MICaB Alumni
Degrees Awarded (By Year)
Advisor: Branden Moriarty
Thesis: "Engineering Human Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Therapy"
Advisor: Kris Hogquist
Thesis: "Constitutive type I/III interferon production in the thymus changes thymic self-antigen presentation"
Senguen "Thera" Lee, Ph.D., October 2020
Thesis: "Defining the distinct functional roles of hematopoietic and stromal antigen presenting cells in thymus"
Advisor: Tom Griffith
Thesis: "Impaired Antigen Specific CD4 T Cell-Mediated Immunity After Sepsis"
Advisor: David Masopust
Thesis: "Expansive residence decentralizes immune homeostasis"
Tucker, Christopher, Ph.D., August 2020
Advisor: Brian Fife
Thesis: "The Divergent Role of Co-receptors and Cytokines in the Immune Response to Cancer and Self"
Position: Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Fazzino, Lisa, Ph.D., July 2020
Advisor: Will Harcombe
Thesis: "Bacteriophage in Cross-feeding Bacterial Cocultures: Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences"
Position: Technology Specialist for Life Sciences, St. Paul, MN
White, Dylan, Ph.D., July 2020
Advisor: Anna Tischler
Thesis: "Investigating the RegX3-Dependent Regulation of Protein Release from Mycobacterium tuberculosis"
Position: Grant Manager, Superior Medical Experts
Lucas, Sarah, Ph.D., July 2020
Advisor: Ryan Hunter
Thesis: "Bacterial communities associated with chronic rhinosinusitis and the impact of mucin degradation on Staphylococcus aureus physiology"
Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Schloss Lab, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Perez-Kervliet, Carlos, MD/Ph.D., July 2020
Advisor: Carol Lange
Thesis: "Post-translationally Modified Glucocorticoid Receptors and Protein Tyrosine Kinase 6 Modulate Triple Negative Breast Cancer Phenotypes"
Position: Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Zhao, Xianda, Ph.D., June 2020
Advisor: Subbaya Subramanian
Thesis: "Regulation of Anti-tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy Response in Colorectal Cancer"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Subramanian lab, University of Minnesota
Robinson, Serina, Ph.D., May 2020
Advisor: Larry Wacket
Thesis: "Microbial biosynthesis of β-lactone natural products
From mechanisms to machine learning"
Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Advisor: Dr. Jörn Piel, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Kees, Eric, Ph.D., August 2019
Advisor: Jeff Gralnick
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Trinity Hamilton lab, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Advisor: Kris Hogquist
Thesis: "Evaluating thymocyte negative selection within the polyclonal population"
Position: Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
McCann, Jennifer, Ph.D., August 2019
Advisor: Reuben Harris
Thesis: "Regulation of APOBEC3B via Interacting Proteins"
Position: Associate Consultant at Lumanity, Denver, NC
Walsh, Daniel, Ph.D., July 2019
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis: "The Functional Requirement for CD69 in Establishment of Resident Memory CD8+ T Cells Varies with Tissue Location"
Position: Law Clerk at Klarquist Sparkman, LLP, Minneapolis, MN
Advisor: Tony Baughn
Thesis: "Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis intrinsic resistance mechanisms to potentiate antitubercular drug action"
Position: Senior Research Scientist at Promega Corporation, St. Paul, MN
Advisor: Anna Tischler
Thesis: "Genes involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis persistence"
Position: APHL/CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Fellow, Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Lab
Cheng, Adam, Ph.D., June 2019
Advisor: Reuben Harris
Thesis: "Counteraction of APOBEC3 Proteins by Herpesvirus Ribonucleotie Reductases"
Position: Resident Physician at University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Advisor: Martina Bazzaro
Thesis: "UNC-45A is a Novel Microtubule Destabilizing Protein and Regulator of Paclitaxel Sensitivity in Ovarian Cancer"
Position: President and Director of Grants, Superior Medical Experts
Adamowicz, Elizabeth, Ph.D., May 2019
Advisor: Will Harcombe
Thesis: "Breaking the weakest link: ecology and evolution of antibiotic tolerance in cross-feeding bacterial communities"
Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Ran Blekhman lab, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Reyes, Germán Vélez, Ph.D., May 2019
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "Transposon Mutagenesis and CRISPR/Cas9 Screening Reveal Pathways Driving Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors"
Position: Physician Scientist at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Meier, Lee, Ph.D., May 2019
Advisor: Bryce Binstadt
Thesis: "Defining Mechanisms of Inflammation and Fibrosis in Cardiac Valve Disease"
Position: Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Advisor: Tony Baughn
Thesis: "The mechanistic basis of para-aminosalicylic acid selectivity reveals antifolate drug interactions"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Borden Lacy lab, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Single cell analysis of bacterial communication and gene transfer by Enterococcus faecalis"
Position: Analytical Project Lead, Histology at MLM Medical Labs, St. Paul, MN
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "CD4+ T cell differentiation and help to B cells"
Position: Postdoctoral Scholar, Cyster lab, University of California San Francisco, CA
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "The role of T cell receptor affinity in CD4+ T cell differentiation"
Position: Postdoctoral fellow, Vance lab, UC Berkeley, CA
Advisor: Brian Fife
Thesis: "Programmed death-1 restrains islet-specific lymphocytes in type 1 diabetes"
Position: Parker Scholar at Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA
Advisor: Amy Skubitz
Thesis: "Optimization of mass spectrometry-based proteomic identification of ovarian cancer biomarkers from residual pap test samples"
Advisor: Tim Starr
Thesis: "Characterization of TM9SF2 and WAC as novel colorectal cancer driver genes"
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "Sleeping Beauty insertional mutagenesis reveals FOXR2 as an important driver in nervous system tumorigenesis"
Position: Clinical Evidence Specialist at Medtronic, Forest Lake, MN
Advisor: Vaiva Vezys
Thesis: "Function and utility of self-specific CD8 T cells"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Advisors: Ryan Hunter/Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Effects of deletion mutations in aguA on fitness and survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis isolates"
Position: Senior Scientist, Merck, Rahway, NJ
Advisor: Jakub Tolar
Thesis: "Regulation of Type VII Collagen in Patients with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa"
Position: Scientist at LifeEDIT, Durham, NC
Advisor: Vaiva Vezys
Thesis: "Visualizing CD8+ T cell responses to foreign and self-antigen"
