Lab Members
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Hi! Im a 3rd year microbiology student native to Colorado. In the future I hope to explore more of the ways human gut microbiome is connected to health and disease. In my free time I love exploring, cooking, and playing Qbert at the arcade!
Sabina Barron
Undergraduate
B.S. (in progress)
University of California, Santa Cruz
Microbiology
sabaron at ucsc.edu
I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I am a third-year undergraduate student majoring in MCD biology. In the future, I hope to pursue a master's degree in biochemistry, microbiology, or a PharmD. In my free time I enjoy hiking, going to the beach, reading, and being outside as much as possible!
Sara Francis
Undergraduate
B.S. (in progress)
University of California, Santa Cruz
Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology
sasfranc at ucsc.edu
I was born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in San Jose, California. I got my undergraduate degree here at UC Santa Cruz where I got my Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. My undergraduate research primarily focused on understanding how mutations of the protein inhibitor p16 affect its role in cell cycle regulation and how that plays a larger role in glioma formation. In the future I hope to work towards becoming a PhD candidate. In my free time I enjoy reading, crocheting, and swimming.
Myrka Carmona
Specialist
B.S.
University of California, Santa Cruz Biochemistry
mmcarmon at ucsc.edu
I was born in Colorado and raised in Wisconsin. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a Bachelors of Science while majoring in Microbiology. My research there mainly focused on the production of Aflatoxins from specific molds that grow in agriculture and how to reduce the toxicity in order to reduce food waste in the US. I continued my food research in Silicon Valley where I gained more insight into food safety and quality. I decided to segway into a more entrepreneurial based role to gain experience in creating and managing a team, before deciding to combine those skills with my research skills and interests in how the diet impacts the human gut microbiome. Thus, I joined the Patnode Lab at UCSC in 2022. When I am not in the lab, you can find me either surfing, running or walking my dog Millie.
Meghan Graham
Specialist
B.S.
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Microbiology
mgraham1 at ucsc.edu
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I was born in L.A. and raised in Taiwan. I came back to the U.S. when I was fifteen years old. My interest has always been in the diversity of survival strategies and the evolution of interspecies interaction, so I went for a bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. I focused my studies and coursework on bioinformatics and biostatistics during my master’s to enrich my understanding and skills for data analysis. My previous work had mostly focused on the evolutionary history of insects. For my undergraduate research, I worked on the phylogeny of Nearctic shield-back katydids in the California Floristic Province and their relationship to the Nedubini katydids worldwide. For my master’s thesis, I utilized high-throughput sequencing of ultraconserved elements to deduce the unique geographic distribution and evolutionary history of California Channel Islands endemic ant species Aphaenogaster patruelis relative to related mainland kin. Currently, I am working on understanding the spatial distribution of bacterial in the human gut microbiome.
Bo Huey (Charles) Chiang
Ph.D. Student
B.S.
University of California, San Diego
Ecology, Behavior and Evolution
M.S.
University of California, San Diego
Biology
bcchiang at ucsc.edu
Samantha Ma
Undergraduate
B.S. (in progress)
University of California, Santa Cruz
Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology
Koret Research Scholar
sma146 at ucsc.edu
I'm a third year undergraduate student majoring in MCDB. I was born and raised in San Francisco, California. I enjoy drawing, crocheting, and reading!
I grew up in the East Bay and am currently an undergraduate majoring in Biomolecular Engineering. My interests include microbiology, synthetic biology, and bioinstrumentation. Outside of the lab, I enjoy tinkering, cycling, and collecting mechanical pencils!
Tony Mei
Undergraduate
(Summer QB3 Intern)
B.S. (in progress)
University of California, Santa Cruz
Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics
QB3 Research Intern
tomei at ucsc.edu
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I went to high school in Georgia and completed my undergraduate degree at Dartmouth, where I majored in Cell Biology and Math. My undergraduate research focused on V. cholerae biofilm formation in aquatic ecosystems, and now I’m interested in better understanding how the gut microbiome influences V. cholerae infectivity and biofilm formation in the host. I’m exploring these questions through a co-mentorship with the Yildiz lab, and am broadly interested in how crosstalk between the host, commensals, and pathogens modulates infection. In my free time, I enjoy running, hiking, climbing, and hanging out with my pet Russian tortoise Myrtle.
Katie Miller
Ph.D. Student
(Co-mentored with Yildiz Lab)
B.S.
Dartmouth College
Cell Biology / Math
kmille27 at ucsc.edu
I was born in Jalisco, Mexico and at a young age my family migrated to the Fresno, CA. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degree in biology from CSU, Fresno. My master thesis focused on the cAMP receptor protein (CRP), which detects the concentration of glucose in Escherichia coli by monitoring the intracellular level of cAMP. I tested key residues in CRP to determine their contribution to DNA binding. At UCSC, I am exploring the relationship between dietary intake and immune system function. In my free time, I like to go on hikes, rock climb, and watch movies.
