LAB PERSONNEL
JUDITH BEHNSEN, PHD
Principle Investigator
Established the lab in October 2016.
Dr. Behnsen completed her doctoral training from the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany and her post-doctoral training from the University of California, Irvine. Not only is she fascinated by the microbial world in the gut, but she also loves to dive in her spare time.
KANCHAN JASWAL
PhD, Postdoctoral Associate
Joined in June 2021.
Kanchan grew up in the hills of Shimla, right on the southern range of the Himalayas. She received her Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, India, where she studied bacterial cell physiology. Although bacterial metabolism will always stay dear to her, she followed her passion for studying host-microbial interaction and joined the Behnsen lab for postdoctoral training. She will now focus on how bacterial-fungal interaction affects the host. She likes to travel, do yoga/meditation, and watch animes.
OLIVIA TODD
PhD, Postdoctoral Associate
Joined in July 2021.
Olivia is from Mobile, Alabama, and got her BS in chemistry and in microbiology from Mississippi State University. She did her PhD at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee, focusing on the interaction of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus in polymicrobial intra-abdominal infections. She likes to garden, cook, and hang out with her cat. She is a really big One Direction fan.
ROBERTO FLORES
BS, GEMS PhD Student
Joined in May 2022.
Roberto is a third year PhD Student in the Behnsen lab.
KELLY PERFECTO
Research Specialist
Joined in May 2021.
Kelly was born in Dallas, Texas but has spent most of her life in Chicago, Illinois. She received her BS in Biology and BA in French from Denison University in Granville, Ohio. She is enjoying helping out the Behnsen lab continue their research on different microbe interactions/relationships. In her free time she loves playing with her two cats and dog. She is always open to new horror/thriller movie recommendations.
FIONA SCRIMAGER
Undergraduate Researcher
Joined in September 2023.
Fiona is excited to join the Proteus research project.