Position: Principal Scientist at Stealth NewCo, Cambridge, MA
Advisor: Kaylee Schwertfeger
Thesis: "STAT5 Signaling in Macrophages Regulates Mammary Gland Development and Tumorigenesis"
Position: Instructor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
Advisor: Reuben Harris
Thesis: "Converging functions of APOBEC enzymes in viral infections and cancer"
Position: Stadtman Investigator at National Cancer Institute, Washington DC
Advisor: Ameeta Kelekar
Thesis: "Metabolic adaptations in proliferating cells and cancer"
Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of California, Irvine
Advisor: Anna Tischler
Thesis: "Regulation of the ESX-5 Secretion System of Mycobacterium tuberculosis"
Position: Senior Scientist, Scientific Affairs at DiaSorin Molecular LLC, Stillwater, MN
Advisor: Daniel Mueller
Thesis: "Analysis of Adenosine 2a Receptors During the Immune Recognition of Foreign and Self-Antigens"
Position: Senior Translational Scientist at Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Diego, CA
Advisor: Tony Baughn
Thesis: "Exploring the mechanism by which pyrazinamide exerts its antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis"
Position: Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Dallas
Advisor: Jeff Gralnick
Thesis: "Interactions with iron: Ferrous iron transport and resistance in Shewanella oneidensisstrain MR-1"
Position: Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Southern California, Pasadena, CA
Chuntova, Pavlina, Ph.D., October 2016
Advisor: Kaylee Schwertfeger
Thesis: "Contributions of STAT3 to tumor and immune cell functions in breast cancer"
Position: Postdoctoral scholar (Hideho Okada lab), University of California, San Francisco
Smith, Michelle, Ph.D., September 2016
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Mechanisms of thymic involution and therapies to prevent or treat the loss of thymic epithelial cells"
Position: Director, R&D Strategy at Moderna, Boston, MA
Shabani, Estela, Ph.D., September 2016
Advisor: Chandy John
Thesis: "Identifying parasite virulence factors and host genetic and immunologic factors that contribute to severe malarial outcomes in Ugandan children"
Position: Scientist II, Editing and Discovery at Verve Therapeutics, Boston, MA
Angelos, Mat, MD/Ph.D., September 2016
Advisor: Dan Kaufman
Thesis: "Mechanismis of early hemato-endothelial development from human pluripotent stem cells"
Position: Resident Physician at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Yao, Chen, Ph.D., August 2016
Advisor: Daniel Kaplan
Thesis: “The Function of Skin Resident Dendritic Cells in CD4+ T Cell Differentiation”
Position: Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Steinert, Elizabeth, Ph.D., August 2016
Advisor: Dave Masopust
Thesis: "Evaluating memory CD8 T cell quantity, distribution and migration"
Position: Research Associate at Northwestern Medicine Immunologist, Chicago, IL
McDonald-Hyman, Cameron, MD/Ph.D., August 2016
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Methods to enhance the efficacy of regulatory T-cell therapies for acute and chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease"
Position: MD, PhD Resident Physician at University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Crabtree, Juliet, Ph.D., June 2016
Advisor: Erik Peterson
Thesis: The function of PTPN22 and the autoimmune risk variant LypW in immune responses to vaccination:
Position: Senior Scientist at eGenesis, Inc., Framingham, MA
Regan Anderson, Tarah, Ph.D., June 2016
Advisor: Carol Lange
Thesis: "Regulation of breast tumor kinase (Brk) expression by stress-sensing pathways in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Kashem, Sakeen, MD/Ph.D., May 2016
Advisor: Dan Kaplan
Thesis: "Immunity against Candida albicans skin infections"
Position: Resident Physician, Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco
Nomura, Alice, Ph.D., April 2016
Advisor: Ashok Saluja
Thesis: "Molecular Mechanisms of Stemness and Invasion in Pancreatic Cancer"
Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Technical University, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Kaleker, Lokeshchandra (Lucky), Ph.D., March 2016
Advisor: Daniel Mueller
Thesis: "The role of anergy in peripheral tolerance"
Position: Senior Scientist at eGenesis, Inc., Boston, MA
Wiesner, Darin, Ph.D., September 2015
Advisors: Kirsten Nielsen and Paul Bohjanen
Thesis: "Induction, Regulation, and Consequences of Type-2 Helpe T Cells Responses to Pulmonary Fungal Infection"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (Bruce Klein lab), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Levar, Caleb, Ph.D., September 2015
Advisor: Daniel Bond
Thesis: "Redox potential dependent respiration by Geobacter sulfurreducens"
Position: Brewer, Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Minneapolis, MN
Cabrera-Perez, Javier, MD/Ph.D., August 2015
Advisor: Tom Griffith
Thesis: "Examining helper T-cell recovery after sepsis"
Position: Allergy/Immunology Fellow, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston, MA
Leonard, Brandon, Ph.D., August 2015
Advisor: Reuben Harris
Thesis: "Regulation of APOBEC3B Catalyzed Mutation in Ovarian Cancer"
Position: Principal Scientific Researcher - Antibody Engineering, San Francisco, CA
Diep, Caroline, Ph.D., August 2015
Advisor: Carol Lange
Thesis: "Progesterone Receptor Isosform Signaling in Ovarian Cancer Cell Senescence
Position: Senior Research Scientist, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Thesis: Salmonella enterica Typhimurium as a tumor-targeting immunotherapy vector"
Position: Associate Director, Translational Immunology at HiberCell, Minneapolis, MN
Dunmire, Samantha, Ph.D., July 2015
Advisor: Kristin Hogquist
Thesis: Immunological responses during the incubation period and acute phase of naturally acquired primary Epstein-Barr virus infection"
Position: Scientist at Luminary Therapeutics, Minneapolis, MN
Weingarden, Alexa, Ph.D., July 2015
Advisors: Michael Sadowsky and Alex Khoruts
Thesis: "Mechanisms of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Development of Novel Therapies for Clostridium difficile Infection"
Position: Fellow in Gastroenterology, Stanford University, Department of Medicine, Translational Investigator Program
Katerndahl, Casey, Ph.D., July 2015
Advisor: Michael Farrar
Thesis: "The balance of STAT5 and NFkB or IKAROS at enhancer networks dictates progenitor B cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation"
Position: Postdoctoral Scholar at Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Herrera, Jeremy, Ph.D., June 2015
Advisor: Peter Bitterman
Thesis: "Pathological extracellular matrix suppressed microRNA-29 at the level of microRNA processing in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis"
Position: Doctor of Philosophy, Manchester, United Kingdom
Sanders, Leon, M.S., May 2015
Advisor: Steve Rice
Thesis: "A cell-type dependent growth defect in HSV-1 ICP27 mutants"
Position: Medical student at LSU, New Orleans, LA
Brand, Lucas, Ph.D., April 2015
Advisor: Scott Dehm
