STUDENTS
Current Students
The Department of Microbiology is home to a number of graduate students studying everything from small RNA's in viruses or bacteria to seroepidemiology of polyomaviruses and just about everything in-between. Students hail from around the country and from a variety of different backgrounds.
| Name (Matriculation Year) | Lab | |
| Thomas Carrillo (2024) | thomas.carrillo@cuanschutz.edu | Rotating |
| Sam Fulte (2024) | sam.fulte@cuanschutz.edu | Clark |
| Luke Hanson (2024) | luke.2.hanson@cuanschutz.edu | Ost |
| Megan Hupka (2024) | megan.hupka@cuanschutz.edu | Rotating |
| Roxanne McPeck (2024) | roxanne.mcpeck@cuanschutz.edu | Rotating |
| Nicole Messner (2024) | nicole.messner@cuanschutz.edu | Duerkop |
| Matthew Mondragon (2024) | matthew.a.mondragon@cuanschutz.edu | Rotating |
| Arianne "Ari" Crossen (2023) | Arianne.Crossen@CUAnschutz.edu | Doran |
| Ana Fairbanks- Mahnke (2023) | Ana.Fairbanks-Mahnke@CUAnschutz.edu | Clark |
| Sydney Hall (2023) | Sydney.2.Hall@CUAnschutz.edu | Horswill |
| Anna Sophia Leon (2023) | Anna-sophia.Leon@CUAnschutz.edu | Horswill |
| Charmie Vang (2023, BSP) | Charmie.vang@cuanschutz.edu | Ravi |
| Gabrie Vragel (2023) | Gabrielle.Vragel@CUAnschutz.edu | van Dyk |
| Jill Bilodeaux (2022) | Jill.Bilodeaux@CUAnschutz.edu | Hesselberth |
| Joanna Chau (2022) | Joanna.Chau@CUAnschutz.edu | Duerkop |
| Erin Fish (2022, MSTP) | Erin.Fish@CUAnschutz.edu | Morrison |
| Sarah Leach (2022) | Sarah.Leach@CUAnschutz.edu | Guthmiller |
| Elizabeth Nail (2022) | Elizabeth.Nail@CUAnschutz.edu | Keestra-Gounder |
| Jack O'Connor (2022, BSP) | John.2.Oconnor@CUAnschutz.edu | Lozupone |
| Grecia Rivera (2022) | Grecia.Rivera@CUAnschutz.edu | Theiss |
| Johnny Thorstenson (2022, BSP) | John.Thorstenson@CUAnschutz.edu | Horswill |
| Shelby Andersen (2021) | Shelby.Andersen@CUAnschutz.edu | Duerkop |
| Shirli Cohen (2021) | Shirli.Cohen@CUAnschutz.edu | Doran |
| Timothy Enroth (2021) | Timothy.Enroth@CUAnschutz.edu | Horswill |
| Alyx Job (2021) | Alyx.Job@CUAnschutz.edu | Doran |
| Amber Nguyen (2021) | Amber.Nguyen@CUAnschutz.edu | Horswill |
| Steven Shaw (2021) | Steven.C.Shaw@CUAnschutz.edu | Clark |
| Elena Wall (2021) | Elena.Wall@CUAnschutz.edu | Lozupone |
| Madeline Akbari (2020) | Madeline.Akbari@CUAnschutz.edu | Doran |
| Kaylee Mickens (2020) | Kaylee.Mickens@CUAnschutz.edu | Santiago/Wilson |
| Julie Raab (2020) | Julie.Raab@CUAnschutz.edu | Russo |
| Elizabeth Spear (2020) | Elizabeth.Spear@CUAnschutz.edu | Kieft/van Dyk |
Alumni
Alumni of the Microbiology PhD Program can be found in research labs and biotech companies around the country.
