Lynch Lab Staff

Thomas Lynch, PhD
Principal Investigator
Thomas.Lynch@NationwideChildrens.org

Thomas Lynch, PhD, is a principle investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Lynch is a basic science researcher with a focus on the foundational understanding of lung stem cells and their microenvironments, particularly within airway submucosal glands. Glands play important roles in clearing pathogens and their dysregulation is a hallmark feature of multiple human lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, asthma and chronic bronchitis. The Lynch Lab uses cutting-edge animal models to answer critical questions regarding lung regeneration. As a basic science researcher, Dr. Lynch's mission is to identify new fundamental paths to preserve and restore lung function, teach, train and mentor emerging scientists and physicians, and help make advances in science accessible to everyone.

Venicia Alhawach, PhD, is a postdoctoral scientist with a doctorate in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry currently working in Dr. Thomas Lynch’s laboratory. Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular processes underlying lung repair and regeneration as well as applying gene editing technologies to address complex biological challenges in airway epithelium. Our current project actively focuses on cystic fibrosis (CF) where we aim to characterize the role of LEF1, a transcription factor involved in stemness and differentiation of airway epithelial basal cells in enhancing the efficacy of gene editing therapies for CF.

Rebecca joined the Lynch Lab as a research associate in 2024. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Zoology at The Ohio State University and is a certified laboratory animal technologist by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. She assists in Lynch Lab’s translational research efforts using animal models to investigate lung development and diseases.

Sarah is a research intern in the Lynch Lab investigating lung development by using animal models to better understand lung diseases. In the summer of 2023, she shadowed and worked in the Kim Laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital where she studied Stem Cell Biology. She is currently a senior at Saint Francis DeSales High School and hopes to major in Biomedical Engineering.