Thesis: "Therapeutic targeting of intrinsically disordered androgen receptor functional domain in prostate cancer"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
Schenkel, Jason, Ph.D., November 2014
Advisor: Dave Masopust
Thesis: "The distribution and function of resident memoroy CD8 T cells"
Position: Instructor in Pathology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Welty, Nathan, MD/Ph.D., September 2014
Advisor: Dan Kaplan
Thesis: "In vivo functions of intestinal dendritic cells"
Position: Resident (Internal Medicine, PSTP), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Kotloski, Nicholas, Ph.D., September 2014
Advisor: Jeff Gralnick
Thesis: "Export and role of flavin electron shuttles in Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1"
Position: Biological Scientist at Pacific Architects and Engineers, Washington, DC
Conboy, Caitlin, MD/Ph.D., September 2014
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "R-spondin 2 drives Wnt signaling and tumorigenesis in multiple tissues"
Position: Resident (Internal Medicine, Research Track), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Flynn, Ryan, Ph.D., August 2014
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "B cells, T follicular helpers, and germinal centers as facilitators of chronic Graft-versus-Host disease"
Position: Medical Science Associate Director at Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Mahmud, Shawn, Ph.D., July 2014
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Thesis: "TNF receptor superfamily costimulation drives thymic Treg development and repertoire selection"
Position: Pediatric Rheumatology Fellow, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Nelson, Ryan, Ph.D., June 2014
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "The origin and function of a large naive CD4+ T cell population"
Position: Resident (Pediatrics), Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
James, Britnie, Ph.D., June 2014
Advisor: Tom Griffith
Thesis: "Ad5-TRAIL/CpG Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma"
Position: Medical Science Liaison, Incyte, Wilmington, DE
O'Donnell, Hope, Ph.D., June 2014
Advisor: Stephen McSorley
Thesis: "Eliciting Th1 effector functions: A mechanism and role for innate amplification of the Th1 response during infection"
Position: Scientist, Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp., San Francisco, CA
Litterman, Adam, Ph.D., April 2014
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "Overcoming obstacles in glioma immunotherapy"
Position: Senior Scientist II, ArsenalBio, San Francisco, CA
Hall, Jeffrey, Ph.D., March 2014
Advisor: Yinduo Ji
Thesis: "Regulation of Anti-phagocytosis Virulence Factors by the Essential YhcSR Two-component System of Staphylococcus aureau"
Position: Director of Research and Development at Vetanco USA, St. Paul, MN
Anderson, Kristin, Ph.D., March 2014
Advisor: David Masopust
Thesis: "Essential discrimination of vascular and tissue lymphocytes redefines CD8 T cell responses to respiratory infection"
Position: Senior Research Associate at University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
Skinner, Nicole, MD/Ph.D., October 2013
Advisor: Chris Pennell
Thesis: "The effect of prolonged gene expression on DNA vaccine efficacy"
Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins Division of Infectious Diseases
Rathe, Susan, Ph.D., September 2013
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "A study of chemotherapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota (Largaespada lab), Minneapolis, MN
Pauken, Kristen, Ph.D., July 2013
Advisor: Brian Fife
Thesis: "The inhibitory receptor PD-1 differentially regulates effector and anergic autoreactive CD4+ T cells during Type 1 Diabetes"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (Sharpe Lab), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Mehta, Misha, Ph.D., July 2013
Advisor: Daniel Bond
Thesis: "Molecular Mechanism of Metal Respiration by Geothrix fermentans"
Position: Principal Scientist II at Roche Molecular Solutions, San Francisco, CA
Skon-Hegg, Cara, Ph.D., July 2013
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis:" KLF2's role in T cell trafficking and retention in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues"
Position: Research Scientist 6, Griffith Lab, University of MN
Nanton, Minelva, MD/Ph.D., July 2013
Advisors: Stephen McSorley and Chandy John
Thesis: "Protective B cell Responses During Salmonella Infection"
Position: Family Medicine, Brooklyn Park Clinic and Pharmacy, Brooklyn Park, MN
Zumwalde, Nicholas, Ph.D., April 1, 2013
Advisor: Yoji Shimizu
Thesis: "The Role of ICAM-1 Mediated T cell: T cell Interactions on CD8+ T cell Effector Function and Differentiation"
Position: Faculty Associate, Dept. of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Veenstra, Rachelle, Ph.D., January 2013
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Tim-3/Gal-9 and B7-H3 pathways act as negative regulators of acute Graft versus Host Disease"
Position: Senior Project Manager, Medical Informatics & Feasibility, PRA Health Sciences, Raleigh, NC
Gomez, Jose, Ph.D., December 2012
Advisor: Vitaly Polunovsky
Thesis: "hTERT-mediated immortalization of human mammary epithelial cells promotes clonal diversity, resistance to Ras-induced premature senescence and pro-neoplastic phenotype"
Position:
Rodriguez, Mariangellys, Ph.D., December 2012
Advisor: David Potter
Thesis: "Cytochrome P450 1A1 regulates breast cancer cell proliferation and survival"
Position: Editor, Science on the Fly blog, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Tokyo, Japan
Lowman, Xazmin, Ph.D., November 2012
Advisor: Ameeta Kelekar
Thesis: "A novel role for the pro-apoptotic protein Noxa in survival and glucose metaabolism"
Position: Scientist, Karma Biotechnologies, Irvine, CA
Schulz, Wade, MD/Ph.D., October 2012
Advisor: Leslie Schiff
Thesis: “Cellular Determinants of Reovirus Entry and Infection”
Position: Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and computational health care researcher at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Barnes, Aaron, Ph.D., October 2012
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Ultrastructural analysis of the extracellular matrix in early Enterococcus faecalisbiofilms"
Position: Postdoc, Microbiology (Dunny lab), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Knorr, David, MD/Ph.D., September 2012
Advisor: Dan Kaufman
Thesis: “Engineering Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Enhanced Lymphocyte Development and Function”
Position: Clinical Scholar, Leonard Wagner Laboratory of Molecular genetics and Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York
Linehan, Jonathan, Ph.D., September 2012
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "The generation and maintenance of TH17 cells in response to bacterial infection"
Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Fellow at National Institutes of Health-NIAID, Rockville, MD
Gleason, Michelle, Ph.D., August 2012
Advisor: Jeff Miller
