Leonor García-Bayona, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
Leonor grew up in Bogota, Colombia and completed her Chemical Engineering and Microbiology undergraduate studies at the University of the Andes. During her doctoral work in the lab of Michael Laub at MIT, she acquired a strong background in bacterial genetics, physiology, genomics and interbacterial antagonism. She then became a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Laurie Comstock, first at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and later at the University of Chicago. In the Comstock lab, Leonor trained in intestinal anaerobe microbiology, advanced microscopy and bioinformatics. Leonor is deeply committed to promoting access for all to STEM.
Nathania Said, B.S.
Life Science Research Professional
Teni Shosanya, B.S.
Life Science Research Professional
Kate Schubert, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Kate graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology with a designated emphasis in Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology. Kate is passionate about microbial genetics and is currently working to characterize novel plasmids that naturally circulate in the human intestinal microbiota. She is broadly interested in understanding how differences in human lifestyle impact the biology of these plasmids and the evolution of the human microbiota. When she’s not in the lab, Kate enjoys reading Sci-Fi novels, gardening, hanging out with her cats, and exploring nature!
Thao Pham, B.S.
Gnotobiotic Specialist