LAB TEAM
DR. JODI FLAWS
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Professor, Comparative Biosciences
Associate Director, Interdisciplinary Environmental Toxicology Program
Co-Director, Summer Undergraduate Research in Toxicology (SureTOX) Program
Email:jflaws@illinois.edu
Phone: (217) 333-7933
Justin Chiu
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Justin is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Animal Science. He hopes to go to veterinary school in the future.
Ashley Deviney
VETERINARY RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Ashley is a DVM candidate for the class of 2024. She earned her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Management from Kansas State University in 2014. Since graduating, she worked for two small contract research organizations, which allowed her to participate in a wide array of in vivo studies used in industrial pharmaceutical research. She holds certification as a Laboratory Animal Technician through AALAS and hopes to pursue laboratory animal medicine after graduation.”
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.
Endia Fletcher
PHD STUDENT
Endia Fletcher is a current Ph.D. student with a background in engineering. She obtained her B.S. in Biological Engineering with a focus in Bioprocessing Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. Endia was introduced to the field of toxicology through her undergraduate PI and later became a SURE-Tox Fellow. Her work focuses on understanding the reproductive toxicological effects of prenatal exposure to environmentally relevant phthalate mixtures in F1 mice offspring.
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.
Stav Kramer
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Stav is a senior majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and hopes to go to medical school.
Dr. Mary Laws
RESEARCH COORDINATOR
Mary received her Ph.D. and completed a postdoc position in breast cancer research. She joined the Flaws lab in 2020.
Vasiliki (Vicki) Mourikes
DVM-PHD STUDENT
Vicki Mourikes is a DVM-PhD Student. She is an alumnus of the Integrative Biology Honors Program at UIUC where she completed an undergraduate thesis on the catalytic and structural diversity of honeybee Cytochrome P450s. Currently, she is investigating the effects of environmental contaminants on human, animal, and environmental health.
Adira Safar
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Adira is an undergraduate majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She will be graduating with her bachelor’s in 2024 and hopes to pursue a PhD in reproductive toxicology or reproductive biology upon graduation. Adira’s research focusses on identifying the effects of phthalates on ovarian function and 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.
Winter Stubblefield
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Winter is a second-year student majoring in Integrative Biology. Winter hopes to go medical school and aspires to become an OBGYN.
Emily Wilson
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Hi, my name is Emily Wilson. I am a senior undergraduate majoring in Animal Sciences. I am a US Navy Veteran and have a passion for zoological conservation of endangered species. I am a wife, mom of two, and dog mom of three. In my free time I enjoy crafting on my Cricut machine, mostly doing clothing and home décor. My current involvement with UIUC includes volunteering at the Wildlife Medical Clinic where I get the unique opportunity to be hands on with all different species of wildlife from raptors to amphibians, with my favorite animal being the Virginia Opossum. I hope to gain invaluable knowledge from working with Dr. Flaws and her staff and can’t wait to see where this experience takes me.