Thesis: "The Functional Role of the Activating Receptors TIM-3 and CD16 in Human Natural Killer (NK) Cell Biology"
Position: Medical Science Liaison, Oncology, Sandoz,, Minneapolis, MN
Albin, John, MD/Ph.D., August 2012
Advisor: Reuben Harris
Thesis: "Human Immunodeficiency Virus Evasion of APOBEC3 Restriction Factors"
Position: Instructor in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Pagan, Antonio, Ph.D., July 2012
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "Roles of CD28, Inducible Costimulator, and the Interleukin-2 Reeptor in Helper T Cell Memory Formation"
Position: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Washington (Lalita Ramakrishnan lab), Seattle, WA
Beisang, Daniel, Ph.D., July 2012
Advisor: Paul Bohjanan
Thesis: "Regulation and Function of the RNA-Binding Protein CELF1"
Position: Resident (Pediatrics), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN
Reed, Johanna, Ph.D., June 2012
Advisor: Kaylee Schwertfeger
Thesis: "Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1-Induced Osteopontin Regulates Proinflammatory Molecular to Mediate Cross-Talk Between Breast Cancer Cells land the Surrounding Tumor Microenvironment"
Position: Program Manager, Phillips-Medisize, Hudson, WI
Faivre, Emily, Ph.D., October 2012
Advisor: Carol Lange
Thesis: "MAP Kinase Dependence of Progesterone Action in a Breast Cancer Cell Model"
Position: Senior Scientist III, AbbVie, Chicago, IL
Zamora, Edward, M.S., August 2012
Advisor: Jaime Modiano
Thesis: "Dual labeling of syngeneic tumor cells for in vivo and in vitro localization"
Position: Quality Control Lead, Lift Bridge Brewing Company, Stillwater, MN
Haasken, Stefanie, Ph.D., June 2012
Advisor: Bryce Binstadt
Thesis: "Immunity and Tolerance in the K/BxN Model of Spontaneous Arthritis and Endocarditis"
Position: Proposal Writer at Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Milwaukee, WI
Rowe, Jared, MD, Ph.D., June 2012
Advisor: SingSIng Way
Thesis: "Regulatory T cells and the immune pathogenesis of prenatal Listeriosis"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (Sharpe lab), Department of Immunology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Phillips, Stacia, Ph.D., June 2012
Advisor: Wade Bresnahan
Thesis: "Characterization of the human cytomegalovirus tegument protein UL94 and its interaction with UL99"
Position: Assistant Research Scientist, University of Iowa, Department of Epidemiology, Iowa City, IA
Zeng, Ming, Ph.D., May 2012
Advisor: Ashley Haase
Thesis: "Lymphoid Tissue Damage in HIV and SIV Infections Depletes Naive T Cells and Limits Immune Reconstitution after Anti-retroviral Therapy"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas Southwestern (Bruce Beutler lab), Dallas, TX
Okagaki, Laura, Ph.D., May 2012
Advisor: Kirsten Nielsen
Thesis: "The Production and Function of Titan Cells in Cryptococcus neoformans"
Position: Technical Writer, Cardiovascular Group, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN
Cook, Laura, Ph.D., April 2012
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Enterococcus faecalis: Bio films, conjugation and regulation"
Position: Assistant Professor, Binghamton University, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Binghamton, New York
Nygaard, Rachel, Ph.D., March 2012
Advisor: Leslie Schiff
Thesis: "Host and Viral Determinants of Respiratory Reovirus Infection"
Position: Surgery Research Director, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
Larson, Jon, Ph.D., November 2011
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "Characterization of the Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor Genome Using Transposon-Mediated Insertional Mutagenesis"
Position: Postdoc fellow, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Hart, Geoffrey, Ph.D., October 2011
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis: "The role of Krüppel-like Factor 2 in B cells"
Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Odumade, Oludare, Ph.D., September 2011
Advisor: Kris Hogquist
Thesis: "Prospective analysis of the primary immune response during natural Epstein-Barr virus infection in humans"
Position: Staff Physician, Division of Medical Critical Care, Instructor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Akue, Adovi, Ph.D., August 2011
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis: "Derivation, Maintenance and Functions of Virtual Memory Cells"
Position: Staff Fellow, Government Agency, Washington, DC
Johnson, Christopher, Ph.D., July 2011
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Reciprocal regulation between the prgQ and prgX operons of pCF10, a conjugative plasmic of Enterococcus faecalis"
Position: Research Scientist II at Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Salt Lake City, UT
Moran, Amy, Ph.D., February 2011
Advisor: Kris Hogquist
Thesis:" Revisiting the role of antigen receptor signal strength in lymphocyte development"
Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Sukovich, David, Ph.D., December 2010
Advisor: Larry Wackett
Thesis: "Hydrocarbon Biosynthesis by Bacteria: Genes and Hydrocarbon Products"
Position: Senior Scientist, 10X Genomic, San Francisco, California
Lofgren, Kristopher, Ph.D., December 2010
Advisor: Carol Lange
Thesis: "Modeling Brk/PTK6 Expression in the Mammary Epithelium"
Position: Research Scientist, Gundersen Medical Foundation, Oncology Research Laboratory, LaCrosse, WI
Dietz, Wynette, Ph.D., November 2010
Advisor: Chris Pennell
Thesis: "Enhanced Efficacy of Plasmid DNA Vaccines for Cancer Therapy"
Position: Program Manager, Beckman Coulter, Chaska, MN
Johanns, Tanner, MD/Ph.D., October 2010
Advisor: SingSing Way
Thesis: "CD4 T cells in protection and pathogenesis of persistent Salmonella infection"
Position: Instructor of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
Griffin, Amanda, Ph.D., September 2010
Advisor: Stephen McSorley
Thesis: "Examining immune responses in a mouse model of Salmonella infection"
Position: Biologist (Animal), Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH, Hamilton, MT
Lehmann, Ute, Ph.D., September 2010
Advisor: Dale Gregerson
Thesis: "Antigen Presenting Cells in the Retina"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Jena (Thomas Kamradt lab), Jena, Germany
Vang-Dings, Kieng Bao, Ph.D., September 2010
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Thesis: "Co-stimulation and IL2 in Natural Regulatory T Cell Development"
Position: Research Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR
Willette, Mark, Ph.D., August 2010
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Thesis: "The Role of STAT5 in Early B Cell Development and Leukemia"
Position: Instructor, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
Beckman, Joan, Ph.D., July 2010
Advisor: Greg Vercellotti
Thesis: "Regulation and effects of HO-1 expression"
Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
DeNucci, Christopher, MD/Ph.D., July 2010
Advisor: Yoji Shimizu
Thesis: "The role of beta1 integrin on CD4 T cells"
Position: Radiologist, Vision Radiology, Dallas, TX
