Principle Investigator

Kelly Mulfaul received her Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, for her studies on the role of Toll like receptor signaling in retinal degeneration under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Doyle. She completed her Postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa Institute for Vision Research under the supervision of Dr. Budd Tucker and Dr. Robert Mullins. She joined the Department of Neurscience and Pharmacology in January of 2025. 

Postdoctoral Scholar

Adrianna joined the Mulfaul lab as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in summer 2026 after completing her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Iowa. She is broadly interested in studying macrophage function in ocular health and disease, and how these immune cells may contribute to the progression of AMD. 

Outside of work, Adrianna enjoys baking, rock climbing, or watching a movie at FilmScene. She also stays busy playing fetch with her dog, Tucker! 

Graduate Student

Zoë graduated from the University of Iowa in May of 2025 with a BS in Neuroscience and BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 

Zoë joined the Mulfaul lab as a graduate student in the Pharmacology Ph.D. Program in summer 2026. 

Outside the lab, Zoë enjoys painting, yoga, and spending time outside with her dog, Cici!

Graduate Student

Rachel graduated from the University of Iowa in 2023 with a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In her senior year she worked as an undergraduate researcher studying Uveal Melanoma metastasis in fish models.

In January 2024 Rachel joined the lab as a research assistant studying the role of chemokine CCL5 in early AMD. In Fall 2025, she joined the Mulfaul lab as a graduate student in the Pharmacology Ph.D. Program. 

Outside of lab Rachel likes to workout, read, hangout with friends, and go to music festivals/concerts.