Prof. Jeffrey E. Barrick 🐋Associate Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Fellow of the Lorene Morrow Kelley Professorship in Microbiology (01/2011–present)B.S. Chemistry, Caltech Ph.D. Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University Postdoc, Michigan State University Twitter: @barricklab Prof. Barrick has a longstanding interest in fundamental and applied studies of molecular and microbial evolution. He is currently interested in intersections between those topics, synthetic biology, and entomology. He is an avid if plodding swimmer and enjoys the "classics" of literature, including a certain 19th century American novel involving a monomaniacal fascination with an albino cetacean. |
Prof. Dennis Mishler ⚔Assistant Professor of Practice and Research Educator for the Freshman Research Initiative (04/2013–present)B.S. Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at San Diego Ph.D. Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University Postdoc Emory University Dr. Mishler leads the "Microbe Hackers" undergraduate research lab and co-advises the UT Austin iGEM team with Professor Barrick. The Microbe Hackers most recent research has focused on "Caffeinated Coli", including a 2019 publication in AEM, among other projects. He is super proud of all of his students, but wants to give a shout out to the 2019 iGEM team members who were recognized with a Best Measurement award this past fall. Prior to coming to UT Austin, he worked in the fields of pre-mRNA splicing and synthetic riboswitches. He is an avid gamer and can be found regularly playing games throughout Austin. He annually attends the World Boardgaming Championships, where his main games include Here I Stand and Sekigahara |
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Dr. Daniel Deatherage ✅Research Associate (09/2011–present)B.S. Biochemistry, University of Evansville Ph.D. Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology, The Ohio State University Dan’s exposure to Illumina sequencing data in his graduate work on ovarian cancer has morphed into an interest in using next generation sequencing data to answer questions about evolution and synthetic biology in microbes. Dan is always exploring ways of using non-standard library preparation techniques to get extra data from NGS data to do such things as lower error rates and limits of variant detection, increase coverage of variant regions, and replace laborious assays with NGS workflows. Recently published work on selecting for microbes with lower-than-natural mutation rates has encompassed many of these methods. He looks forward to publishing another such study involving tracking evolution at low frequencies soon. In his spare time Dan wonders if his listening to audiobooks counts as having “read” 100s of books per year, or reading zero books per year. |
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Elizabeth Robinson 🐺Research Associate (06/2021–present)B.S. Honors Biology, University of Texas at Austin B.A. Humanities Honors, The University of Texas at Austin Twitter: @EBCRobinson Email: elizabethDOTrobinsonATaustinDOTutexasDOTedu Elizabeth is broadly interested in what genes make living things function and using that information to help society. She is currently investigating dsRNA expression in bees, symbionts in leafhoppers, and brochosomes as antimicrobials. When she isn't in lab, she's teaching creative writing classes, worldbuilding, reading, looking up random anthropology/psychology/philosophy topics, or singing way too loudly. |
Kate Elston 🐿Microbiology Graduate Student (05/2017-present)B.S. Molecular and Cellular Biology, Texas A&M University Email: kelston18ATutexasDOTedu Kate's main focus is on how we can use synthetic biology tools to manipulate the relationships between the bacteria and their host insects. Currently, she works with aphids and their gut symbiont and thinks about ways to change their impact on food security. In her free time you can find her two-stepping, obsessively completing crossword puzzles, and pursuing artistic endeavors. |
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Julie Perreau 🦀Microbiology Graduate Student jointly advised with Nancy Moran (05/2017-present)B.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida M.S. Evolutionary Biology, MEME program Twitter: @jmaperreau Email: jmaperreauATgmailDOTcom Julie's research is focused on identifying molecular mechanisms used to initiate and maintain symbiotic interactions between bacteria and aphids. In her spare time, Julie goes on trail runs with her dog Tuna, dances country swing, and takes care of her backyard chickens. |
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Matt McGuffie 🦗Microbiology Graduate Student (05/2018-present)B.S. Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Michigan M.S. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Twitter: @matt_mcguffie Email: mmcguffiATgmailDOTcom Matt is broadly interested in synthetic biology, basic bacteriology, and data science/visualization. Previously, Matt studied bacterial biofilms and phages, and he is currently examining the evolutionary failure of genetic devices. In his time outside of lab, he likes to obsessively accumulate hobbies including, but not limited to: guitar, rock climbing, gardening, mushroom farming, insect rearing, scuba diving, and backpacking. |
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Cameron Roots 🦊Biochemistry Graduate Student (05/2020–present)B.S. Biochemistry; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Washington Post-baccalaureate Certificate, National Institutes of Health Twitter: @_croots Email: crootsATutexasDOTedu Cameron is exploring techniques, results, and implications of bacteriophage engineering. His past work was in mitochondria systems genetics and cell-machine interfacing. Ultimately, Cameron would like to work towards synthetic biology as a system to solve human-derived problems like diabetes and pollution through contributing research, policy, or outreach. He has too many hobbies, but some highlights include Dungeons and Dragons, playing guitar, and running. |
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Victor Li 🐖Microbiology Graduate Student (05/2021–present)B.S. Human Biology; University of California San Diego Email: livictorATutexasDOTedu Victor is interested in synthetic biology and evolution. His previous work was in phage evolution and ecology. His current work is on evolution and genetic stability in phage and bee gut symbionts. Victor is taking up cooking but still ends up ordering take out far too often. |
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