Charles, Nathan, MD/Ph.D., June 2010
Advisor: Carol Lange
Thesis: "Membrane and nuclear progesterone receptors activate tumor suppressive signaling mechanisms in cell line models of human ovarian cancer"
Position: Resident physician, University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison, WI
Weinreich, Michael, Ph.D., June 2010
Advisor: Kris Hogquist
Thesis: "The K, The L, The F, The 2, and The ology"
Position: Associate Medical Director Physician Development Program at AbbVie, Minneapolis, MN
Highfill, Steven, Ph.D., June 2010
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Advancing novel cell-based therapies for the prevention of graft versus host disease (GVHD) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation"
Position: Research and Product Development Supervisor, Assistant Director, Center for Cellular Engineering at NIH, Bethesda, MD
Bergerson, Rachel, Ph.D., June 2010
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "Identification and Analysis of Candidate MLL-AF9 Cooperating Genes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia"
Position: Assistant Professor of Biology, Science Department, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN
Zacchi, Lucia, Ph.D., May 2010
Advisor: Dana Davis
Thesis: "Generation of Phenotypic Diversity in the Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans"
Position: Research Fellow, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, U of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Cichocki, Frank, Ph.D., May 2010
Advisor: Jeff Miller
Thesis: "Epigenetic Regulation of Killer Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor Gene Expression in Developing Human Natural Killer Cells"
Position: Assistant Professor, Medicine-Hematology/Oncology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Johnson, Lisa, Ph.D., May 2010
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis:"Regulation of CD8+ Lymphopenia Induced Proliferation"
Position: Principal Scientist, Translational Medicine at Kite Pharma, Los Angeles, CA
Ballering, Katie, Ph.D., April 2010
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Identification and Characterization of Novel Genetic Determinants of Biofilm Formation in Enterococcus faecalis"
Position: Manager, Hassett Willis and Company, St. Paul, MN
DeRycke, Melissa, Ph.D., April 2010
Advisor: Amy Skubitz
Thesis: "S100A1 and Nectin 4 Biomarkers in Ovarian Cancer"
Position: Cancer Genetic Epidemiology Research Fellow, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Hoeppner, Luke, Ph.D., March 2010
Advisor: Jennifer Westendorf
Thesis: "A Lymphoid Enhancer Binding Factor (Lef) 1 Isoform Regulates Osteoblast Maturation"
Position: Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Gillis, Peter, Ph.D., February 2010
Advisor: Stephen Rice
Thesis: "Regulation of stress associated protein kinase signaling pathways and apoptosis by HSV-1 ICP27"
Position: Principal Scientist, Qorvo, Inc., Plymouth, MN
Wolf, Julie, Ph.D., January 2010
Advisor: Dana Davis
Thesis: "Characterization of the ESCRT Pathway inCandida albicans"
Position: Communications Director, IndieBio, New York, NY
Chu, Hamlet, Ph.D., December 2009
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "Analysis of the pre-immune T cell repertoire"
Position: Senior Research Scientist, Gilead Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Hamilton, Matthew, Ph.D., October 2009
Advisor: Michael Sadowsky
Thesis: "The Use of Molecular and Genomic Tools to Examine the Population Structure of E. coliin the Environment"
Position: Technical consultant for CIPAC, LLC, Minneapolis, MN
Kronemann, Daniel, M.S., October 2009
Advisor: Wade Bresnahan
Thesis: "Characterization of Viral Mutants for the Functional Analysis of ppUL69 During Human Cytomegalovirus Replication"
Position: Clinical laboratory technologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Chuang, Olivia, Ph.D., August 2009
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Enterococcus faecalis Aggregation Substance (Asc10) as Liaison Between Bacterium and Heart Valve in Endocarditis"
Position: Academic Information Specialist, Access Med Prep, St. Louis, MO
Winstead, Colleen, Ph.D., July 2009
Advisor: Alex Khoruts
Thesis: "Maintenance of immune fitness during reconstitution from T cell lymphopenia by CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells"
Position: Assoociate Principal Scientist, Merck, Kenilworth, NJ
Kim, Yong Yean, Ph.D., June 2009
Advisor: Peter Bitterman
Thesis: "The 4E-BP family of translational repressors: Sentinels at a translational control checkpoint in tumor defense"
Position: Surgery Resident, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Koch, Lisa, MD/Ph.D., June 2009
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase: A potent regulator of graft versus host disease with potenial therapeutic applications"
Position: Acting Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Strandberg, Kristi, Ph.D., June 2009
Advisor: Pat Schlievert
Thesis: "Staphylococcal Superantigen Involvement in Human Diseases"
Position: Senior Scientist, Microbiology, Rebiotix, Inc., Roseville, MN
Gerner, Michael, Ph.D., May 2009
Advisor: Matt Mescher
Thesis: "Antigen presentation and T cell activation during cancer"
Position: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Brosnahan, Amanda, Ph.D, May 2009
Advisor: Pat Schlievert
Thesis: "Interactions of staphylococcal and streptococcal exotoxins with vaginal epithelium"
Position: Chair and Associate Professor, Science Department, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN
Kelly, Ryan, Ph.D., May 2009
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Developing novel strategies to speed immune reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation"
Position: General Manager, The Innovation Institute, Orange County, CA
Casey, Kerry, Ph.D., April 2009
Advisor: Matt Mescher
Thesis: "Third signal cytokines and their roles in CD8 T cell responses"
Position: Principal Scientist, Oncology Discovery Biology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ
Osborn, Mark, Ph.D., March 2009
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Gene therapy strategies for targeting the treatment refractory sites in Hurler syndrome"
Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Yang, Jianying, MD/Ph.D., February 2009
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Thesis: "The role of the IL-2R beta mediated cytokine signaling in natural regulatory T cel development"
Position: Internist, Primary Care Doctor, Massachusetts Gereral Hospital, Boston, MA
Gori, Jennifer, Ph.D., December 2008
Advisor: R. Scott McIvor
Thesis: "Methotrexate resistance gene transfer in stem cells"
Position: Director of Program Strategy at Obsidian Therapeutics, Cambridge MA
Zou, Liangxing, Ph.D., November 2008
Advisor: Erik Peterson
Thesis: "Regulation of autoimmunity and integrin signaling by adaptor proteins ADAP, PRAM-1 and C-CBL"
Position: Biostatistician, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ridgefield, CT
Dodge, Anthony, Ph.D., November 2008
