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.
Joshua Parsons, MD, PhD
POst-Doctoral Fellow
Originally from Canterbury, United Kingdom. Pre-doctoral studies were performed in Martin Warren’s laboratory at the University of Kent, where he received his PhD in Biochemistry working on the propanediol utilization operon and bacterial microcompartment formation. He moved to Memphis, TN for his postdoctoral training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Under supervision of Charles Rock, he worked on fatty acid biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. During his postdoctoral training, he realized that he wanted his research career to focus on studies that would have a direct impact on human health. To achieve this goal, he decided to go to medical school. He obtained his MD degree from University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, TN in 2018. He moved to the Triangle for Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship at Duke University. Having completed his clinical year in Infectious Diseases, he joins the Conlon Lab as a postdoc for the research component of his fellowship training.
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.
John Shook, MS
PhD Candidate
John received his B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Michigan State University in 2016. At Michigan State he studied c-di-GMP signaling of Vibrio cholerae in response to bile in the lab of Dr. Chris Waters. Afterwards he worked on multiple projects in the lab of Dr. Neal Hammer studying the metabolic versatility of Staphylococcus aureus for three years. John’s interest in microbiology began at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College where he took courses and worked as a biology lab preparation technician. John joined the Biology and Biomedical Sciences program at UNC in August of 2019. In the Conlon lab his project is focused on understanding antibiotic tolerance during infection and mechanisms that could be exploited to render antibiotic treatment more efficacious. In his free time, he enjoys camping, hiking, napping, and working on his motorcycle.
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
Graduate Student
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.
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