Current Positions

1. Part-Time Faculty Lecturer in the Biology Department at California State University Northridge (CSUN)
2. Postdoctoral Research Fellow at California State University Northridge (CSUN)

 

Education

2021 PhD in Biology California Institute of Technology, Department of Biology

Thesis: “Neural Crest and Placode Cell Contributions to Cranial Sensory Development

Advisor: Dr. Marianne Bronner

 

2016 B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

University Scholar Thesis: “Through Genera and Generations: A Systematic Study of Elasmobranch-hosted Cestodes of the Indo-Pacific, with Comments on Phylogenetic Relationships”

Advisor: Dr. Janine Caira

 

Research Experience

California State University at Northridge, Department of Biology, 2021 to present

Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Advisor: Dr. Maria Elena de Bellard

Conducts research characterizing the molecular basis of nociception in elasmobranchs, supported by funding from NSF.

 

California Institute of Technology, Department of Biology & Biological Sciences, 2016 to 2021

Graduate Student Researcher. Advisor: Dr. Marianne Bronner

Conducted independent research on the role of neural crest and placodal cells during early chick development, including (i) population level lineage tracing of neural crest and placodal contributions to the olfactory system using fluorophore encoded RIA viruses and (ii) developing a system for single cell lineage tracing using the RIA viral system to determine derivatives of individual cells at the neural plate border.

 

University of Connecticut, EEB Department January 2014–2016

Undergraduate Researcher. Advisor: Dr. Janine Caira

Conducted independent research on the systematics and taxonomy of parasitic helminthes, leading to a re-description of a shark-hosted genus, description of a novel species, and the formal erection of a novel batoid-hosted tapeworm genus. Host associations and phylogenetic inferences were assessed for the novel taxa.

 

Teaching Experience

Fall 2022 Professor, CSUN, Introduction to Biology (BIOL100)

Spring 2022 Professor, CSUN, Embryology (BIOL441L & BIOL441)

2020 Graduate teaching assistant, Caltech, Human Genetics & Genomics (BI 188)

2019 Head Teaching Assistant, Caltech, Developmental Biology (BI 117)

2018 Graduate teaching assistant, Caltech, Developmental Biology (BI 117)

2017 Graduate teaching assistant, Caltech, Intro. to Molecular Biology (BI 8)

 

Academic Publications

Koontz, A., H. Urritia & M.E. Bronner (2022) “Making a head: Neural crest and ectodermal placodes in cranial sensory development”. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.06.009 (link)

Koontz, A. H. Urritia & M.E. Bronner (2022). “Retroviral lineage tracing of olfactory placode versus neural crest contribution to the chick olfactory system.” Natural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210037 (link).

Samaneh Moghadasi Boroujeni, Alison Koontz, Georgios Tseropoulos, Laura Kerosuo, Pihu Mehrotra, Vivek Bajpai, Surya Rajan Selvam, Pedro Lei, Marianne E Bronner, and Stelios Andreadis. (2019). ”Neural crest stem cells from human epidermis of aged donors maintain their multipotency in vitro and in vivo”. Scientific Methods 9, Article number: 9750. (link)

Koontz, Alison, “Through Genera and Generations: A Systematic Study of Elasmobranch-hosted Cestodes of the Indo-Pacific, with Comments on Phylogenetic Relationships” (2016). University Scholar Projects. 30. (link)

Koontz, A. & J. Caira. (2016). Emendation of Carpobothrium (“Tetraphyllidea”) from Bamboosharks (Orectolobiformes: Hemiscyliidae) with Redescription of C. chiloscyllii and Description of a New Species from Borneo. Comparative Parasitology 82 (2). (link)

 

Grants and Fellowships Awarded In Support of Research

2018-2021 NIH/NIDCR Kirschstein National Research Service Award (Predoctoral Fellowship), “Clonal

Analysis of Cranial Neural Crest using RIA Viruses”, ($130,728).

2016, 2015 Marc Dresden Student Travel Grant, American Society of Parasitologists ($600)

2015 Willis A. Reid, Jr. Student Research Grant, American Society of Parasitologists ($1000)

 

Honors and Awards

2016 University Scholar, University of Connecticut; Highest academic honor at UConn

2016 Outstanding Senior in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

2015 Phi Beta Kappa, University of Connecticut Chapter

2014 Sophomore Honors, University of Connecticut

2014, 2013 New England Scholar

 

Selected Talks and Presentations

(* denotes a poster presentation)

2022* “A molecular approach to elasmobranch nociception”, 2022 Evolution and Core Processes in Gene Expression Conference, Storrs Institute, Kansas City, KA.

2019 “Using RIA Viruses to Untangle Origins of Cell Types of the Olfactory Placode in Chicken”, West Coast Society of Developmental Biology Annual Meeting, Cambria, CA.

2016 “A new batoid-hosted cestode genus, with comments on its phylogenetic relationships and host associations”. American Society of Parasitologists Annual Meeting, Edmonton, Canada

2015 “An enigma resolved: the truth about the host associations and identity of the elasmobranch parasitizing cestode genus Carpobothrium”. American Society of Parasitologists Annual Meeting, Omaha, NE

2015 New England Association of Parasitologists Annual Meeting, Boston, MA

 

Professional Development

Spring 2023– Transforming STEM Education Teaching Program

“The Transforming STEM Teaching Faculty Learning Community (FLC) Program is developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley, in collaboration with their Center for Teaching and Learning. It is designed for faculty to: deepen their understanding of how people learn, develop active learning strategies to support student learning in STEM lecture courses, and reflect on their teaching practices.”

 

Outreach

2023 STEM Savvy Girl’s Science Day (AAUW, Pasadena) 6th-8th Grade Student Hands-On Workshop

2022 “Language & Taxonomy” invited speaker for the “Language &” speaker series at Planet Word in Washington D.C.

2022 Faculty Judge for Sigma Xi Research Symposium at California State University, Northridge

2022 Faculty Judge for Research Symposium at CSUNposium

2017-2021 Writer & Editor for Caltech Letters, an online publication on science & research (caltechletters.org)

2018 Caltech, “Giving Voice: Interruptions” (givingvoice.caltech.edu), supported by Title IX Office and Caltech Theatre Arts

2018 STEM Savvy Girl’s Science Day (AAUW, Pasadena) 6th-8th Grad Student Hands-On Workshop; “Effects of caffeine on chick embryo heart rate”.

 

Technical Training

2016 Python for Biological Computation, California Institute of Technology

2015 RNASeq Workshop, Center for Genome Innovation: University of Connecticut