Advisor: Larry Wackett
Thesis: "Insights into microbial adaptive potential from case studies of novel functional group biocatalysis and micro-metal interactions"
Position: Research Associate, BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Guerrero, Faimola, M.S., September 2008
Advisor: Christopher Pennell
Thesis: "Dendritic Cell activation by Mycobacterium tuberculosis Heat Shock Protein 70"
Position: Research Specialist, Winship Cancer Instittue, Atlanta, GA
Bursch, Laura, Ph.D., July 2008
Advisor: Kristin Hogquist
Thesis: "Immunity and tolerance at the barrier surfaces"
Position: Biology instructor, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Minneapolis, MN
Danhua Fan, Ph.D,. June 2008
Advisor: Peter Bitterman
Thesis: "Genome-wide Analysis for Post-transcriptional Regulation of Gene Expression"
Position: Bioinformatics Consultant, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Cohen, Daniel, Ph.D., May 2008
Advisor: Dwight Anderson
Thesis: "Multifunctional roles of a bacteriophage morphogenetic factor in assembly and infection"
Position: Director, Translational Pathology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lawrenceville, NJ
Nodland, Sonja, Ph.D., May 2008
Advisor: Tucker LeBien
Thesis: "The Role of Interleukin-7 in the Regulation of Normal Human B Lymphopoiesis"
Position: Principal Scientist, Kerry, St Paul, MN
Woll, Petter, Ph.D., February 2008
Advisor: Dan Kaufman
Thesis: "Lympho-hematopoietic development from embryonic stem cells"
Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
McKelvey, Pam, M.S., January 2008
Advisor: Sandra Armstrong
Thesis: "Bordetella pathogenesis and NAD metabolism"
Position: Scientist-Microbiology, Land O'Lakes, Arden Hills, MN
Zhang, Ruan, Ph.D., December 2007
Advisor: Dan Mueller
Thesis: "Regulation of CD4+ T cell activation, proliferation and anergy induction by the E3 ligase Cbl-b"
Position: Senior Scientist at TScan Therapeutics, Boston, MA
Martin, Amanda, Ph.D., December 2007
Advisor: Yoji Shimizu
Thesis: "Regulation of T cell migration and the immune response by Phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma"
Position: Freelance Medical Writer/Editor, Franklin Township Community School Corp, Indianapolis, IN
Vogtenhuber, Christine, Ph.D., November 2007
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Signaling pathways in regulatory T Cells"
Position: Head of Interface Management, Takeda, Vienna, Austria
Popescu, Flavia, Ph.D., September 2007
Advisor: Matt Mescher
Thesis: "Targeting CD8 T lymphocyte activation for tumor immunotherapy using peptide antigens and cytokines"
Position: Research Associate, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Anderson, Mark, Ph.D., August 2007
Advisor: Sandra Armstrong
Thesis: "The Bordetella Bfe system: regulation and function in catechol-mediated iron acquisition"
Position: Research Assistant Professor, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
Burchill, Matt, Ph.D., July 2007
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Thesis: "Interleukin-2 receptor-dependent STAT5 activation drives regulatory T cell development"
Position: Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
Strain, Anna, Ph.D., June 2007
Advisor: Steve Rice
Thesis: "Regulation and export of ICP27 during herpes simplex virus type-1 lytic infection"
Position: Virology/Immunology Unit Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health, St Paul, MN
Yarke, Cory, MD/Ph.D., June 2007
Advisor: Dan Mueller
Thesis: "Regulation of CD4+ T cell clonal expansion by TCR and CD28 signaling"
Position: Internal Medicine, CentraCare Clinic, St Cloud, MN
Agarwal, Pujya, Ph.D., June 2007
Advisor: Matt Mescher
Thesis: "Interleukin-12 and Interferon-α/β - mediated Gene Regulation in Programming CD8+ T cell Differentiation"
Position: Data Analyst/SAS Programmer, Minneapolis, MN
Vetter, Sara, Ph.D., May 2007
Advisor: Patrick Schlievert
Thesis: "Two-component regulation of virulence gene expression in Bacillus anthracis"
Position: Manager, Infectious Disease Section, MN Dept Health, St. Paul, MN
Peters, Christopher, Ph.D., May 2007
Advisor: Patrick Mantyh
Thesis: "Cellular mechanisms of paclitaxel induced pain and neuropathy"
Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC
Li, Ying, M.S., May 2007
Advisor: Bruce Walcheck
Thesis: "Role of ADAM17 in the ectodomain shedding of the adhesion molecule"
Position: Account Manager, eBioscience an Affymetrix Company, San Francisco, CA
Hammerbeck, Christopher, Ph.D., March 2007
Advisor: Matt Mescher
Thesis: "Regulation of IL-7 receptor alpha expression on CD8+ T cells and its role in reversing activation-induced nonresponsiveness"
Position: Flow Cytometry and Antibody Development Scientist, Bio-Techne, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sandau, Michelle, Ph.D., February 2007
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis: "The role of interleukin-15 in lymphocyte homeostasis"
Position: Director Research and Development, AFB International, St. Louis, MO
Fraser, Katy, Ph.D., January 2007
Advisor: Steve Rice
Thesis: "The Aberrant Phosphorylation of RNA Polymerase II During Herpes Simplex Type 1 Infection"
Position: Senior Scientist, Takeda, Boston, MA
Schneider Rusch, Lori, Ph.D., December 2006
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "Analysis of peptide: MHC II complex production by dendritic cell subsets in skin-draining lymph nodes reveals multiple mechanisms of adjuvant action"
Position: Clinical Trial Manager, Coloplast, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Fortman, Clem, Ph.D., July 2006
Advisor: David Sherman
Thesis: "Cloning and Characterization of the Bafilomycin Biosynthesis Pathway from Streptomyces lohii"
Position: Program Director for Security Engagements, Engineering Biology Research Consortium, Emeryville, CA
Hataye, Jason, Ph.D., July 2006
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "Cell Competition for Survival and Proliferation Resources Defines the CD4+ T Cell Niche, a Platform for the Maintenance of Antigen Receptor Repertoire Diversity and the Generation of Memory"
Position: Physician-Scienteist at NIH/NIAID, Washington, DC
Mueller, Kristen, Ph.D., June 2006
Advisor: Yoji Shimizu
Thesis: "Regulation of Antigen-Dependent T Cell Interactions with Antigen Presenting Cells and T Cell Activation by the Adapter Protein, ADAP"
Position: Senior Director, Scientific Program, Melanoma Research Alliance, Washington, DC
Advisor: Paul Bohjanen
Thesis: "Tristeteraprolin regulates gene expression in T lymphocytes"
O'Shaughnessy, Matthew, MD/Ph.D., June 2006
Advisor: Bruce Blazar
Thesis: "Novel molecular strategies for prevention of graft-versus-host disease by ex vivo tolerance induction"
Position: Urologist, New York, NY
Hess, Donavon, Ph.D., May 2006
Advisor: Carol Wells
Thesis: "Staphylococcus aureus Interactions with the Intestinal Epithelium"
Position: Assistant Professor, Pediatric General and Thoracic Trauma Medical Director
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Chandler, Josephine, Ph.D., May 2006
