Brian Conlon, PhD
Associate Professor
Dr. Conlon is a native of Co. Galway in Ireland. He attended the National University of Galway, Ireland as an undergraduate and was awarded a PhD from University College Dublin in 2009 where he worked in Dr. Jim O'Gara's lab examining biofilm formation in Staphylococci. In 2010, he began working in Dr. Kim Lewis laboratory at Northeastern University in Boston, as a postdoc and then as a senior research scientist. He began his independent research career at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in August 2016.
Sarah Rowe, PhD
Research Associate Professor
Sarah is an expert on Staphylococcal genetics and antibiotic tolerance. She was awarded a PhD from University College Dublin in 2009 before working with Dr. Kim Lewis in Northeastern University in Boston from 2009 to 2015. She then joined Synlogic, a startup in Boston focused on creating synthetic microorganisms to treat rare metabolic diseases before joining the Conlon lab at it's inception in August 2016.
Nikki Wagner, MSc
Lab Manager/Research Specialist
Nikki earned an MSc from UNC Chapel Hill before becoming a research technician and lab manager in Dr. Virginia Miller's lab in the M&I department at UNC in 2009. In 2015, Nikki joined Dr. Marlene Hauck's lab at NC State. Nikki joined the Conlon lab in August 2016.
Kuan-Yi Lu, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Kuan-Yi received his MS in Systems Biology and Bioinformatics from National Central University, Taiwan in 2012. For his doctoral training, Kuan-Yi studied malaria parasite biology and received his PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from Duke University in 2020. Kuan-Yi joined the Conlon lab in February 2021.
Zajeba Tabashsum, PhD, MS
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Zajeba is from Bangladesh where she did her BS and MS in Microbiology at University of Dhaka. She then came to University of Maryland, College Park to do her second MS and ultimately did her PhD in Biological Sciences program. She joined the Rowe lab in July 2023. She is interested in antibiotic resistance, antibiotic alternatives and how antibiotic resistance can be averted. In her free time she likes to visit new places (or the same place multiple times), cook and spend time with family and friends.
Amanda Velez
MD/PhD Candidate
Amanda received a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in behavioral neuroscience from the Hicks Honors College at the University of North Florida (UNF) in 2018. While a student at UNF, she conducted research in microbiology under the direction of Dr. Terri Ellis, studying how the development of antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae triggers changes in bacterial physiology that impact phagocytic uptake and bacterial clearance. In 2019, she joined the MD/PhD program at UNC and plans to pursue a medical specialty in infectious disease. In June 2021, Amanda joined the Conlon lab where she is studying the effects of nutrient limitation in the development of antibiotic tolerance. Her free time is spent with family, friends, and her dog, Josie.
Jamie Liu
PhD Candidate
Jamie received a B.S. in biology from Northeastern University in 2018. At Northeastern, she studied the effect of ATP levels on Borrelia burgdorferi persister cell formation in Dr. Kim Lewis’ laboratory. After graduating, Jamie joined Selux Diagnostics in Boston, MA, a start-up that is developing an automated rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing system. In 2021, she joined the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at UNC. In October of 2023, Jamie joined the Rowe lab where she is studying how antibiotic adjuvants help overcome antibiotic resistance. In her free time, Jamie enjoys baking, tennis, and spending time with friends and family.
Anika Rueppell
PhD Candidate
co-Mentored By Dr. Celia ShiaU
Anika grew up in Greensboro, NC, before moving to Toronto for undergraduate studies. At the University of Toronto, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in Immunology and Human Biology with a concentration in Health and Disease. While at U of T, she conducted pediatric rheumatology research in the lab of Dr. Linda Hiraki at the Hospital for Sick Children and studied Tb-host microbiome interactions in the lab of Dr. Evan Johnson at Rutgers University. She joined Dr. Brian Conlon’s lab in April 2024 where she is studying how innate immune cell interactions with S. aureus contribute to antibiotic tolerance using multiple models, including zebrafish. Outside of lab, Anika enjoys bouldering, pottery, and spending time with friends.
Hannah Friedman
Graduate Student
Hannah received her B.A. in Public Health, with a concentration in Biology, from Franklin & Marshall College. After graduating, she returned to her hometown of Cleveland, OH, where she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Theresa Pizarro’s lab at Case Western Reserve University. She later joined Dr. Joseph Majzoub’s lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she studied the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis behavioral regulation and the effects of glucocorticoids. In April 2025, Hannah joined the Rowe-Conlon labs at UNC, where she is currently investigating mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in S. aureus within the diabetic environment. Outside of the lab, Hannah enjoys playing volleyball, trying out new recipes, and spending time with friends.
Christina Sofian
Graduate Student
Christina graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2016 where she majored in Clinical Lab Science. She then worked in the Duke Clinical Microbiology Laboratory as a laboratory scientist. Christina then pivoted to academic research in the Sarantopoulos Lab at Duke University studying B cell in the context of chronic graft-versus-host disease. She joined the Conlon lab in 2025 where her current research focuses on host-induced antibiotic tolerance. In her free time she enjoys reading, baking, and trying new restaurants in the area.
Zack Lifschin
Graduate Student
Zack completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia in 2022. At UVA, he conducted research in Dr. Hervé Agaisse’s lab on the regulation of IcsA in Shigella flexneri cell-to-cell spread. He joined the Rowe Lab in 2025 as a graduate researcher. His current work focuses on understanding antibiotic treatment failure in Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses. Outside the lab, Zack likes to be outdoors or with his cat.
Naomi Tymann
Post-BacC
Naomi graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2025 with a B.S. in Biology. As an undergraduate, she studied Class I Cystic Fibrosis variants in Dr. Scott Randell's Lab. There, she completed her honors thesis project about improving the mouse model system for testing CF modulators. She was also a member of Cohort IX of the Chancellor's Science Scholars (CSS) program. After graduating, she was accepted into Cohort II of the UNC Postbaccalaureate Research Initiative in Science and Medicine (PRISM) program and joined the lab of Dr. Sarah Rowe-Conlon. She now studies hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. In her free time, she likes to bike through Carrboro, read, and crochet.
Lab Alumni
Nour Akil, MD: Assistant Professor at University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Lauren Radlinski, PhD: Post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis in Andreas Baumler’s lab
Duyen Bui: Undergraduate Student, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Jenna Beam, PhD: Senior Scientist-Immunology at Lonza
Ashelyn Sidders, PhD: Post-Doctoral Fellow at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research