Curriculum Vitae

Kaitlyn Hajrije Hajdarovic, Ph.D.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Bethesda, MD
Email: Khajdarovic @ buckinstitute . org

Education

  • Brown University, Providence, RI
    Ph.D., Neuroscience
    Advisor: Dr. Ashley Webb
    2016-2023

  • Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
    B.S., Neuroscience
    2010-2014

Peer-reviewed publications

  • Yu D., Li, M., Linghu, G., Hu, Y., Hajdarovic, K.H., Wang, A., Singh, R., Webb, A.E. CellBiAge: Improved single-cell age classification using data binarization. Cell Rep. 29;42(12):113500 (2023).

  • Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D., Webb, A.E. Understanding the aging hypothalamus, one cell at a time. Trends Neurosci (2022). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2022.10.004.

  • Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D., Hassell, LA. Evans, S.A., Packer, S., Neretti, N., Webb, A.E. Single-cell analysis of the aging female mouse hypothalamus. Nat Aging (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038.

  • Yanagi, K.S., Wu, Z., Amaya, J. Chapkis, N., Duffy, A.M., Hajdarovic, K.H., Held, A., Mathur, A.D., Russo, K., Ryan, V.H., Steinert, B.L., Whitt, J.P., Fallon, J.R., Fawzi, N.L., Lipscombe, D., Reenan, R.A., Wharton, K. A., and Hart, A.C. Meta -analysis of Genetic Modifiers Reveals Candidate Dysregulated Pathways in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. 2019. Neuroscience.

  • Cole, D.C., Chung, Y., Gagnidze, K., Hajdarovic, K.H., Rayon-Estrada, V., Harjanto, D., Bigio, B., Gal-Toth, J., Milner, T.A., McEwen, B.S., Papavasiliou, F.N., and Bulloch, K. Loss of APOBEC1 RNA-editing function in microglia exacerbates age-related CNS pathophysiology. PNAS. 2017. 114 (50) 13272-13277

  • Gagnidze, K., Hajdarovic, K.H., Moskalenko, M., Karatsoreos, I.N., McEwen, B.S., and Bulloch, K. Nuclear receptor REV-ERBα mediates circadian sensitivity to mortality in murine vesicular stomatitis virus-induced encephalitis. PNAS. 2016. 113 (20) 5730-5735.

  • F. Nina Papavasiliou, F.N., Chung, Y., Gagnidze, K., Hajdarovic, K.H., Cole, D.C., Bulloch, K. Epigenetic Modulators of Monocytic Function: Implication for Steady State and Disease in the CNS. Front. immunol. 2016.

Research Experience

  • Postdoctoral Fellow (2024-Present) Laboratory of Dr. Sushil Rane, NIDDK

  • Postdoctoral Associate (2023-2024) Laboratory of Dr. Ashley Webb, The Buck Institute for Research on Aging
    • Developed CRISPR activation screen for novel regulators of hypothalamic neuronal cell type identity
    • Implemented CHIP-seq of young and aged female hypothalamus to identify epigenetic changes in X chromosome activation with age
  • Ph.D. Candidate (2017-2023)
    Laboratory of Dr. Ashley Webb, Brown University
    Thesis: “Novel approaches to study hypothalamic aging.”
    • Employed single nuclei RNAseq and other genomics approaches to discover a novel feature of female hypothalamic aging.
    • Developed direct reprogramming approach to generating hypothalamic neuronal subtypes in vitro.
    • Used CRISPR activation to screen for transcriptional regulators of hypothalamic cell type identity.
  • Additional Graduate Research (2016-2017)
    • Rotation, Bath laboratory: Early life stress and contextual fear conditioning
    • Rotation, Hart Laboratory: Modeling ALS in C. elegans
    • Rotation, Webb Laboratory: Role of FOXO6 in direct conversion of fibroblasts to induced neurons
  • Research Assistant (2014-2016)
    Laboratory of Dr. Karen Bulloch, Rockefeller University
    • Examined the circadian modulation of neuroimmunity using flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and survival studies.
    • Engaged in inter-laboratory collaboration investigating the role of RNA editing enzyme APOBEC1 and its role in neuroimmunity and neurodegeneration.
    • Designed and implemented a project which analyzed the sexually dimorphic response to vesicular stomatitis virus- induced encephalitis.
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (2013-2014)
    Laboratory of Dr. Patricia Reeder, Dickinson College
    • Earned CITI certification to conduct research with human participants
    • Executed psycholinguistics studies concerning pattern identification and language learning abilities in college-aged participants.
    • Developed and implemented an IRB approved protocol for an independent research project on the effect of cognitive load on pragmatic processing.
  • Student Researcher (Summer 2013)
    Laboratory of Dr. Louise McCullough, University of Connecticut
    • Utilized Four Core Genome mice to further understand the role of chromosomal and hormonal sex differences in stroke outcomes.
    • Gained proficiency in genotyping, histology and harvesting tissue via perfusion.
  • Student Researcher (Spring 2013)
    Laboratory of Dr. Richard Lewis, University of Queensland
    • Applied for and was awarded competitive research traineeship during my semester abroad.
    • Investigated mutating acetylcholine binding protein to mimic the pharmacology of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype α4β2, to be used as a high throughput screen for cone snail toxins.