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Control of Endogenous Sex Pheromone Signatling in Enterococcus faecalis"
Position: Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Hau, Heidi, Ph.D., May 2006
Advisor: Paul Bohjanen
Thesis: "TTP-mediated Decay of AU-rich containing mRNAs"
Position: Director, Technology Expansion at Rebiotix Inc., a Ferring Company, Mpls/St. Paul, MN
Mick, Verity, Ph.D., March 2006
Advisor: Kristin Hogquist
Thesis: "The Molecular Events of T Cell Positive Selection in the Thymus"
Lephart, Paul, Ph.D., March 2006
Advisor: Paul Magee
Thesis: "Analysis of the Role of the Major Repeat Sequence in Chromosome Dynamics in Candida albicans"
Position: Assistant Professor, Microbiology, Associate Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Kahler, Rachel, Ph.D., February 2006
Advisor: Jennifer Westendorf
Thesis: "The Role of Lymphocyte Enhancer-binding Factor 1 (Lef1) in Osteoblast Differentiation"
Position: Patent Agent, General Mills, Minneapolis, MN
Chen, Yuqing, Ph.D., January 2006
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Characterization of the Lactococcus lactis Plasmid pRS01 Transfer Region: Expression and Splicing of A group II Intro and Protein-DNA Interactions During Plasmid Transfer"
Position: Research Associate, Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Liu, Jiabin, MD/Ph.D., December 2005
Advisor: Tim Behrens
Thesis: "Conserved Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Pathways in Murine Models"
Position: Anesthesiologist, Hosital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
Magarvey, Nathan, Ph.D., September 2005
Advisor: David Sherman
Thesis: "Identification and Accession of Novel Sources of Microbial Natural Product Diversity"
Position: Associate Professor, Department Of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Eckfeldt, Craig, Ph.D., August 2005
Advisor: Catherine Verfaillie
Thesis: "Discovery and Functional Analysis of Novel Determinants of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Function"
Position: Assistant Professor, Hematology, Oncology and Transplant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Goetz, Christine, Ph.D., June 2005
Advisor: Michael Farrar
Thesis: "Regulation of B Lymphocyte Development and Lineage Commitment by the Ras and STAT5 Signaling Pathways"
Position: Scientist, Bio-Techne, Minneapolis, MN
Pragman, Alexa, Ph.D., May 2005
Advisor: Pat Schlievert
Thesis: "Studies on the Staphylococcal Respiratory Response (SrrAB) and its Role in Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Factor Regulation"
Position: Staff Physician, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
Staddon, Jack, Ph.D., May 2005
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Identification and Genetic Characterization of a Group II Intron Insertion Site and Origin of Transfer Region in the Enterococcus faecalis plasmic, pCF10"
Position: Physician, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Billings Clinic, Billings, MT
Kozlowicz, Briana, Ph.D., March 2005
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "The molecular mechanism and peptide signaling response of PrgX used to control pheromone-induced conjugative transfer of pCF10"
Position: Microbiome Program Manager, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Smith, Jennifer, Ph.D., March 2005
Advisor: Leslie Schiff
Thesis: "The regulation of translation in reovirus-infected cells"
Position: Deputy Director, ICCB-Longwood Screening Facility, Boston, MA
Golden, Joseph, Ph.D., March 2005
Advisor: Leslie Schiff
Thesis: "Cellular and Viral Determinants of Mammalian Reovirus Uncoating"
Position: Principal Investigator (Contractor) at Ke'aki technologies at USAMRIID, Washington, DC
Heggem, Michael, M.S., July 2005
Advisor: Christopher Pennell
Thesis: "Heat shock protein immune receptors"
Position: Associate Group Leader, PPD Pharmaceuticals, Richmond, VA
Maher, Diane, Ph.D., December 2004
Advisor: Peter Southern
Thesis: "Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Cirus Across Human Mucosal Surfaces"
Position: Staff Scientist Sanford Health, Sioux Fall, SD
Advisor: Christopher Pennell
Thesis: "Novel human ribonuclease-based targeted therapeutics for the treatment of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia"
Moeller, Stephanie, Ph.D., November 2004
Advisor: Robert Sheaff
Thesis: "Re-evaluating the role of the tumor suppressor p27Kip1 in human cancers"
Position: Clinical Project Manager, Clinical Operations, Health Care Business Group, 3M, St. Paul, MN
Carlson, Corey, Ph.D., November 2004
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "Insertional mutagenesis and tumor modeling in the mouse using the Sleeping Beautytransposon system"
Position: Staff Development Scientist, Manager, Beckman Coulter, Chaska, MN
Mayerova, Dita, Ph.D., September 2004
Advisor: Kristin Hogquist
Thesis: "Mouse model of autoimmune skin disease"
Position: Director, Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship, Tufts University, Brighton, MA
Vanasek, Tracy, Ph.D., August 2004
Advisor: Daniel Mueller
Thesis: "Cell cycle progression regulates in vivo clonal anergy induction"
Position: Director of Operations, Display Services at RES Pyro, Jordan, MN
Gillespie, Emily, Ph.D., August 2004
Advisor: Tim Behrens
Thesis: "Gene expression signatures in peripheral blood define clinical subsets of SLE"
Position: Principal Clinical Evidence Specialist at Medtronic, Fridley, MN
Harmala, Lisa, Ph.D., July 2004
Advisor: Christopher Pennell
Thesis: "In vivo characterization of the adjuvant effect of mycobacterium tuberculosis Hsp70"
Position: Former Director of Production at Cell Culture Company, Coon Rapids, MN
Linden, Michael, MD/Ph.D., June 2004
Advisor: Brian Van Ness
Thesis: "Novel Targeted Deregulation of Apoptotic and Oncogenic Pathways Leads to B-lymphoid Malignancies in Genetically Engineered Mice"
Position: Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Prlic, Martin, Ph.D., May 2004
Advisor: Stephen Jameson
Thesis: "Regulation of lymphocyte homeostasis"
Position: Associate Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
Richards, David, Ph.D., May 2004
Advisor: Daniel Mueller
Thesis: "Examining the role of foreign-mHAg-specific CD4(+)T cells and foreign-MHC-specific CD8(+) T cells in the development of Obliterative Airways Disease following transplantation"
Position: Head of Immunology, Apogenix GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
Tomich, Mladen, Ph.D., December 2003
Advisor: Christian Mohr
Thesis: "Burkholderia cenocepacia Cable Pili: Identification of the Biosynthetic Locus and Characterization of the Mechanisms of Transcriptional and Posttranscriptional Control"
Position: Director, Intelligence & Insight at Prescient Healthcare Group, New York, NY
Perkins, Keith, Ph.D., November 2003
Advisor: Steve Rice
Thesis: "The Activation of a Viral Late Gene by Herpes Simplex Virus Type I"
Position: Sr. Principal Scientist, Medtronic, San Francisco, CA
Morgan, Kelly, Ph.D., August 2003
Advisor: David Largaespada
Thesis: "GM-CSF Signaling and GAP Activity in NF1-Associated Leukemia"
