Judith Opp

Nickname: Judy

Birthplace: Niagara Falls, NY (Grew up in Cupertino, CA)

Undergraduate degrees: Microbiology and Chemistry from California State University Chico

Masters degree: Genetics and Cell Biology Washington State University, Pullman Washington. Thesis: Physiological Studies of Insulin in Neurospora crassa. Mentor: Dr. Martin Pall

Judy joined the Young Lab at the University of Michigan as the lab manager in the summer of 2007 before Dr. Young and the rest of the lab arrived. To put things in perspective in the beginning there were four including Dr. Young. Over the years the lab has grown and shifted direction but remains a close-knit group, embracing the collaborative environment in the lab and at UM, as well as the occasional happy hour or lab member hosted party. As the lab manager and lead technician for more then 6 years Judy has had her hands on and in almost every project in the lab. Embracing Dr. Young’s challenges over the years to “pilot” new projects or to collaborate with other investigators on campus has resulted in a few publications and tremendous breadth of technical knowledge. Overseeing renovation of the new lab space in MSRB1 and arranging the move in July of 2013 was another challenge met with enthusiasm (followed immediately by a trip to Spain for 10 days to recover). Late in 2013 Judy was presented with a new challenge by Dr.Young and the Host Microbiome Initiative and now runs the Center for Microbial Systems Molecular Biology lab. Judy along with two qualified technicians, April and Harriette, are the MSMBL team. By the end of 2014 the MSMBL will have generated a billon reads on more then 50 MiSeq runs. Supporting the HMI by offering high throughput DNA extraction and sequencing (16S, RNAseq and small genome sequencing).

On a personal note when there is time Judy enjoys cooking, entertaining and many outdoor activities including, hiking, mountain biking, water skiing, cross country skiing, snow skiing and gardening.