Seaver Lab News

Comprehensive spiralian genome paper published for the marine annelid Capitella teleta in Genome Biology and Evolution

The Seaver lab recently published a paper through an international collaboration in Genome Biology and Evolution.

Seaver Lab Publishes Paper and is Highlighted in the Journal Development

Ph.D. Defense Success for Lauren Kunselman!

Lauren Kunselman, a graduate student in the Department of Biology and mentored by Elaine Seaver, successfully defended her dissertation on October 29, 2025 and walked in the University of Florida doctoral graduation ceremony on December 12th. 

Seaver Lab Welcomes Kalie Januszkiewicz

Kalie will be working as a research technician in the Seaver Lab investigating how the putative stem cell cluster in Capitella teleta responds after amputation. 

Townsend Scholar Studies Signaling Pathway During Regeneration

I am so fortunate and grateful to have been selected as this year’s Townsend Scholar, as my combined experience from this summer and the summer prior in the Seaver Lab have truly inspired me to pursue higher education in this exciting field of research!

Ph.D. Defense Success for Alicia Boyd!

Alicia’s study utilized the segmented worm Capitella teleta, an animal whose juvenile and adult stages can regenerate multiple organs following transection.

Seaver Lab Hosts 2025 Townsend Scholar Priya Tomerlin

Priya’s project in the Seaver lab focuses on a molecular signaling pathway, called the ERK signaling pathway, and its potential role in promoting regeneration in the marine worm Capitella teleta.

Seaver Lab Publishes Paper in Developmental Biology

The Seaver Lab published a new paper entitled “Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes posterior axial regeneration in non-regenerative tissue of the annelid Capitella teleta” in the journal Developmental Biology. 

Dr. Emily Setton Receives Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology from the National Science Foundation

Dr. Emily Setton recently received a three year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology from the National Science Foundation.

Travel Awards Help Fund Trip to Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Conference

Congratulations to Alicia Boyd for receiving travel awards to fund her recent trip to the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Conference.

Instrumental to Science - Seaver Lab

This series, 'Instrumental to Science', gives a sampling of these 'high' and 'low' technologies that help Whitney biologists tease apart some of the most basic questions in biology research.

Seaver Lab Paper selected for Cover Image

The Seaver Lab's summer paper, that characterizes chaetal formation in the segmented worm Capitella teleta, made the cover image of the Journal of Morphology!

Seaver Lab welcomes Dr. Emily Setton

Dr. Setton recently joined the Seaver Lab as a Postdoctoral Associate. In Dr. Seaver's laboratory, she will be working on characterizing the putative multipotent stem cell cluster of this marine annelid using classical embryological, next generation sequencing, and gene manipulation techniques.

Lauren Kunselman - 2024 Matthaei Ecological Scholar

This summer Seaver Lab Graduate student Lauren Kunselman is investigating the mechanisms underlying the difference between successful and unsuccessful regeneration. This basic research study contributes to an understanding of animal characteristics that support success of annelids in the natural world of an intact ecosystem such as the Matanzas River Basin.

Seaver Lab Identifies New Structure in Segmented Worm Capitella teleta

A new paper from the Seaver Lab characterizes chaetal formation in the segmented worm Capitella teleta. The surprising finding from this morphological study was the identification of a transient glandular structure associated with the chaetae in larvae but not in adult animals.

Fluorescent micrograph by Alicia Boyd selected for the cover of Invertebrate Biology (December 2023 issue)

In this issue, Alicia Boyd and Elaine Seaver investigate anterior and posterior regeneration potential in C. teleta larvae.

Local marine worms gain the ability to regenerate little by little over time

UF Whitney Laboratory biologists show how a segmented marine worm found locally in muddy estuaries gradually gains the ability to regenerate during its life cycle. Their results highlight how developmental timing impacts the ability to regenerate missing tissues and structures, introducing a new angle on how regenerative abilities can change across time and hinting at potential mechanisms that could in theory be useful for switching regeneration on and off.

Dr. Elaine Seaver Keynote Speaker at SESDB 2023

The Southeast Regional Meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology will be September 29 - October 1 in Mobile, Alabama.

Dr. Elaine Seaver Receives Grant From National Science Foundation

This project utilizes the favorable properties of this marine animal to provide a unique opportunity to experimentally investigate the relationship between germline and somatic stem cells and emphasizes the value of studying a diversity of animals to understand major trends in animal evolution.

Dr. Elaine Seaver Participates in International Workshop in Copenhagen

Seaver initiated two new research collaborations as a result of this trip, and used her expertise to help both junior and established participants establish research priorities and problem solve technical challenges in each of their study animals.

Lauren Kunselman Publishes in Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Blog

Congratulations to Seaver Lab graduate student and sci comm blogger Lauren Kunselman for her recent blog post on Dr. Mikhail Matz's research on DNA methylation in invertebrates, "Epigenetics -Mikhail Matz- letting the data lead" for the blog affiliated with the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB).

Sifting through the mud: A tale of building the annelid Capitella teleta for EvoDevo studies

Congratulations to Dr. Elaine Seaver, Professor of Biology and Whitney Lab faculty, who published an article entitled ‘Sifting through the mud: A tale of building the annelid Capitella teleta for EvoDevo studies’. This special volume highlights emerging animal models for Evolution and Development research.

One segment at a time: Scientists at Whitney Laboratory study regeneration in marine worms

The research done by Boyd and Kunselman in the Seaver Lab represent important early steps for understanding the basic biological principles of regeneration and restoring regenerative potential when and where it has been lost.

Dr. Elaine Seaver and Dr. Danielle de Jong Publish Paper in Genes

Congratulations to Dr. Elaine Seaver and Dr. Danielle de Jong who recently published a paper in Genes entitled ‘Regeneration in the Segmented Annelid Capitella teleta'.