Graduate students

Aiyana Cyr (she/her) Aiyana is a fifth year PhD candidate in the department of Biological Sciences studying the DNA damage response at telomere like sequences in budding yeast. She did her BS at UConn in  Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is passionate about art, intersectional feminism, disability justice, and making science accessible to the general public. Her current research is conducting a genetic screen for factors that influence de novo telomere additions at a double strand break. She is characterizing the candidates and hopes to follow up on those involved in localization of double strand breaks to the nuclear periphery repair hubs.

And Pipette is a first year black lab service dog that will be coming into the lab very soon!

Raquel Guerrero (she/her) Raquel is from Austin, Texas and earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Data Science from Baylor University. She joined the lab in 2025 and has been studying DNA repair outcomes at telomere-like sites. She is interested in understanding the mechanisms by which subtelomeric rearrangements can occur at SiRTAs. She is also passionate about making science more accessible and enjoys participating in local STEM outreach. Outside the lab, she loves to travel, go on walks with her pup, and spend time with her family.

Wanda Schlumpf (she/her) Wanda grew up on a farm in Fairhope, Alabama, where her family’s peacock breeding sparked her interest in genetics. She earned both her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Molecular Biology at Tufts University in Boston before returning to her southern roots to pursue a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University. Wanda investigates how perturbing telomeric and telomere-like repeat sequence architecture influences genome instability and DNA repair while utilizing Hi-C datasets to understand how chromosome context shapes these processes. Outside of the lab, Wanda is passionate about finance, fitness, fashion, and having fun!

Senior Scientist

David Gonzalez, Ph.D. (he/him)

David grew up in Laredo, TX. He graduated from the American Musical Dramatic Academy in with a B.S. in Acting and from Texas A&M International University with a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology. After earning his PhD in the Friedman lab, David joined the Biological Sciences department as Senior Lecturer and continues to conduct research in the summer. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with his cat, exploring the parks in Nashville, and going on runs. A fun fact about David is that he has a twin brother and is two minutes older than him.

Principal Investigator

Kathy Friedman, Ph.D. (she/her)

Kathy received her BA from Carleton College in Northfield, MN and her PhD from the Genetics Department at the University of Washington. After postdoctoral studies with Dr. Tom Cech at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Kathy started her lab in the Biological Sciences department at Vanderbilt University where she serves as Vice Chair. Kathy is passionate about helping all interested students engage in research through her role as Associate Provost for Undergraduate Research. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. She loves to spend time on the lake and to take long walks.

Lab Outing

Friedman lab enjoys Old Hickory Lake

A beautiful day on one of Tennessee’s plentiful lakes.