Position Title
Staff Research Associate III
Lauren has been a staff research associate in the Shapiro Lab since January 2020. She has worked with nematode parasites since starting her master's degree at Wake Forest in 2007. In 2016, Lauren graduated with a PhD in Ecology from the University of California, Davis (UCD). Her PhD work focused on population genetic analyses of the nematode Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm), and phylogenetic characterization of Baylisascaris species. Since 2017, Lauren has worked as the diagnostic parasitologist at the UCD Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital where she identifies parasites in animals ranging from domesticated animals like cats and goats to various reptiles and wild animals including sea lions and opossums. In the Shapiro Lab, Lauren maintains tissue cultures of protozoan parasites including Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona, and is working to establish PCR assays for helminths (primarily nematodes and cestodes). When she's not in the lab, Lauren spends time entertaining her cats Morel and Enoki, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and as a hobbyist house music DJ under the moniker Dr. Worm.