People
Talia Karasov
Assistant professor
email: t.karasov[at]utah.edu
Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Talia first became interested in genetics as an undergraduate at Stanford University working on the rapid evolution of insecticide resistance in Drosophila populations in the laboratory of Dmitri Petrov. As a graduate student at the University of Chicago with Joy Bergelson, she transitioned to working on the genetics of host-microbe interactions, work that she continued as a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology working with Detlef Weigel. She started as an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in Fall 2020.
In her free time she loves running, hiking, climbing and reading.
Efthymia Symeonidi
Postdoc
email: esymeonidi1[at]gmail.com
Effie grew up in a town situated at the foot of Mount Olympus in Greece. She started her studies in Thessaloniki in the Biology department of the Aristotle University and received a Master's degree from the University of Glasgow. She did her PhD in the lab of Detlef Weigel in Tuebingen working on salicylic acid production in natural accessions of A. thaliana and a postdoc in the lab of Marja Timmermans in Tuebingen on understanding cell differentiation at a single cell level.
In her free time Effie likes reading, watching movies/shows and spending time outdoors.
Emma Caullireau
Postdoc
email: u6062719[at]utah.edu
Emma grew up in the French Alps in Chambéry. She began studying biology and agronomy at Claude Bernard University in Lyon, France. She then continued her studies at the l'Institut Agro, where she obtained the title of engineer in horticulture in Angers, as well as a joint master's degree from the University of Rennes, France. Interested in plant pathology, she completed her PhD in joint supervision with Elodie Vandelle (Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy https://www.dbt.univr.it/?ent=home&page=ricerca&lang=en), and Cindy Morris (INRAE Avignon, France https://eng-pathologie-vegetale.paca.hub.inrae.fr/). Her thesis focused on the effect of environmental factors on bacterial virulence, concentrating on Pseudomonas syringae. She joined the lab in October 2024 for her postdoc focused on studying the role of Pseudomonas viridiflava tailocins in plant colonization.
Outside the lab, Emma is passionate about cooking, cheese and Italian culture. She also likes learning about linguistics and music. She loves hiking and going to festivals or concerts.
Aubrey Hawks
Graduate Student
email: aubreymarie37[at]gmail.com
Aubrey Hawks earned her BS in Biology at the University of Utah. As an undergraduate she worked in Nitin Phadnis’s lab using Hi-C sequencing to measure reduced homologous chromosome pairing in Drosophila interspecies hybrids. More recently, she worked in Richard Clark’s lab studying plant resistance to mites.
Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, weightlifting, reading and spending time outdoors. Prior to studying Biology, Aubrey received an MA in Art History. She occasionally reads, writes or teaches about art.
Talia Backman
Graduate Student
email: talia.backman[at]utah.edu
Talia received her BS in Biology at Utah Valley University. She worked in Heath Ogden's lab to resolve the evolutionary history of Ephemeroptera, also known as mayflies. She then joined Eric Domyan's lab and aimed to resolve the genetic mechanisms of how organisms evolve new traits in domesticated rock pigeons. Towards the end of her undergraduate career she investigated whether microbes could break down complex carbon molecules.
When she's not in the lab she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs, running, and skiing. She also extends her love of microbes to her home life by growing gourmet mushrooms and foraging for them when she has the chance.
Madelyn Allen
Graduate Student
email: madelyn.allen[at]utah.edu
Madelyn grew up in Farmington, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Biological Chemistry and a minor in Chemistry. She has always had a passion for biology. During her undergraduate degree she had a desire to be part of the research process and decided to pursue her Master’s to begin fulfilling this desire.
When outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, skiing, hiking, and playing the occasional video game.
Patricia Girardi
Graduate Student
email: patricia.girardi[at]utah.edu
Patricia earned a BS in Biology (Environmental and Organismal Biology Emphasis) with a minor in Chemistry, as well as an MS in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Utah. She worked in industry for a few years before starting her PhD. Her research is driven by an interest in coevolutionary genetics, especially as related to host-pathogen interaction, and a desire to utilize computational tools like machine learning to answer biological questions.
In her spare time, Patricia enjoys climbing, hiking/backpacking, spending time with her dog (Argo), and playing video games.
Allie Perkins
Undergraduate Student
email: allison.perkins[at]utah.edu
Allie was born and raised in Chanhassen, Minnesota and moved to Salt Lake in 2021 to attend the University of Utah, studying Plant Biology and Spanish. Her passion for research, ecology, and culture stem from a field project in Costa Rica directed by Dr. Adrian Pinto in the Seeds of Change Program, exploring the deterrence of Atta cephalotes ants on local farms. At the University of Utah, she studied pollen metagenomics under Josh Stephen in the Science Research Initiative before joining the Karasov lab in 2023.
