Eva Karasmanis, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Eva Karasmanis is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Physics & Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. Her research seeks to uncover the molecular principles that govern inter- and intracellular transport and cellular organization. She is particularly interested in how cells achieve precise spatial and temporal control over cargo delivery, and how defects in these processes contribute to human disease.
Her lab integrates approaches from cell biology and biophysics, combining live-cell microscopy, quantitative imaging, cryo-electron tomography, and biochemistry to investigate the organization and dynamics of intracellular trafficking systems. By elucidating the mechanisms that coordinate transport within and between cells, her work aims to reveal fundamental principles of cell physiology and their implications for disease.
Karasmanis obtained her BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. She completed her Ph.D. in Cell Biology at Drexel University in the laboratory of Dr. Elias Spiliotis, and her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego in the laboratory of Dr. Samara Reck-Peterson (HHMI Investigator), where she developed expertise in advanced imaging and quantitative approaches to studying cellular organization at the molecular level.
Specializations
The Karasmanis Lab studies the mechanisms of intra- and inter-cellular transport using structural, biophysical, cell biological, and genetic approaches. Research in the lab focuses on understanding how cellular cargo arrives at the right place and time and dissecting how motor-cargo complexes form and correctly navigate the cellular cytoskeleton landscape. The lab values scientific rigor, creativity, collaboration, mutual support, and fosters an environment where trainees and staff work closely together to develop new ideas, technologies, and experimental strategies.