Lab Members

Principle Investigator

Ann Hagerman

I coordinate and direct the activities of all the great students who make up the Hagerman Lab.

Current Graduate Students

Sadeepa Mallikarachchi

Sadeepa joined the lab in November 2018. She is a student in the Biochemistry program and is developing dynamic light scattering and HPLC as ways to characterize tannins. She featured her work with nanoparticles stabilized by tannic acid in the RedHawk Talk--watch her presentation in the video!

Current Undergraduate Students

Rita Zhou-Wang (Biochemistry)

Rita is working with Halcom to learn extraction and analytical techniques of polyphenols.

Jenna McLain (Bio & Nutrition)

Jenna just joined our lab. She is learning the manganese peroxidase assay with Meiling and will try to apply it to condensed tannins.


Katie Mei Williams (Chem & Neuroscience)

Katie Mei is working on using total phenol assays as a measure of oxidizability to add to our quality control assessments for condensed tannin preparations.


Halcom (Biochemistry)

Halcom is exploring the polyphenols of plants used as foods by natives in Alaska. She is also working on a side project that was inspired by biochemistry lab on polyphenols and zinc-containing enzymes.

Ellie (Biochemistry )

Ellie completed a series of total polyphenol analyses on bog, fen and palsa samples. Now she is trying to link compound identifications from LC-MS to the polyphenol databases to increase our understanding of these soils.

Jules Jefferson (Biochemistry)

Jules is working on condensed tannins as stabilizing agents for nanoparticles formed from zein.

Previous Graduate students

  1. Schofield, J.A. M.En. 1995. Now a Group Manager at Dyn Corp I&ET in Washington, D.C. Thesis title: The fate of condensed tannins during leaf litter decomposition.

  2. Zhao, Y. M.S. 1996. Now a Staff Chemist at Abbot Labs in Chicago, IL. Thesis title: Simultaneous determination of hydrolyzable tannin and condensed tannin.

  3. Riedl, K. Ph.D. 2002. Now an Associate Director & Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Food Science & Technology, The Ohio State University. Dissertation title: Procyanidin-protein complexes as radical scavengers and radical sinks.

  4. Ansong, Godfred. M.S. 2004. Now a Staff Scientist in Analytical R&D at Merck Chemicals. Thesis title: Analysis of plant polyphenols by HPCL/MS and protein binding.

  5. Chen, Yumin. Ph.D. 2004. Now a Senior Scientist at Pepsico in Chicago, IL. Dissertation title: Oxidation of polymeric polyphenols (tannins) in biologically relevant systems.

  6. Jeffers, Melanie D. M.S. 2006. Now a high school biotechnology teacher at Greenhills VoTech. Thesis title: Tannins as anti-inflammatory agents.

  7. Headley Perkins, Akeysha A. M.S. 2007. Now a Quality Assurance Manager at Ferrara Candy Company in Chicago, IL. Thesis title: Polymeric polyphenols as anti-inflammatory agents.

  8. Schweitzer, Natalie. Ph.D. 2007. Obtained her DVM at University of Wisconsin and is a vet at All Pets Veterinary Clinic in Wisconsin. Dissertation title: Differential effects of laboratory housing conditions on biochemical, genetic, and physiological markers of health and disease in Sprague-Dawley rats.

  9. Wisman Cosky, Kimberly N. M.S. 2008. Now a Project Manager at Covance Analytical, Indianapolis IN. Thesis title: I. Cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of polyphenolics. II. Polyphenolics in natural soils.

  10. Trombley, John D. Ph.D. 2011. Now a Lecturer at Georgia College. Dissertation title: Polyphenols: Interactions with proteins and analytical methods.

  11. Rouhier, Matthew F. Ph.D. 2011. Now a Visiting Assistant Professor at Kenyon College. Dissertation title: Characterization of YDR036C from Saccaromyces cerevisiae.

  12. Schmidt, M.A. Ph.D. 2012. Now an Assistant Professor at Wright State Medical School, Dayton OH. Dissertation title: Tannins in natural soil systems.

  13. Engstrom, Marica. M.S. 2012. Completed her Ph.D. at Turku University, Finland with J.P. Salminen, and is now a senior scientist in same lab. Thesis title: Polyphenol protein interactions.

  14. Li, Min. Ph.D. 2014. Now a Postdoctoral research fellow, Purdue University; North Carolina State University. Dissertation title: Interaction of (-) epigallocatechin gallate with serum albumin in the presence or absence of glucose.

  15. Lubelski, Ryan M.S. 2019. Now a Protein Chemist, Covance Analytical, Indianapolis IN Thesis title: Effect of metals and cetylpyrifidium chloride on tannin-protein interactions: Potential roles in extrinsic teeth stain formation.

