Kris Russell
Kris is a Professional Research Assistant in the Appel Lab at CU Anschutz. She has contributed to the lab since Kris is a Professional Research Assistant in the Appel Lab at CU Anschutz. She has contributed to the lab since 2021. Her current projects include investigating the role of the transcription factor Olig2 in developmental myelination and the role of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in myelin development. Previous projects include work on Fragile X Syndrome and Huntington's Disease, as well as the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in myelin development. She maintains all laboratory stocks of zebrafish lines. Kris is pursuing a master's degree in Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, along with graduate certificates in Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs and Research Management and Compliance.
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Kris earned her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences from Kansas State University. There, she worked under Dr. Ruth Welti at the Kansas Lipidomics Research Center studying plant lipidomics and received two undergraduate cancer research awards. Originally from Texas, she has lived in Colorado since 2020. In her free time, Kris enjoys making memories with friends, baking, running, skiing, car camping, backpacking, biking, and hiking.