Position: Head of IP and Legal at Arbor Biotechnologies, Boston, MA
Bonnevier, Jody L., Ph.D., August 2003
Advisor: Daniel Mueller
Thesis: "Regulation of Primary CD4 T Cell Cycle Progression"
Position: Manager, Flow Cytometry and Cell Selection, R & D Systems, Minneapolis, MN
Endrizzi, Bart T., Ph.D., August 2003
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis: "The Regulation and Function of KLF-2 in T Cell Biology"
Position: Mohs Surgeon and Dermatologist, Associated Skin Care Specialists, Fridley, MN
Asch, Sarah, M.S., August 2003
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "Characterizing Antigen Presentation to CD4+ T Cells in Non-lymphoid Tissue"
Position: Pediatric Dermatologist at HealthPartners/Park-Nicollet, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Vanderpool, Carin K, Ph.D., July 2003
Advisor: Sandra Armstrong
Thesis: "The Bordetella pertussis Heme Iron Utilization System: Transport and Heme-responsive Gene Regulation"
Position: Professor and Associate Head of Microbiology, Director, Microbial Systems Initiative, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Hartung, Seth, MD/Ph.D., May 2003
Advisor: R. Scott McIvor
Thesis: "Adeno-asociated Virus Vectors Carrying the Human Iduronidase Gene for the Treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I"
Position: Doctor of Pulmonary Medicine, Skagit Valley Hospital, Mount Vernon, WA
Pribila, Jonathan, MD/Ph.D., May 2003
Advisor: Yoji Shimizu
Thesis: "Molecular Mechanisms for the Recruitment andd Retention of Leukocytes in Lymph Nodes"
Position: Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Park Nicollet/Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park, MN
Valenzuela, Javier, Ph.D., May 2003
Advisor: Matthew Mescher
Thesis: "The Roles of Interleukin-12 as a Third Signal for Clonal Expansion and Cytolytic Function of Naive CD8 T Cells"
Position: Clinical Research Associate, Houston, TX
Sweeney, Colin, Ph.D., May 2003
Advisor: R. Scott McIvor
Thesis: "Antisense and Drug-resistance Gene Therapy in a Mouse Model of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia"
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH, Washington, DC
Graham, Robert, Ph.D., November 2002
Advisor: Tim Behrens
Thesis: "Localization and Finemapping of Human Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Susceptibility Loci at Chromosome 6p21.3 (The Human Leukocyte Antigen Region) and Chromosome 1q41"
Position: Principal Scientist, Maze Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA
Paustian, Michael, Ph.D., November 2002
Advisor: Vivek Kapur
Thesis:"Identification and Characterization of Iron Acquisition Systems in Pasteurella multocida"
Position: Self-employed
Waters, Christopher, Ph.D., October 2002
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "Functional Analysis of Asc10, a Pheromone Inducible Surface Protein of Enterococcus faecalis Involved in Conjugation and Virulence"
Position: Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Dylla, Scott, Ph.D., September 2002
Advisor: Catherine Verfaillie
Thesis: "The Role of Proline-rich Tyrosine Kinase 2 (Pyk2) and its Hematopoietic Isoform, Pyk2H, in betal-integrin
Signaling in Normal and CML CD34+ Progenitor Cells"
Position: Chairman Chimera Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA
Vaessen, Ben, M.S., August 2002
Advisor: Catherine Verfaillie
Thesis: "Gene Expression Analysis of Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells"
Position: GlaxoSmithKline, Pennsylvania
Hodges, Kimberly, Ph.D., July 2002
Advisor: Pat Cleary
Thesis: "The a3b1Integrin and CD46 are utilized in Laminin-mediated Invasion of Epithelial Cells by Streptococcus pyogenes"
Position: Student of Library and Information Science at Dominican, Chicago, IL
Daniels, Mark, Ph.D., April 2002
Advisor: Steve Jameson
Thesis: "CD8 Binding to MHC Class I is Influenced by T Cell Maturation and Glycosylation"
Position: Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Molecular Pathogenesis and Therapeutics Graduate Program, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO
Reinhardt, R. Lee, Ph.D., April 2002
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "In vivo Generation and Migration of Memory CD4 T Cells During the Course of a Primary Immune Response"
Position: Associate Professor at National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
Yarwood, Jeremy, Ph.D., January 2002
Advisor: Pat Schlievert
Thesis: "Environmental regulation of virulence gene expression in Staphylococcus aureus"
Position: Vice President Research and Development, Advanced Sterilization Products, a Fortive Company, Irvine, CA
Ehst, Ben, MD/Ph.D., December 2001
Advisor: Marc Jenkins
Thesis: "Visualization of the Immune Response Against a Skin Graft Expressing a Defined Minor Transplantation Antigen"
Position: Dermatologist, Oregon Medical Research Center, Tigard, OR
Thesis: "Requirement for ZAP-70 in regulating beta-1 integrin-mediated adhesion in T cells"
Position: Associate Editor, Journal of Science Policy and Governance (JSPG), San Francisco, CA
Parke, Evan, M.S., July 2000
Advisor: Kris Hogquist
Thesis: "Antigen presentation in a CD8 T cell-mediated autoimmune disease"
Position: Attorney and Founder of Parke PLLC, Washington D.C.
Gao, Jimin, M.S., July 2000
Advisor: Vivian Bardwell
Thesis: "Cloning of Human NOT1 and its Potential Involvement in BCL-6 Function"
Position: Enrolled in computer science program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Fink Jason, M.S., October 2000
Advisor: Tucker LeBien
Thesis: "Examining the changes in gene expression in B-cell differentiation through differential display
polymerase chain reaction"
Position: Protein Assay Developing Biochemist, Zepto Life Technology, Minneapolis, MN
Schmidt, Clint, Ph.D., December 2000
Advisor: Matthew Mescher
Thesis: "Interleukin-12 as an Adjuvant and Activation Signal for CD8 Positive T Lymphocytes in vivo"
Position: Supervisor, Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory Division of Transfusion Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Jiang, Yuehua, M.S., August 1999
Advisor: Catherine Verfaillie
Thesis: "Opposing effects of engagement of integrins and stimulation of cytokine receptors on normal human hematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation"
Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Zhou, Liang, M.S., September 1999
Advisor: Gary Dunny
Thesis: "The Bacterial Group II intron L1.1trB: Regulation of its Expression and the Role in Conjugation"
Position: Research Scientist, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Yue, Shinji, M.S., December 1999
Advisor: Harry Orr
Thesis: "Ataxin-1 Nucleic Acid Interaction"
Position: Channel and Alliance Management, CorTech Labs, San Diego, CA
Institutional Data and Research
The Institutional Data and Research Site is the home for offical University of Minnesota institutional reporting, institutional research, and information on policy analysis and formation, and publishes systemwide and campus/collegiate data to provide transparency and promote systemwide achievements.