Grants and Awards

  • Founder’s Scholarship, Dickinson College (2010-2014)
  • Occupational Traineeship, Institute for Molecular Biosciences (Spring 2013)
  • Interdisciplinary Predoctoral Neuroscience Training Program Fellowship 2T32MH020068-16 (2016-2017)
  • Graduate Award in Brain Science, The Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science (2019-2020)

Teaching and Mentoring Experience

Graduate Mentor, Webb Laboratory, Brown University

  • Undergraduate Trainees
    1. Roshini Kalagara (Class of 2019)
    2. David Suarez (Class of 2021)
    3. Sarah Packer (Spring 2021- Present)
  • Graduate Rotation Students
    1. Anne-Mary Salib (Fall 2019)
    2. Doudou Yu (Summer 2020, remotely)
    3. Nell Klimpert (Fall, 2021)
    4. Misaki Belser (Fall 2023)
  • Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program
    1. Steve Otero (2021-2022)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Brown University
“The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience” course (Fall 2017)
Instructors: Dr. Michael A. Paradiso and Dr. John J. Stein

Academic Service

  • Brown Brain Bee volunteer (2016)
  • Brain Week RI: Social media coordinator, K-12 school visit presenter (2017)
  • Presenter at Brown Brain Fair (2017)
  • Presenter at Brown Brain Fair (2018)
  • Co-Chair of Bargaining Committee, Graduate Labor Organization (2019-2021)
  • Life Sciences Graduate Representative, COVID19 Extension Committee, Brown University (2020-2023)
  • Vice President, Graduate Labor Organization (2020-2022)

External Presentations

  • Poster (2023). Hajdarovic, K.H., Hassell, L-A, Packer, S., Webb A.E. Toward a model of the aged hypothalamus in a dish. Bay Area Aging Meeting. Palo Alto, CA.

  • Presentation (2022). Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D., Hassell, L-A, Packer, S., Evans, S., Neretti, N., Webb A.E. Single cell analysis of the aging female hypothalamus. 6th Annual Northeast Glenn Symposium. New Haven, CT.

  • Poster (2022). Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D., Hassell, L-A, Packer, S., Evans, S., Neretti, N., Webb A.E. Single cell analysis of the aging female hypothalamus. Cold Spring Harbor Mechanisms of Aging. Cold Spring Harbor, NY.

  • Poster (2022). Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D., Hassell, L-A, Packer, S., Evans, S., Neretti, N., Webb A.E. Single cell analysis of the aging female hypothalamus. Hypothalamus GRC. Ventura, CA, United States

  • Presentation (2019). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., A Dual Approach to Interrogate Hypothalamic Aging. Northeast Glenn Symposium. Farmington, CT.

  • Presentation (2019). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., Direct conversion of mouse embryonic fibroblasts into induced POMC neurons. Cold Spring Harbor Stem Cell Biology. Cold Spring Harbor, NY.

  • Poster (2016). Gagnidze, K., Cole, D., Hajdarovic, K., Papavasiliou, F.N., Milner, T.A., Rayon-Estrada, V., Bulloch, K. APOBEC1-mediated RNA-editing of LAMP2 in microglia is linked to lysosomal accumulation in hippocampus and impaired cognitive decline in middle-aged Apobec1-/- mouse. Neuroscience 2016; San Diego, CA.

  • Poster (2015). Hajdarovic, K.H., Gagnidze, K., Cole, D.C., Bulloch, K. RNA editing enzyme Complex APOBEC1 and its cofactor in monocytes/microglia linked to the sexually dimorphic response to VSV encephalitis. Poster presented Neuroscience 2015; Chicago, IL.

Internal Presentations

  • Poster (2021). Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D., Hassell, L-A, Packer, S., Evans, S., Neretti, N., Webb A.E. Aging at the Brain-Body Interface. Brown University Neuroscience Graduate Program Retreat. Bristol, RI. Winner: Best Poster Award.

  • Presentation (2020). Hajdarovic, K.H., Yu, D. Webb A.E., A Dual Approach to Interrogate Hypothalamic Aging. Providence Area Aging Research Forum. Providence, RI.

  • Presentation (2019). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., A Dual Approach to Interrogate Hypothalamic Aging. Brown University Epigenomics Club. Providence, RI.

  • Poster (2019). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., A Dual Approach to Interrogate Hypothalamic Aging. Neuroscience Graduate Program Retreat. Bristol, RI.

  • Presentation (2019). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., A novel model of the aged hypothalamus in a dish: in search of iPOMC. Providence Area Aging Research Forum. Providence, RI.

  • Poster (2019). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., Direct conversion of fibroblasts to hypothalamic neurons: in search of iPOMC. Brown University Mind Brain Research Day. Providence, RI

  • Poster (2018). Hajdarovic, K.H., Webb A.E., Direct conversion of fibroblasts to hypothalamic neurons: in search of iPOMC. Brown University Neuroscience Graduate Program Annual Retreat. Woods Hole, MA