Lab Alumni

Former Postdoctoral Scholars

  • Hannah Ledvina, Postdoctoral Scholar 2020–2025; Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow, Leading Edge Symposium Speaker;Ìýcurrently an at the University of Michigan
  • Uday Tak, Postdoctoral Scholar 2021–2024; Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow; currently an at the University of Virginia

Former Graduate Students

  • Amy Conte, Ph.D. Student in Biochemistry 2019–2024; Department of Biochemistry Award for Service, 2024; currently a , Washington University in Saint Louis, Laboratory of Dr. Michele LeRoux
  • Ryan Sayegh, Ph.D. Student in MCDB 2021–2025; NIH Signaling and Cellular Regulation Trainee, 2022–2024; currently an at Medpace
  • Emily Kibby, Ph.D. Student in Biochemistry 2019–2024; NIH Signaling and Cellular Regulation Trainee, 2020–2022; Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, 2024; currently a in the Laboratory of Dr. Kimberley Seed at UC Berkeley

Former Staff

  • Aidan Litt, Professional Research Associate 2020–2021

Former Undergraduate Researchers

StudentYears in labAwardsPost-Whiteley Lab positionHonors Thesis
Bean Dewald2026ÌýUndergraduate, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulderÌý
Layla Borja2022–2026UROP Grant Recipient; Honors thesisUndergraduate, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulderElucidating the residues required for bNACHT11 effector-mediated programmed cell death
PiperJo Jones2024–2026Wuttke-Beckman Scholar; BURSA Grant Recipient; UROP Grant Recipient; Jacob Van Ek Scholars Award; Honors thesisPIKE-PREP Post-baccalaureate researcher in the Doran Lab at Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØAnschutz Medical CampusExploring the potential of defense systems to protect Pseudomonas putida from phage infection
Madison Ruchel2023–2026Bridges to Bioscience AwardeeUndergraduate, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulderÌý
Zoey Donahue2024–2025BURSA Grant RecipientUndergraduate, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulderÌý
Kate Schinkel2023–2025UROP Grant Recipient; University of Regensburg Scholarship Awardee; Honors thesisPursuing an M.P.H. at Colorado State UniversityDevelopment and optimization of biosensors to detect signaling molecules in bacterial immune defenses
Alexa Macklin2022–2025Uplift Program Trainee, UROP Grant RecipientUndergraduate, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulderÌý
Alex Mahoney2023–2024ÌýUndergraduate, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulderÌý
Tammy Omokanye2024–2024Bridges to Bioscience AwardeeFront Range Community College StudentÌý
SamanthaÌý Ridgeway2022–2024BSI Scholar; UROP Grant Recipient; Honors thesisMolecular Biology and NGS Associate at AmgenElucidating the mechanism for activation of a bacterial NLR-related protein
Lindsay Whalen2022–2024BSI Scholar; UROP Grant Recipient; Honors thesisPursuing a Ph.D. at University of Illinois ChicagoValidating in silico predictions between bacterial NACHT proteins and their phage-encoded activators
Catalina Schuyler Gonzalez2022–2024ÌýResearch technician at National Jewish Health, laboratory of Drs. Leung and GolevaÌý
Melissa McEvoy2021–2023UROP Grant Recipient; University of Regensburg Scholarship AwardeePursuing a Ph.D. at Oregon Health and Science UniversityÌý
Peace Holguin-Walth2021–2023UROP Grant RecipientStaff Research Associate at NYU School of MedicineÌý
Alfredo Vargas2021–2023Wuttke-Beckman Scholar; BSI Scholar; UROP Grant RecipientPursuing a master's degree at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusÌý
Rico Carale2021–2023UROP Grant Recipient; BSI Scholar; Honors ThesisJunior Research Specialist and PROPEL Scholar, Scharschmidt Lab, UCSFHow to beat a predator: Investigating the genetic determinants of resistance to Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

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