People

The

members

Ethel Bayer Santos – Assistant Professor

ebayersantos[at]austin.utexas.edu

Originally from a paradisiac island in the south of Brazil. Ethel spent time in the US and UK for her Ph.D. and postdoc, before returning to Brazil to establish her lab and put idealistic ideas into practice. After 5 years, the EBSLab moved to Austin to continue the pursuit of exciting biological questions. When not having fun at the lab, Ethel can be found at nice green places where she can work in amateur environmentalist projects for the conservation of native species.

Julia Takuno Hespanhol – Graduate Student

jthespanhol[at]utexas.edu

Born and raised in the concrete jungle of Sao Paulo, Julia embarked on the mission of hunting T6SS effector during her undergraduate studies. After a master’s in the Bayer-Santos lab in Brazil, she is now a Ph.D. student focusing on characterizing novel Salmonella antibacterial weapons. Outside the lab, she practices her questionable artistic skills, explores city parks and the outdoors.

Audrey R. Long – Graduate Student

arl4288[at]utexas.edu

Audrey grew up in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. She began her research career as an undergraduate at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island where she characterized azoreductase activity in the human gut microbiome. This experience inspired a fascination with how bacteria interact with one another and their environment. Now pursuing her Ph. D., she continues to further her understanding of bacterial interactions by characterizing effectors in the T6SS. In her free time Audrey enjoys knitting, exploring Austin, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Kristi T. Pham – Graduate Student

kristi_phm[at]utexas.edu

Building on her undergraduate experience in the EBSLab, Kristi is now pursuing a Ph.D. in the Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) program, specializing in the Bioinformatics track. Her research continues to focus on the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS), using computational approaches to uncover the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary dynamics that shape bacterial interactions. Outside the lab, Kristi enjoys exploring city parks and discovering new coffee spots with her loyal pup, Acorn.

Jacob Emmanuel Lin – Undergraduate Student

jel3928[at]utexas.edu

Originally born and raised in Northern California, Jacob is now a fourth year biochemistry major at UT Austin. Planning to enter the research and biotechnology field, Jacob is especially interested in bacterial growth and function. In his free time, Jacob enjoys swimming, solving puzzles, watching musicals, and exploring the landscape of Austin.

Sannidhi (Sunny) Bijakal – Undergraduate Student

sb66955[at]utexas.edu

Sunny is a first-year biochemistry student at UT Austin with aspirations to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. Her research interests center on bacterial infections and the molecular mechanisms underlying infectious disease. Outside the lab, Sunny enjoys playing the cello, going to the gym, and exploring new coffee shops with friends.

Nitish Polishetty – Undergraduate Student

np24959[at]utexas.edu

Growing up in both California and Texas, Nitish is a first-year biochemistry major at UT Austin. He is fascinated by the complex interactions between microbes, their hosts, and the surrounding microbiota, and hopes to pursue studies in the field of immunology in the future. Outside the lab, Nitish enjoys long walks, reading, watching films, and caring for indoor plants and aquariums.

Previous members

Gianlucca Gonçalves Nicastro – Senior Scientist/Bioinformatician

Stephanie Sibinelli de Sousa – Graduate Student

Daniel Enrique Sanchez Limache – Graduate Student

André Luiz de Araújo Silva – Graduate student

Joseph Munoz – Research Assistant

Gustavo Chagas Santos – Undergraduate student

Lior Karman – Undergraduate student

Luize Nobrega e Silva – Undergraduate student

Eleazar Gonzalez-Adame – Undergraduate Student

Paul Laban Andega – Undergraduate Student

Ethan S. Schommer – Undergraduate Student

Nathan De Visch – Exchange Graduate Student

The