  16. Sun, Xiaowei. Ph.D. 2019. Now scientist at Frontage Laboratories in Exter, PA. Dissertation title: Interaction of green tea or black tea polyphenols with protein in the presence of absence of other small ligands.

  17. Reeves, Savanah G. M.S. 2020. Now an analytical chemist at Shepherd Color Company, Cincinnati, OH. Thesis title: Condensed tannin characterization by FTICR-MALDI mass spectrometry and separation with saw-tooth gradient HPLC.

  18. Fu, Meiling. M.S. 2022. Now a quality control chemist at Frontage Laboratories in Exter, PA. Thesis title: Interaction between polyphenols and metalloproteins.

Previous Undergraduate Students

* means publication

  1. Megan Alberz, 2005-2008 (USS 2007; Deans Scholar 2007-2008; Univ. Honors) M.D., Univ. Cincinnati Med School

  2. *Lauren Kelly, 2005-2007 Pharm. D., Univ Cincinnati Pharmacy Grad Program

  3. Kala Levine, 2005-2009 (Hughes 2007) M.D., University of Louisville

  4. Melissa Moore, 2005-2007 (Hughes 2006; Deans Scholar 2006-07) M.D., Univ Cincinnati Med School

  5. Brendon Honick, 2006-2008 MS CWRU; M.D., University of Iowa

  6. *Ashley Scioneaux, 2007 (NSF-REU ZOO) M.S., Miami Univ.

  7. Greg Metzger, 2007

  8. *Allison Kreinberg, 2008-2010 (USS 2009) M.S. Environmental Science, OSU. Scientist at Geosyntec Consultants

  9. Steve Tindall 2008-2011 (STARS, USDA internship 2009) Pharm.D., OSU Pharmacy School

  10. *Melanie Krook 2008-2011 (USS 2009, Deans Scholar 2010-2011) Ph.D., Univ Michigan Graduate School; postdoctoral fellow, OSU

  11. Laura Harris 2009-2010

  12. Rachel Hall 2009-2011 Chem Engineering

  13. Jacqueline Watson 2013

  14. Madeline Issleib 2009-2013 Senior Consultant, West Monroe Partners, Chicago IL

  15. *Sonia Masih 2009-2013 Drexel Medical School Interdisciplinary grad program, M.D. Liberty University, Virginia

  16. Jennifer Koch 2010-2012 (Deans Scholar 2011-2012 USS 2011) OSU M.S. Food Science. Product Development at Mars Wrigley

  17. *Matthew Suber 2011-2014 (USS 2012) Officer in US Marine Corps

  18. *Brendan Kelly 2012-2014 MS Food Science, Kansas State. Global Product Development at Abbott Labs

  19. Bridget DeLiberato 2012-2015 (Univ. Cincinnati ROSE fellowship 2013) M.D., Univ. Cincinnati Med School

  20. *Rebecka Sepela 2012-2015 (Hughes 2013; USS, 2014; Deans scholar, 2014-15)Ph.D., UC Davis Biochemistry

  21. Mary Allison Geibel 2012-2015 (USS 2013; Deans scholar, 2014-2015) MPH, Emory University. Analyst at Mathematica Policy Research

  22. Caroline Highland summer 2013 (NSF-REU) Ph.D, Cornell Univ. Biochemistry

  23. Jason Tran 2014-2015 switched to Engineering

  24. Emma Watson 2015-2016 switched to Biology

  25. Katie Steelman 2016 M.S. University of Cincinnati

  26. Julia Walton 2016-2017 D.V.M. University of Georgia

  27. Ricky Killeen 2015-2018 M.D. University of Louisville

  28. *Haley Ferguson 2015-2018 M.D. Indiana University

  29. Quinn Kistenfeger 2015-2018 M.D. St. Louis University IL

  30. Rachel Polak 2015-2017 Graduate school North Carolina State in Genetic and Genomics

  31. Alec Krienen 2017 Chemist at Lubrizol

  32. Elizabeth Belling 2017 Research Assistant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital

  33. Jamie Waterman (University of Vermont, REU 2017). Ph.D. Western Sydney University, Australia

  34. Chas Porter 2017-2020 Gap year before medical school at Ohio University, working at Nationwide Children's Hospital

  35. Rosie Magro 2017-2020 Ohio University Medical School

  36. Ellen Tieke 2017-2020. Graduate student CMSB program, Miami University

  37. *Abby Brandt 2017-2020. Chemist, American Colors, Cleveland

  38. *Savanah Reeves 2019-2020 (BS/MS) Analytical Chemist, Shepherd Color Company, Cincinnati

  39. Ifey Okafor (2018-2021). Law School, University of Akron

  40. Ellie Knutson (2020-2022). Department of Energy, Bellingham WA. Internship

  41. Rene Halcom (2020-2022). Gap year before graduate school in Alaska

Students indicated by * had one or more co-authored articles.