Team – TezakLab

Boris M. Tezak (he/him)

Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor

Training:

Postdoctoral Research, Capel Lab, Duke University Medical Center (2019-2024)
PhD in Integrative Biology, Florida Atlantic University (2019)
BS in Biology, Florida Atlantic University (2011)

About me: Since as far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by nature and loved spending time outdoors. I think it has been that sense of wonder towards nature, and the support of a handful of incredible mentors, that eventually lead me towards the path of scientific research. I consider myself primarily a developmental biologist, but our research is highly interdisciplinary, encompassing the fields of cell and molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and conservation biology. I am motivated by the daily prospect of scientific discovery and strongly committed to teaching and mentoring a diverse group of students.

For fun: I love to cook and to eat. I enjoy playing and watching just about every sport, and I love spending time outdoors (fishing, hiking, free diving, you name it!).

Brandon Wong (he/him)

From: Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Major: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (pre-med) ’28.

Research interests: I am interested in the Tezak Lab because it provides a unique perspective and motivation for temperature-dependent sex determination while tackling conservation biology and climate change issues through the lens of reptile embryos!

For fun: I enjoy playing basketball and solving Rubik’s cubes.

Jamie Willoughby (he/him/his)

From: Los Angeles, California.

Major: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry 2027.

Research interests: I am interested in gene regulation and partial to ecologically relevant research. Temperature-dependent sex determination is a complex regulatory problem. Its solution – arrived at by a diverse set of species – fascinates me.

For fun: Outside of school, I enjoy playing soccer and piano. At home, I like to surf and read. Latin American literature is my favorite thing to read, and my favorite poet is Jorge Luis Borges.

August Gardyne (they/them)

From: Oakland, California.

Major: Classical Studies and Biology.

Research interests: I’m interested in this lab because I find sex determination–especially in reptiles–really fascinating, and I’m especially curious about the ramifications of ovotestis formation.

For fun: Outside of the lab, I’m on the Wesleyan Student Assembly and I lead Disorientation, a Wesleyan-focused activism club on campus.

Meera Pawale (she/her)

Major: Biology ‘25.

Research interests: I am particularly interested in the medical aspects of sex determination and development. The complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors that govern these processes captivates me. I’m eager to learn about the influence of temperature in turtle embryos during sex determination. These processes reveal the intricate mechanisms that regulate reproductive biology, sparking my curiosity about how similar regulatory pathways might operate in human development and reproductive health.

For fun: I’m a varsity athlete on the women’s swim team and a certified EMT. I love to travel and studied abroad in Copenhagen during my junior year. In my free time, I enjoy cooking with friends and family, working as a campus tour guide, and watching Game of Thrones.

Nicky Wang (he/him)

Major: Molecular biology and biochemistry ‘25

Research interests: I joined the Tezak Lab because of the unique model organism: the turtle! In the past, I have participated in more human focused biomedical research, so the Tezak Lab presents a unique opportunity to study the unusual mechanism of sex determination in turtles. I hope I will gain knowledge, not only about turtles, but also about reproductive biology generally.

For fun: Outside of the lab, I am a varsity athlete on the Wes men’s swim team and work as an EMT in Haddam! I love to bake, travel, go to the beach in the summer, and ski in the winter.