Members
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Talia Karasov
Assistant professor
t.karasov[at]utah.edu
Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Talia first became interested in genetics as an undergraduate at Stanford University working on the rapid evolution of insecticide resistance in Drosophila populations in the laboratory of Dmitri Petrov. As a graduate student at the University of Chicago with Joy Bergelson, she transitioned to working on the genetics of host-microbe interactions, work that she continued as a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology working with Detlef Weigel. She started as an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in Fall 2020.
In her free time she loves running, hiking, climbing and reading.
CURRENT MEMBERS
Emma Caullireau
Postdoc
emma.caullireau[at]utah.edu
Emma grew up in the French Alps in Chambéry. She began studying biology and agronomy at Claude Bernard University in Lyon, France. She then continued her studies at the l’Institut Agro, where she obtained the title of engineer in horticulture in Angers, as well as a joint master’s degree from the University of Rennes, France. Interested in plant pathology, she completed her PhD in joint supervision with Elodie Vandelle (Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy), and Cindy Morris (INRAE Avignon, France). Her thesis focused on the effect of environmental factors on bacterial virulence, concentrating on Pseudomonas syringae. She joined the lab in October 2024 for her postdoc focused on studying the role of Pseudomonas viridiflava tailocins in plant colonization.
Outside the lab, Emma is passionate about cooking, cheese and Italian culture. She also likes learning about linguistics and music. She loves hiking and going to festivals or concerts.
Efthymia Symeonidi
Postdoc
esymeonidi1[at]gmail.com
Effie grew up in a town situated at the foot of Mount Olympus in Greece. She started her studies in Thessaloniki in the Biology department of the Aristotle University and received a Master’s degree from the University of Glasgow. She did her PhD in the lab of Detlef Weigel in Tuebingen working on salicylic acid production in natural accessions of A. thaliana and a postdoc in the lab of Marja Timmermans in Tuebingen on understanding cell differentiation at a single cell level.
In her free time Effie likes reading, watching movies/shows and spending time outdoors.
Madelyn Allen
Graduate Student
madelyn.allen[at]utah.edu
Madelyn grew up in Farmington, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Biological Chemistry and a minor in Chemistry. She has always had a passion for biology. During her undergraduate degree she had a desire to be part of the research process and decided to pursue her Master’s to begin fulfilling this desire.
When outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, skiing, hiking, and playing the occasional video game.
Talia Backman
Graduate Student
talia.backman[at]utah.edu
Talia received her BS in Biology at Utah Valley University. She worked in Heath Ogden’s lab to resolve the evolutionary history of Ephemeroptera, also known as mayflies. She then joined Eric Domyan’s lab and aimed to resolve the genetic mechanisms of how organisms evolve new traits in domesticated rock pigeons. Towards the end of her undergraduate career she investigated whether microbes could break down complex carbon molecules.
When she’s not in the lab she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs, running, and skiing. She also extends her love of microbes to her home life by growing gourmet mushrooms and foraging for them when she has the chance.
Patricia Girardi
Graduate Student
patricia.girardi[at]utah.edu
Patricia earned a BS in Biology (Environmental and Organismal Biology Emphasis) with a minor in Chemistry, as well as an MS in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Utah. She worked in industry for a few years before starting her PhD. Her research is driven by an interest in coevolutionary genetics, especially as related to host-pathogen interaction, and a desire to utilize computational tools like machine learning to answer biological questions.
In her spare time, Patricia enjoys climbing, hiking/backpacking, spending time with her dog (Argo), and playing video games.
Aubrey Hawks
Graduate Student
aubreymarie37[at]gmail.com
Aubrey Hawks earned her BS in Biology at the University of Utah. As an undergraduate she worked in Nitin Phadnis’s lab using Hi-C sequencing to measure reduced homologous chromosome pairing in Drosophila interspecies hybrids. More recently, she worked in Richard Clark’s lab studying plant resistance to mites.
Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, weightlifting, reading and spending time outdoors. Prior to studying Biology, Aubrey received an MA in Art History. She occasionally reads, writes or teaches about art.
Ella Bleak
Undergraduate Student
ellableak[at]gmail.com
Ella is an undergraduate at the University of Utah pursuing a HBS in Biochemistry and a BS in Mathematics. She was born and raised in Lehi, Utah, where she graduated from Skyridge High School. She is very excited to do research during her undergraduate years, and after graduating, she plans to go to graduate school to earn a PhD.
When not in the lab, Ella loves to read fantasy, play video games, try new foods, and travel.
Caston Draper
Undergraduate Student
cdraper[at]nhmu.utah.edu
Jack Mason Henry
Undergraduate Student
jackh2502[at]gmail.com
Jack is an undergraduate working on his BS in Biochemistry at the University of Utah. He was raised in Park City, UT, where he graduated from Park City High School. He has always been fascinated with biology and is excited to work in a lab and grow his understanding of the biological world.
Jack enjoys climbing, exploring the outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and playing video games outside the lab.
Annika Kloepper
Undergraduate Student
u1324086[at]utah.edu
Annika is currently in her final year of her undergraduate degree before getting a BS in Biology and a minor in photography from the University of Utah. She grew up in Moab, UT and in Oregon where she graduated from Roseburg High School before coming to Salt Lake City. Previously, Annika worked in one of the Science Research Initiative labs at the U of U that does research on pollination metagenomics. This has further fueled her passion for biology.
Outside of the lab, Annika enjoys photography, painting, spending time outdoors, playing flute, and unicycling.
Allie Perkins
Undergraduate Student
allison.perkins[at]utah.edu
Allie was born and raised in Chanhassen, Minnesota and moved to Salt Lake in 2021 to attend the University of Utah, studying Plant Biology and Spanish. Her passion for research, ecology, and culture stem from a field project in Costa Rica directed by Dr. Adrian Pinto in the Seeds of Change Program, exploring the deterrence of Atta cephalotes ants on local farms. At the University of Utah, she studied pollen metagenomics under Josh Stephen in the Science Research Initiative before joining the Karasov lab in 2023.
In her free time, Allie likes to explore new places, drink coffee, and water her plants.
ALUMNI
| Christopher (Brad) Nelson | Undergraduate 2021 – 2022 |
| Olivia Pratt | Undergraduate 2021 – 2022 |
| Yunus Ashtijou | Undergraduate 2022 – 2023 |
| Sarita Som | Undergraduate 2023 – 2024 |
| Lauren Eads | PhD student 2023 – 2024 |
| Cannon Fehrenbach | Undergraduate 2021 – 2024 |