In her free time, Allie likes to explore new places, drink coffee, and water her plants.
Ella Bleak
Undergraduate Student
email: ellableak[at]gmail.com
Ella is an undergraduate at the University of Utah pursuing a HBS in Biochemistry and a BS in Mathematics. She was born and raised in Lehi, Utah, where she graduated from Skyridge High School. She is very excited to do research during her undergraduate years, and after graduating, she plans to go to graduate school to earn a PhD. When not in the lab, Ella loves to read fantasy, play video games, try new foods, and travel.
Jack Mason Henry
Undergraduate Student
email: jackh2502[at]gmail.com
Jack is an undergraduate working on his BS in Biochemistry at the University of Utah. He was raised in Park City, UT, where he graduated from Park City High School. He has always been fascinated with biology and is excited to work in a lab and grow his understanding of the biological world.
Jack enjoys climbing, exploring the outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and playing video games outside the lab.
Annika Kloepper
Undergraduate Student
email: u1324086[at]utah.edu
Annika is currently in her final year of her undergraduate degree before getting a BS in Biology and a minor in photography from the University of Utah. She grew up in Moab, UT and in Oregon where she graduated from Roseburg High School before coming to Salt Lake City. Previously, Annika worked in one of the Science Research Initiative labs at the U of U that does research on pollination metagenomics. This has further fueled her passion for biology.
Outside of the lab, Annika enjoys photography, painting, spending time outdoors, playing flute, and unicycling.
Laika
Lab mascot
Born in Chicago, raised in Chicago and Germany he is excited to help keep the lab running in Salt Lake City.
Lab Alumni
Brad Nelson
Undergraduate Student
email: u1200766[at]utah.edu
Brad Nelson was an undergraduate student at the University of Utah. He grew up in Oregon and graduated from West Linn High School. He is studying biology with an emphasis in microbiology and is minoring in history. He is passionate about science and plans to attend graduate school. He is considering pursuing a PhD in immunology.
In his free time he enjoys aquascaping, hiking, camping, and anything to do with cars.
Olivia Pratt
Undergraduate Student
email: u0447662[at]utah.edu
Olivia worked in the lab as a Senior at the University of Utah majoring in biology with an emphasis in microbiology, and minoring in chemistry. She loves to learn about plant and animal pathogens, and is excited to attend graduate school in a field related to her studies. In her free time she enjoys hiking, backpacking, reading mysteries, and spending time at her family cabin in the Uintas.
Yunus Ashtijou
Undergraduate Student
email: u1199061[at]utah.edu
Yunus worked in the lab during his 5th year seeking a B.S. in biology. He was raised in Cerritos, CA & moved to La Crescenta, CA where he graduated from Crescenta Valley High School in 2018. Yunus is passionate about creating change. As a member of the Coordinated Community Response Team for the Office of Violence Against Women, ASUU Campus Safety Committee, & as former president of It's On Us Utah, his college career has been centered around starting new initiatives that facilitate community improvement & engagement. In an ongoing project, he has been working with faculty & students to bring a student-led Emergency Medical Services organization to our campus.
During his free time, Yunus likes to work on cars, raise tropical fish, collect botanical specimens, & read about social psychology!
Sarita Som
Undergraduate Student
email: u1263424[at]utah.edu
Sarita is an undergraduate student at the University of Utah working toward an HBS in Biology with an emphasis in anatomy and physiology and minoring in chemistry and pediatric clinical research. She was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland and graduated from Severn School in 2019. When not studying or doing research, she enjoys reading books, listening to podcasts, solving logic puzzles, skiing, hiking, and drawing or painting. After graduation, she hopes to go to graduate school and is still deciding between a PhD in evolutionary biology or an MD-PhD program.
Lauren Eads
Graduate Student
email: lauren.eads[at]utah.edu
Lauren was born and raised in Indiana. She graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Biology. As an undergraduate student, she worked in Leonie Moyle’s lab using the tomato species S. pimpinellifolium as a model to study adaptation. Before starting graduate school, she worked as a research technician in Dan Tracey’s lab. Her project there focused on Wolbachia-induced parthenogenesis in parasitoid wasps.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, cooking, and spending time outdoors with her dog.
Cannon Fehrenbach
Undergraduate Student
email: u1243735[at]utah.edu
Cannon was born and raised in Draper Utah. Growing up he was fascinated with all things biology, and now he is a seasoned veteran of molecular biology research. This is his third year at the University of Utah as he works to a BS degree in biology.
In his free time he enjoys basketball, video games, and reading fantasy books.