| Alumni (Year Graduated) | Next Position | Advisor | Research Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Burnet (2024) | Technical Writer at Flagship Biosciences | Nagel | EBV Reactivation: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Treatment |
| Dillon Donaghy (2024, MS) | Scientist at Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment | HSV-1 infection alters host metabolism through the disruption of the ETC associated with neurodegeneration | |
| Klara Keim (2024) | Horswill | The role of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation in chromic polymicrobial infections | |
| Joshua Kirsch (2024, BSP) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Duerkop | Dynamics of insertion sequence elements in gut bacteria |
| Cormac Lucas (2024) | Postdoctoral Fellow – University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill | Morrison | Protective and pathogenic roles of the scavenger receptor MARCO in Chikungunya virus pathogenesis and immunity |
| Laurie Lyon (2024) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Doran/Horswill | An investigation of factors mediating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus vaginal colonization |
| Emma Sheriff (2024) | Postdoctoral Fellow – University of Helsinki | Duerkop | Omics-driven insights on phage infection in Enterococcus faecalis |
| Krista Mills (2023) | Medical Writer at Alphabet Health, Ltd. | Horswill | The role of surface protein G (SasG) in Staphylococcus aureus healthy human skin colonization |
| Frances Li (2023) | Return to Medical School | Morrison | Defining MARCO-Virus Interactions that Determine Alphavirus Viremia |
| Monica Graham (2023) | Postdoctoral Researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Beckham | Targeting the Zika Virus DB-1 Structure for Attenuating Vaccine Design |
| Haider Manzer (2023) | Postdoctoral Fellow in the Zackular lab at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Doran | Characterizing the factors contributing to Group B and Streptococcus colonization and disease |
| Matt Szucs (2023) | Scientist, New England Biolabs | Kieft | Structured RNA elements in +ssRNA viruses |
| Joshua Frost (2023) | Postdoctoral Fellow- CU Anschutz | Tyler | Understanding the Pathogenesis of Enterovirus D68-Associated Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) |
| Brendan Monogue (2023) | Postdoctoral researcher with the Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerativ Erkrankungen (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany | Beckham | Mechanisms of alpha-synuclein dependent immune responses in the CNS |
| Casey Martin (2022) | Postdoctoral Fellow- CU Anschutz | Lozupone | Disturbance, Recovery, and Dynamics of the gut microbiota |
| Ashley Knox (2022) | Medical Writer at Prime Global | Van Dyk | Transcriptional regulation of Gammaherpesvirus non-coding RNAs |
| Cydney Johnson (2022) | Postdoctoral Fellow – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | Duerkop | Mechanisms of bacteriophage resistance in Enterococcus faecalis |
| Hadrian Sparks (2022) | Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Strasbourg in France | Beckham | Zika virus sub-genomic RNAs |
| Jonathan Mendez (2022, MS) | Associate Scientist II at Mosaic Biosciences | Keestra-Gounder | Salmonella infection and ER stress |
| Morgan Severn (2022) | Postdoctoral fellow - Julia Oh lab at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine | Horswill | Staphylococcal quorum sensing interference in skin colonization resistance |
| Rachel Neve (2022) | Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School | Phelan | Secondary metabolite production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
| Sarah Stonedahl (2022) | Working in the Christine O’Conner lab at the Cleveland Clinic | Tyler | Microglia during West Nile virus infections of the central nervous system |
| Norhan Alhajjar (2021) | Associate Principle Investigator at Inotiv | Doran | Characterizing vaginal colonization by Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus agalactiae |
| Ricardo Villarreal (2021) | Medical School - CU Anschutz | Doran | Barrier function and immune modulation during Group B Streptococcal meningitis |
| Frank Santoriello (2021) | Postdoctoral Fellow - Princeton University | Pukatzki | Horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of the Type VI secretion system in pandemic Vibrio cholerae |
| Hailey Kinsland (2020, MS) | Substitute Teacher | Phelan | Chemical ecology of environmental and host-derived microbiome communities |
| Sarah Born (2020) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Voskuil | Ribosomal RNA as a biomarker for effective Mycobacterial treatment |
| Zoe O'Donoghue (2020) | AAAS Science and Policy Fellowship | Kieft | Structure-function relationships of pathogenically relevant flaviviral RNAs |
| Gabriela Samayoa-Reyes (2020) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Rochford | Determinants of Plasmodium falciparum liver stage infection: receptors, innate immunity and host genetics |
| Christopher Covey (2020) | Clinical Research Associate, Medpace, Inc. | Voskuil | The impact of iron and copper homeostasis on clofazimine activity and consequences for mycobacterial treatment |
