The
members
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.
Joseph P. Munoz – Research Assistant
joseph.munoz[at]austin.utexas.edu
Joseph is a native Texan and a proud product of San Benito, which is a small town in the Rio Grande Valley. He earned his Bachelor’s in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the University of Texas at Austin. Here he gained a love for the small things in life, especially bacteria, and he is excited to join the EBSLab to help contribute to research surrounding the T6SS. Apart from the lab, Joseph enjoys playing recreational sports with friends and going for runs around the Austin community. He is also an avid Texas sports fan, so you can be sure to find him supporting the Longhorns on game days.
Ethan S. Schommer – Undergraduate Student
schommer02[at]utexas.edu
Ethan was originally born in Washington and moved to San Antonio for high school. He is currently majoring in biology at UT Austin with a focus in microbiology and infectious diseases. It has always been his goal to work in a wet lab and eventually obtain a PhD, specializing in immunology. His particular area of interest surrounds the immune system and how it reacts to infectious pathogens. In the EBSLab, Ethan plans to elucidate the mechanisms by which Salmonella utilizes the T6SS to target eukaryotic cells. Outside of his academic interests, he enjoys going to the gym, exploring Austin with his friends, being outdoors, and spending time at home with his cat, Broccoli.
Kristi T. Pham – Undergraduate Student
kristi_phm[at]utexas.edu
Entering her fourth year of undergrad, Kristi is actively pursuing a B.S. in Computational Biology and is eager to contribute to the EBSLab using computational techniques to unravel the intricacies of the T6SS system. Aside from academic pursuits, she can be found with her furry companion, Acorn, at various parks or testing out a new coffee shop within the city.
Jacob Emmanuel Lin – Undergraduate Student
jel3928[at]utexas.edu
Originally born and raised in Northern California, Jacob is now a third 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.
Nathan De Visch – Exchange Graduate Student
nathan.visch[at]austin.utexas.edu
Hailing from the small country of Belgium, Nathan followed his passion for biology all the way to the EBS lab in Austin. Here, he aims to uncover more about the effectors responsible for Salmonella’s invasive capabilities. He enjoys learning about interactions between bacteria and their environment, whether with their host, phages, or other bacteria. Currently finishing a master’s degree in molecular microbiology, Nathan also loves meeting new people and spending quality time with friends. When he’s not in the lab, you’ll either find him climbing a nearby rock or around a table with friends, showing off pictures of his scary dog.
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
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