Christian Montiel
PhD Student
B.S.
California State University, Fresno
Biology
M.S.
California State University, Fresno
Biology
cmmontie at ucsc.edu
Michael grew up in the Seattle area, and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington. He moved to University of California, San Francisco for graduate training in the lab of Dr. Steven Rosen where he focused on immunology and glycobiology. He carried out post-doctoral work with Dr. Jeffrey Gordon at Washington University in St. Louis, exploring how host diet shapes gut microbial communities, before joining the faculty in the METX Department in November 2020.
Michael Patnode
Assistant Professor
B.S.
University of Washington
Biochemistry
Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
Biomedical Sciences
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Washington University in St. Louis
PatnodeLab at ucsc.edu
I was born and raised in Pakistan and later my family moved to Dubai where I completed middle and high school. Then, I came to California as an international student and completed my bachelors in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Systems Physiology at San Jose State University. In my undergraduate research lab, I studied how bacterial cholesterol dependent cytolysins (aka pore-forming toxins) such as pneumolysin of Streptococcus pneumoniae destroy the lung epithelium and cause bacteremia in the human host. Now, I am studying how the food that we eat interacts with the gut immune system.
Fatima Rizvi
Ph.D. Student
B.S.
San Jose State University
Biological Sciences
with a concentration in Physiology
fzrizvi at ucsc.edu
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Aoto Sakamoto
Undergraduate
B.S. (in progress)
University of California, Santa Cruz
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
absakamo at ucsc.edu
I was born and raised in San Diego and then moved to Santa Cruz for my bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Cruz. My undergraduate research focused on Wolbachia, a vertically transmitted bacteria that manipulates its host’s reproductive system via different mechanisms to maximize their spread. One mechanism is called cytoplasmic incompatibility, which is what I focused on. Now I’m studying the interactions between microbes and antibodies in our gut and how different factors influence these antibodies’ production.
Giovanni Vega
Ph.D. Student
B.S.
University of California, Santa Cruz
Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
gvega6 at ucsc.edu
Lab Alumni
Nicolette Hernandez-Kaempf
Specialist
(2021-2023)
B.S. - Western Washington University - Environmental Toxicology
Next step: Cabrillo College (Pre-nursing)
Sarah Dunwoody
Undergraduate
(2022-2024)
B.S. - University of California, Santa Cruz- Biology; Environmental Science
Undergraduate Research In Science & Technology (URST) Awardee
Next step: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Internship
Alexander Newman
Undergraduate
(2021-2023)
B.S. - University of California, Santa Cruz - Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Undergraduate Research In Science & Technology (URST) Awardee
Next step: UC Riverside (PhD Program)
Abby Renfro
Undergraduate
(2024; Summer QB3 Intern)
B.S. - University of California, Santa Cruz- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Next step: Finishing BS Degree!
Loreli Gonzalez
Undergraduate
(2023; Summer ACCESS Student)
B.S. (in progress) - California State University, Monterey Bay - Molecular Biology
Next step: Finishing BS Degree!
Samridhi Semwal
Undergraduate
(2023-2025)
B.S. - University of California, Santa Cruz- Human Biology
Undergraduate Research In Science & Technology (URST) Awardee
Next step: Medical School
Nikita Deshpande
Specialist
(2022-2023)
B.S. - University of California, Santa Cruz - Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Undergraduate Research In Science & Technology (URST) Awardee
Next step: John's Hopkins (Master's in Public Health Program)
Natalie Cellucci
Undergraduate
(2023-2025)
B.S. - University of California, Santa Cruz- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology; Ecology and Evolution
Koret Research Scholar
Ph.D. Rotation Students
2020-2021
2021-2022
2023-2024
2024-2025
Giovanni Vega
Bo Huey Chiang
Domenique Banta
Stephanie Bazarini
Fatima Rizvi
Christian Montiel
Khurshid Iranpur
Charles Winterbottom
Keya Jonnalagadda
Katie Miller
Available Positions
Post-doctoral Fellows: We have open positions for post-doctoral fellows who want to apply concepts and techniques from nutrition, bacteriology, and/or immunology to better understand host-microbe mutualism. Please send us your CV and a cover letter summarizing your scientific interests. (PatnodeLab at ucsc.edu)
Graduate Students: The lab is accepting current PBSE students for rotations. Prospective graduate students interested in the lab should apply to the PBSE or the METX Doctoral or Masters programs.
Undergraduate Students: We are accepting students seeking research experiences in microbiology, immunology, and biochemistry. Please send your CV, unofficial transcript, and a paragraph describing your scientific interests to PatnodeLab at ucsc.edu.