| Ari Simenauer (2020) | Postdoctoral Fellow - National Jewish Health | Cota-Gomez | HIV-Tat mediation of redox sensitive transcription factors in pulmonary vascular cells |
| Abigail Armstrong (2019) | Postdoctoral Fellow - Rutgers University | Lozupone | Gut microbiome composition in individuals infected with HIV and high-risk men who have sex with men |
| Kathleen Arnolds (2019) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Lozupone | Mechanisms of capsular polysaccharide communication with the host in intestinal Bacteroides |
| Jennifer Berger (2019) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Van Dyk | Gammaherpesvirus infection and host immune interactions |
| Scott Seitz (2019) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Boston | Ken Tyler | The intracellular and extracellular innate immune response to flaviviral infection of the central nervous system |
| Joseph Westrich (2018) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Colorado State University | Dohun Pyeon 7 | Dysregulation of the host immune response by the human papillomavirus oncoprotein E |
| Liam Fitzsimmons (2018) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Rocky Mountain Laboratories | Andres Vazquez-Torres | Nucleotide Metabolism in Salmonella Pathogenesis |
| Alexander Little (2018) | Principle Scientist at Green Genomix | Michael Schurr | The Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgZR two-component system: Expression, responsiveness, control of iron acquisition and impact on virulence |
| Zane Jaafar (2017) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Stanford University | Jeffrey Kieft | Viral Internal Ribosome entry Site (IRES)-Mediated Manipulation of Translation Preinitiaiton Complexes and the Consequences for Non-Canonical Translation |
| David Hawman (2016) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Lab of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories | Tem Morrison | Viral and Host Determinants of Chikungunya Virus Persistence |
| Katherine Shives (2016) | Scientist – Sartorius Stedim North America, Inc. | J. David Beckham | MTOR Complex 1 regulates translation initiation events of (+)-sense RNA viruses |
| Natalie Herrera (2014 M.S) | Professional Research Assistant – CU Anschutz | Eric Poeschla | Investigating the role of RNA dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp) as an antiviral therapeutic |
| Cody Warren (2016) | Postdoctoral Fellow – CU Boulder | Dohun Pyeon | Roles of Interferon Stimulated Genes in Human Papillomavirus Infection and Cancer Progression |
| Kalani Halemano (2015) | Software Developer/Designer Sykes Enterprises, Inc. | Mario Santiago | The Role of APOBEC3 in the Neutralizing Antibody Response to Friend Retrovirus Infection |
| Sam Li (2015) | Postdoctoral Fellow - CU Anschutz | Mario Santiago | The Role of Tetherin/BST-2 in retroviral infection in vivo |
| Daphne Cooper (2015) | Postdoctoral Fellow – University of Nevada | Dave Barton | The Detection of Ribonuclease Cleavage Sites in Host and viral RNAs during Viral Infections |
| Laura Griffin (2014) | Consultant – BioMed Bridge, LLC | Dohun Pyeon | Virus-host interactions that modulate human papillomavirus infection in human keratinocytes |
| Toni Schwartz (2014) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Caroline Kulesza | Molecular Investigation of the MCMV 7.2 kb IncRNA: A Viral Persistence Factor |
| Christopher Abraham (2014) | Postdoctoral Fellow – CU Anschutz | Caroline Kulesza | Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 & Cytomegalovirus Infection |
| Chad Austin (2014) | NBBTP Fellow, NIH, National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program | Martin Voskuil | The role of colony variation in stomach colonization by Burkholderia pseudomallei |
| Yuta Okkotsu (2013) | Research Associate – CU Anschutz | Michael Schurr | Pseudomonas aeruginosa response regulator AlgR modulates rhamnolipid production in a phosphorylation dependent manner. |
| Henri Jupille (2013) | Postdoctoral Fellow – Pasteur Institute | Tem Morrison | Identification of a viral determinant of virulence in Ross River virus that modulates viral replication and fitness in disparate hosts. |
| Elisabeth Bowers (2013) | Homemaker | Ed Janoff | Impaired Somatic Hypermutation and Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Expression and Function During HIV-1 Infection |
| Iona Bartek (2012) | Postdoctoral Fellow – CU Anschutz | Martin Voskuil | Mechanisms of M. tuberculosis DNA protection during dormancy |
| Rachel Leistikow (2012) | Assistant Professor, Platt School of Nursing | Martin Voskuil | Tuberculosis DosR regulon and metabolism under oxygen-restricted conditions |
| Jennifer Mahaffey (2012 M.S.) | Professional Research Assistant – CU Anschutz | Andres Vazquez-Torres | Molecular and functional characterization of the redox active SsrB response regulator in Salmonella pathogenesis |
| Calvin Henard (2012) | Postdoctoral Fellow – University of Texas Medical Branch | Andres Vazquez-Torres | DksA-mediated Resistance of Salmonella against Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress |
