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Lab Members

Bret D. Freudenthal, Ph.D.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR


Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Department of Cancer Biology

 

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, B.S. in Biochemistry, 2004
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, Ph.D. in Biochemistry, 2010
National Institutes of Environmental Health, NIH, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2010-2015

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Tyler Weaver, Ph.D.
 

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

 

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, B.S. in Biology, 2013

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, Ph.D. in Biochemistry, 2019

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Justin Ling, Ph.D.
 

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

Iowa State University, Ames, IA, B.S. in Biochemistry and Genetics, 2018

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, Ph.D. in Biochemistry, 2023

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Kaitlin DeHart, B.S.
 

GRADUATE STUDENT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, 2018

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Luis Cortez, B.S.
 

MD/​PhD STUDENT

NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein (F31) Pre-doctoral Fellow

Department of Cancer Biology

Washington State University, Pullman, WA, B.S in Biochemistry, 2016 

Washington State University, Pullman, WA, B.S in Genetics and Cell Biology, 2016

Spencer Thompson, B.S.
 

MD/PhD STUDENT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Creighton University, Omaha, NE, B.S. in Chemistry, 2020

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Peyton Oden, B.S.

 

GRADUATE STUDENT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Baker University, Baldwin City, KS, B.S. in Chemistry, 2021

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Abbey Vito, B.S.

 

GRADUATE STUDENT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Creighton University, Omaha, NE, B.S. in Biochemistry, 2023

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Ava Hammons, B.S.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Culver-Stockton College, Canton, MO, BS in Biochemistry, 2023

University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, MS in Bioinformatics, In Progress

Anzhou He, B.S.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Franklin & Marshall University, Lancaster, PA B.A. in Biochemistry and Philosophy, 2024

Past Members

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Benjamin Ryan, Ph.D.                              2019-2023
 

GRADUATE STUDENT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Creighton University, Omaha, NE, B.S. in Chemistry, 2018

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2023

Ben is now a Post-Doc in the Lab of Bevin Engelward, ScD at MIT in Cambridge, MA.

Griffin Welfer, Ph.D.                                    2019-2023
 

GRADUATE STUDENT

NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein (F31) Pre-doctoral Fellow

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Augustana College, Rock Island, IL, B.A. in Biochemistry, 2018

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2023

Griffin is now a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Scott Blanchard, PhD in the department of structural biology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

Adil Hussen, B.S.
 

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Ashland University, Ashland, OH, B.S. in Biology, 2021

Adil is now an Associate Scientist at AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, MD.

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Jonah Spencer, B.S.                             2021-2022
 

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER 

Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO, B.S in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, 2022.

Jonah is currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Wisconsin Madison. 

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Alexandra Machen, Ph.D.                     2018-2022
 

RESEARCH SCIENTIST

University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 2011

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, M.P.H. in Epidemiology, 2013

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology, 2020

Max Fairlamb, Ph.D.                                 2017-2022
 

GRADUATE STUDENT

Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellow


Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, B.S. in Molecular Biosciences, 2015

Max is currently pursing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center at the University of Kansas Lawrence. 

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Nicole Hoitsma, Ph.D.                              2017-2022
 

GRADUATE STUDENT

American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellow

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, B.S. in Biological Sciences, 2015

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology, 2022

Nicole is now pursuing her postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Karolin Luger at the University of Colorado Boulder.

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Amy Whitaker, Ph.D.                                   2015-2022
 

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow

 

University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, B.S. in Chemistry, 2008

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Biophysics, 2015

Amy is now a tenure-track assistant professor running the Whitaker Lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA. Check out her lab's website at the link below!

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Fausto (Alex) Varela, Ph.D.                       2019-2021
 

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

 

California State University, San Bernardino, CA, B.A. in Psychology, 2009

Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, Ph.D. in Pharmacology, 2019

Alex is now a Research Scientist at Sekisui XenoTech, LLC in Kansas City, KS.

Wesley Stark                                            2018-2020
 

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO, B.S. in Medical Physics 2019

Wesley is now pursuing his MD at University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).

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Kristen Khoang                                        2018-2020

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, B.S. in Biochemistry, 2018
Kirsten is now pursuing her MD at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
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Matt Schaich, Ph.D.                               2016-2020

GRADUATE STUDENT

Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellow
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

 

University of Nebraska, Lincoln. NE, B.S. in Biochemistry & B.A. in Music, 2014

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology, 2020

Matt is currently a Hillman Postdoctoral Fellow for Innovative Cancer Research in the lab of Dr. Ben Van Houten at the UPMC-Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh.

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Mallory Smith, Ph.D.                           2016-2020

GRADUATE STUDENT

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

 

University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA, B.S. in Chemistry, 2014

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology, 2020

Mallory is now the Assistant Director of Foundation Relations at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, WA.

Frank Deng                                                        2018

2018 Summer Internship

Frank returned back to school to complete his Liberal Medical Education (PLME) at Brown University.

Ashlee Herken, B.S.​                                           2018

Washburn University, Topeka, KS, B.S. in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, 2018

Ashlee left the lab to pursue her Ph.D. at Kansas State University.

Tony Flynn, B.S.​                                          2016-2018

University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, KS, B.S. in Biology, 2016

Tony returned to his home state of Texas teaching high school science to the new generation!

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