flaws lab in the summer of 2023, and he is the recipient of the 2023 Morris Animal Foundation Veterinary Student Scholar Grant. Through the grant program, he is working in the Flaws lab to evaluate the effects of Imidacloprid and other endocrine disrupting chemicals on the female dog ovary. Justin’s interest in veterinary medicine are in theriogenology and large animal medicine.
Zane Inman
PHD STUDENT
Zane Inman is a current Ph.D. student in the lab. His work focuses on the associations between phthalates and hot flashes in midlife women, as well as identifying potential mechanisms behind this relationship. As an undergraduate, Zane majored in Information Science and worked as an assistant in the Flaws laboratory.
Dr. Mary Laws
RESEARCH COORDINATOR
Mary received her Ph.D. studying embryo implantation and subsequently completed a postdoc in breast cancer research. In the Flaws lab, Mary is studying the effects of environmental endocrine disruptors on the ovary.
Jáde Oladosu
PHD STUDENT
Jáde Oladosu is a current Ph.D student in the lab. She joined the lab in the spring of 2024, and she is a recipient of the Graduate College Fellowship. She obtained her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from North Carolina Central University. She was introduced to the field of toxicology while participating in the NIEHS Scholars Connect Program as an undergraduate researcher. She later earned an Intramural Research Training Award through the NIH and continued assisting with research at the NIEHS as a post-baccalaureate fellow for two more years. Her work focuses on the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on the female reproductive system.
Josephine Ross
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Josephine Ross is an undergraduate researcher currently studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois. After graduation she plans to pursue a career in cosmetic chemistry.
Adira Safar
PHD STUDENT
Adira is a PhD student in the lab. She joined the lab as an undergraduate in February 2022, graduating with a B.S. in molecular and cellular biology in 2024. Adira’s research focusses on identifying the effects of chronic dietary exposure to phthalates on the ovary and ovarian aging.
Dr. Ramsés Santacruz
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Ramsés is a postdoc in the lab. He earned his PhD at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) in Mexico City. As a PhD student, he evaluated the effects of some of the most used nanoparticles on ovarian functions. Prior to that, he earned his master’s degree at CINVESTAV evaluating bisphenol A effects in the cumulus oocyte complex communication. Currently, Ramses is interested in evaluating the effects and mechanisms involved in ovarian function disruption induced by phthalates.
Taylor Seaton
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Taylor is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry with minors in business and chemistry. She hopes to pursue a PHD program after her undergraduate degree.
Patrick Vieira Souza
VISITING SCHOLAR
Patrick is a visiting scholar in the lab. He is currently a Master’s student in Brazil, where his research focuses on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and the impacts of plastic pollution, evaluating the effects of perinatal exposure to nanoplastics and phthalates on ovarian function. His ongoing work investigates the direct mechanisms through which these contaminants disrupt neonatal ovaries and antral follicles.
Thai Cavalleri Souza
VISITING SCHOLAR
Thai is a visiting scholar in the lab. She is currently a PhD student in Brazil. Her research focuses on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and the impacts of long-term endocrine disruptor (ED) mixture exposure on prostate function. In the Flaws Lab, she will focus on the effects of EDs on ovarian aging.
Rylee Williams
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Rylee is an undergraduate student majoring in Animal Science with a pre-vet concentration and minoring in Spanish. After graduation, Rylee hopes to attend veterinary school and obtain a DVM.