| Stephanie Schittone (2011) | Adjunct Faculty (Biology) – Red Rocks Community College | Ken Tyler | Mechanisms of virus induced motor neuron injury and treatment of viral myelitis |
| Jens Eberlein (2011) | Postdoctoral Fellow – CU Anschutz | Dirk Homann | Maturation of T cell memory |
| Heather Berens Norman (2011 PhD, 2013 MD) | Returned to Medical School, Resident Physician Internal Med CU Anschutz | Ken Tyler | Roles of the Bcl-2 family proteins and the intrinsic pathway in reovirus-induced apoptosis in the central nervous system |
| Jenn R. Honda (2010) | Tenured Associate Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler | Inaugural Director, Center for Mycobacterial Treatment and Discovery | John Chapman Endowed Chair in Microbiology | Sonia Flores | |
| Rhea Miller-May (2010) | Research Scientist, Sharklet Inc. | Michael Vasil | Investigation of lipid chemotaxis by Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
| Teresa Dominguez (2010 MS) | Research Associate, CU Anschutz | Dave Barton | Cell Death and Enterovirus Release |
| Jacinta Cooper (2010 PhD, 2012 MD) | Resident Physician, Cincinnati Children’s | Amy Barton/Ed Janoff | Cellular substrates for herpesvirus Us3 and mucosal immunity to Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| Jaime Kean (2010) | Clinical Program Manager, Covidien | Hau-Chern Jan | Biology of the lymphotropic polyomavirus |
| Ryan Honaker (2010) | Principle Scientist, EpiBiome | Martin Voskuil | Signals for induction and the functionality of the dormancy regulon in M. tuberculosis |
| William Cody (2010) | Assistant Professor, University of Dallas | Michael Schurr | The role of AlgZ in HCN production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
| Kevin Diebel (2010) | Postdoctoral Fellow, CU Anschutz | Linda van Dyk | Biogenesis and biological functions of the gammaherpesvirus 68 encoded microRNAs |
| Zachary Wilson (2010 M.S.) | Assistant Biosafety Officer, CU Anschutz | Michael Vasil | Iron Regulates the Expression of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Ferric Uptake Regulator |
| David Revelli (2009) | Postdoctoral Fellow, NIAID Rocky Mountains Laboratory | Michael Vasil | Characterization of the non-hemolytic Phospholipase C of Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
| Hannah Townsand (2008) | Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan | Dave Barton | A phylogenetically conserved RNA structure within the poliovirus 3C ORF competitively inhibits the antiviral ribonuclease L |
| Travis Bourret (2008) | Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health | Andres Vazquez-Torres | The PhoPQ two-component regulatory system: at the cross roads of nitrosative stress and Salmonella pathogenesis |
| Megan Howard (2008) | Postdoctoral Fellow, CU Boulder | Kathryn Holmes | Function of SARS coronavirus spike glycoprotein |
| Benjamin Steil (2008) | Postdoctoral Fellow, Global Vaccines | Dave Barton | Poliovirus RNA replication |
| Mary Smith (2008) | Senior Fellow, Department of Global Health, University of Washington | Kathryn Holmes | Human Coronavirus-Receptor Interactions |
| Laura Brown (2004 PhD, 2008 MD) | Returned to Medical School then was a General Surgery Resident University of Michigan | Robert Garcea | Chaperones in assembly and disassembly of polyoma and papillomaviruses |
| Erin Buckingham (2007) | Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Iowa | Linda van Dyk | Viral gene expression in gamma-herpesvirus latency |
| Lisa Williams (2007) | Technical Sales Consultant, Mitenyi Biotec | Linda van Dyk | Cell Cycle Inhibitors in Control of Chronic Gammaherpesvirus 68 Infection |
| Danielle Sentz (2007) | Postdoctoral Fellow, College of Medicine Pennsylvania State University | Randall Holmes | Characterizing Interactions of Cholera Toxin and ARF |
| Jennifer Spinler (2006) | Instructor, Baylor College of Medicine | Randall Holmes | Characterization of the DtxR regulon in C. diphtheriae |
| Adam Barker (2006) | Scientist, University of Utah | Mike Vasil | The Role of Phospholipases in Chemotaxis P. aeruginosa |
| Matthew Lyman (2005) | Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University | Bruce Banfield | Analysis of the Pseudorabies Virus Tegument Proteins US3, VP22, and US2 |
| Martin Stonehouse (2004) | Deceased | Mike Vasil | Mechanism and biological role of calcium binding chaperone of the hemolytic phospholipase C of P. aeruginosa |
| Amanda Clase (2004) | Advisor, US Department of Defense | Bruce Banfield | Herpesvirus infection in the developing nervous system |
| Brian Turner (2004) | Research Instructor Stem Cell Biology, CU Anschutz | Kathryn Holmes | |
| Larissa Thackray (2003) | Assistant Professor of Pathology, Washington University | Kathryn Holmes | Effects of mutations in the spike glycoprotein of human coronavirus 229E on receptor specificity |
| Sarah Burns-Richardson (2003) | Director of Research and Development, Biotectix | Ken Tyler | Apoptosis in viral infection of the central nervous system and primary neuronal culture |
| Kenneth Murray (2003) | Assistant Professor Biology, Florida International University | Dave Barton | Poliovirus RNA Replication |