People

David grew up in Oxford (UK) and received his BSc from Imperial College London in 2014, where he also started his Ph.D in the Ulijasz lab. He moved with the lab to Loyola University Chicago in 2016. David's research focuses on the regulatory mechanisms controlling synthesis of S. pneumoniae's polysaccharide capsule, a major virulence factor that protects the bacterium from the host immune system during infection. When he's not in the lab, David enjoys playing the violin, cooking, and spending time outside.

Christopher was raised in Merced, CA and studied at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology. He then joined the Ulijasz Lab in 2019 as a PhD student in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at Loyola University Chicago. Christopher’s research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind a set of proteins identified using Metabolite-Coupled Transposon Sequencing (Met-Seq) as being important in homeostasis of heme levels within the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In his spare time, Christopher enjoys playing golf, fishing, and brewing beer.

Michela was born and raised in Turin, Italy. She moved to the United States in 2016 to study Biology at Loyola University Chicago, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in the spring of 2020. Shortly after graduating, she joined the Ulijasz Lab as a Lab Technician. Michela’s research focuses on investigating the larger regulon of SpxR, and how it relates to pneumococcal infection. In her free time, Michela loves photography, spending time outside, playing soccer, skiing, and cooking.

Mailyn grew up in Bukidnon, Philippines. She moved to Metro Manila where she received her BSc Chemistry and MSc Chemistry degrees from Ateneo de Manila University. She went to Canada to pursue graduate studies where she received her PhD in Chemistry from Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, British Columbia) in September 2020. Soon after, she joined the lab of Dr. David Mueller at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (North Chicago, IL) as a postdoc trainee working with the S. cerevisiae membrane protein Yhc3. Yhc3 is yeast homolog of the human Cln3, protein associated with Batten disease. In June 2022, she transferred at the Ulijasz lab, Loyola University Chicago (Maywood, IL) to continue her postdoctoral training. Mailyn’s research focuses on biophysical and structural characterization of P. aeruginosa GAD1 protein and its interaction partners. When not doing science, Mailyn enjoys baking, reading, cross-stitching, crocheting, and hiking.

Adam was born and raised in North Texas and attended Oklahoma State University where he received a B.S. in Microbiology/Cell and Molecular Biology and worked in the lab of Matt Cabeen. He then moved to Chicago to begin his MD/PhD at Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine in 2021. In the lab, Adam is investigating the regulation of the pneumococcal capsule. Outside of the Ulijasz Lab, Adam is also involved in clinical research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at LUMC. His clinical interests are in ID/HIV medicine, pathology, and drug development. In his free time, Adam enjoys fly fishing, music, and reading! 

Natasha was born and raised in Capron, IL. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She earned her Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago. She then joined the Ulijasz lab in 2022 as a Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Immunology department at Loyola University Chicago. Natasha’s starting a new project in S. pneumoniae. When not in the lab Natasha enjoys cooking, spending time outside, and reading.  

Quin grew up in Portland, OR.  She received her undergraduate degrees from the College of Idaho in Biological Sciences and Fine Arts in 2018. After she graduated, she spent the next four years working in Boise, Idaho. She first worked as a microbiologist at a food testing laboratory. After this, she became a research technician at a small biotechnology startup (Burst Biologics) where she worked on utilizing extracellular vesicles as a mechanism for drug delivery in Parkinson’s Disease models. Quin joined the Ulijasz Lab in December of 2022 as a Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Immunology department of Loyola University Chicago. Quin is currently investigating a set of genes that are upregulated in response to glyoxal exposure. In her free time, Quin enjoys the outdoors, running, drawing, creative writing, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends. 

Drew grew up in the small town of Tecumseh, Michigan and attended Central Michigan University for both a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Masters of Science in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology. He worked in the lab of Michael J. Conway researching vector borne disease in Aedes aegypti and dengue virus. He then started the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine MD-PhD Program in 2022. In the Ulijasz Lab, he is currently studying regulation and effect of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type-III secretion system. He is also involved with clinical research in orthopaedic trauma with LUMC’s Ortho Department. In his free time, Drew enjoys coaching wrestling, traveling, camping, and relaxing with his cat.

Moses was raised in Geneva, Illinois. In his spare time, Moses enjoys the cold weather, lounging on the couch with his family, and eating chicken.

Ares is Moses' nephew and was also raised in Geneva, Illinois. In his spare time, Ares enjoys playing in the background and annoying his Uncle Moses.