LAB Members
Michael federle, PhD, Principle investigator
I've been hooked on microbial cell-to-cell communication since the day I held a Petri dish with colonies of glow-in-the-dark bacteria. Light production in marine bioluminescent bacteria occurs only after they communicate to one another to do so. In a dark room, it was like gazing at the night sky, full of stars. Since that experience, I've been curious about the molecular mechanisms allowing bacteria to coordinate behaviors, not only to express luciferase, but also to grow in communities and join efforts to overcome barriers that would be impassable if performed by individual cells. We anticipate our studies will have big implications in developing strategies to interfere with bacterial communication, and may lead to new antimicrobial therapies.
Jennifer chang, PHD - research assistant professor
Jenny joined the Federle Lab in 2008. She is interested in bacterial pathogenesis and currently works on the Rgg2/3 quorum-sensing circuit. Jenny received BS and MS degrees from the University of California at San Diego and a PhD in Pathobiology from the University of Washington.
Britta rued, PHD - PoStdoctoral fellow
Britta is a post-doctoral researcher in the Federle Lab. She is currently studying Rgg quorum sensing systems in Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus mutans. She received her BS degree from University of Wisconsin-River Falls and PhD in Microbiology from Indiana University.
Dara Kiani, PHD - PoStdoctoral fellow
Dara is a post-doctoral researcher in the Federle Lab studying changes to the cell envelope of Streptococcus pyogenes in response to quorum sensing. Dara received his BS degree from University of California, Irvine and his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from University of Illinois - Chicago. Outside of the lab, Dara enjoys playing and watching soccer.
Ian McIntire, Graduate Student
Ian is a PhD candidate in the Federle Lab studying the benefits of the Streptococcus pyogenes Rgg quorum sensing system to the bacteria in the context of a host infection. He received his BS degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Out of the lab, you can find him with his corgi, Miko, or on his bike.
SaM Feldstein, MD/PHD Student
Sam is an MD/PhD candidate in the Federle Lab studying the mechanisms of quorum-sensing-mediated immunosuppression of host cells by Streptococcus pyogenes. He received his BA degree from Northwestern University. When not at the flow cytometer, you'll probably catch Sam at the movie theaters or at a Denver sports bar.
Sobita Pathak, Graduate Student
Sobita is a PhD candidate in the Federle Lab investigating the production of a newly discovered pigment in Streptococcus pyogenes. She received her bachelors degree from Kathmandu University and her masters from Vellore Institute of Technology and Nanyang Technological University. Sobita loves hiking, exploring new places, traveling, and painting.
Elisabeth Gutierrez Manzanares, Graduate Student
Eli is a PhD student trying to develop new inhibitors of quorum sensing that could be used to prevent oropharyngeal colonization of Streptococcus pyogenes. Eli did her bachelors in biomedical engineering at the Univesity of Málaga. In her free time, she likes to hang out with friends, go to concerts, dance, and do oil paintings.
Maryam behzadi, Graduate Student
mbehza2@uic.edu
Maryam is a PhD student in the Federle lab. She received her master's degree from Shiraz University. In her free time, Maryam enjoys hanging out with friends, exploring new places, and playing badminton.
Past Members
Graduate Students
Caleb Anderson, PhD - Postdoctoral fellow at University of Geneva
Irina Laczkovich, PhD - Research Scientist I at Takeda
Kaitlyn Tylor, PhD - Bacterial Geneticist at ADM
Kate Rahbari, MD, PhD - Resident in Obstretics and Gynecology at University of Alabama - Birmingham
Artemis Gogos, MD, PhD - Resident in Pediatrics at University of Colorado School of Medicine - Denver
Breah LaSarre, PhD - Research Scientist III at Iowa State University
Chaitanya Aggarwal, PhD - Senior Director of Integrateion and Transformation at Merck Life Sciences
Juan Jimenez, PhD - Senior R&D Researcher at Multiplex
Reid Wilkening, MD, PhD - Pediatric Critical Care Fellow at University of Colorado School of Medicine - Denver
Erin Shanker, MD, PhD - Infectious Disease Fellow at the University of Illinois-Chicago
Luis Fernando Bandeira Miranda - PhD Candidate at the University of Campinas
Gabriella DeBruyn, DMD, PhD
Kayleigh Tovar, PhD
Post-Doc Fellows
Jerry Khee Keong Woo, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois-Chicago
George Chlipala, PhD - Research Assistant Professor, Associate Director of Research Informatic Core at University of Illinois - Chicago
Lauren Mashburn-Warren, PhD - Senior Research Scientist, Nationwide Children's Hospital
Tiara Perez-Morales, PhD - Assistant Professor at Benedictine University
Laura Cook, PhD - Assistant Professor at SUNY-Binghamton
Post-Bac Fellows
Alejandro Cabrera-Cortez - PhD Graduate Student at Caltech
Reginald Woods - MD/PhD Graduate Student at University of Illinois - Chicago
