CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Anna E. Beaudin, PhD
Anna originally hails from Los Angeles, California. She completed a B.A. in Psychology at Cornell University and an M.Sc. in Psychology at Brown University, and then went back to Cornell for a PhD in Nutritional Science. At Cornell, she studied in the lab of Dr. Patrick Stover, where she used mouse genetics to investigate molecular and metabolic mechanisms underlying folate-responsive neural tube defects. After a short stint in the lab of Dr. Atsushi Nakano at UCLA studying cardiac development, she spent 5 years as a postdoc in Dr. Camilla Forsberg’s lab studying hematopoietic stem cell biology. During that time, she made the discovery of a developmentally-restricted hematopoietic stem cell that contributes to layering of the immune system during development. In 2016, she started her independent lab at UC Merced, and moved her lab to the Division of Hematology and the University of Utah in March, 2020. Anna’s favorite part of being a scientist and a PI is mentoring students at all levels, and contributing to a well-trained, diverse scientific community.
Gabriel Leung
Gabriel has been with the Beaudin lab since 2016 and is currently a PhD candidate and planning to graduate at the end of 2022. His scientific interests include blood cell generation, immune development, and the connection between development and disease. After graduating from the University of California Santa Cruz, he immersed himself in a combination of yeast biology, fermentation science, and cereal chemistry and worked in bread bakeries, pastry shops, hotels, and restaurants for several years. And in 2016, he came back to science to investigate the development of the immune system from fetal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).
Diego Lopez
Diego graduated from California State University Stanislaus in 2017 with a B.S. in Molecular and Microbial Biology where he worked with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to generate hybrid yeast strains, using CRISPR, for commercialization in the brewing industry. He joined the Beaudin Lab the following summer at the University of California, Merced where he received a Master’s in Quantitative and Systems Biology in 2019. He moved with the lab to the University of Utah in 2020 where, now as a 5th year graduate student, he currently investigates how prenatal inflammation impacts type-2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) establishment and function in neonatal mice and contributes to asthma susceptibility across the lifespan. Outside of lab he enjoys cooking, spending time with his wife, and his two cats.
Kelly Otsuka
Kelly Otsuka joined the Beaudin lab in Spring 2020 at the University of California, Merced and moved to University of Utah the same year. She graduated from University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Microbiology in 2015 and researched cancer immunotherapies and small molecule drug discovery at Arcus Biosciences. She moved on to Precision for Medicine where she worked on GxP Phase 1 and 2 immunotherapy clinical trials. In the Beaudin lab, Kelly explores the role of resident tissue macrophage on cochlear development and hearing function. In collaboration with Dr. Albert Park at the University of Utah, she also utilizes their model of sensorineural hearing loss during cytomegalovirus infection to further investigate the role of resident tissue macrophages in hearing loss. In her free time, she stays indoors and avoids strangers.
Brian Krum
Brian graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2018 with a B.S. in biology. Hedecided he enjoyed the research environment and wanted to also pursue a M.S. at University of Northern Colorado focusing on reproductive endocrinology and steroidogenesis. He began a Ph.D. at Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver Colorado looking to study reproduction and fertility. Eventually he realized it was not the best fit and decided to come to the University of Utah to work with Dr. Anna Beaudin. His project is currently investigating the effects of maternal folic acid on prenatal hematopoietic stem cell function and output.
Nicole Tseng
Nicole Tseng is a first-year graduate student in the Beaudin lab. She is from Northern California, and she studied Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University. After graduating in 2020, she worked in industry for a couple years doing COVID-19 testing/research and HIV sequencing. She has always been interested in how events during pregnancy affect development, so she was very eager to join the Beaudin lab! Though her project is still developing, it is broadly examining how prenatal inflammation alters HSPC output and function in adulthood. Outside of lab, Nicole enjoys rock climbing, playing the piano, and eating desserts (baked by Gabe and Kelly).
Noah Huerta
Noah is a recent graduate from UC Merced where he received his BS in molecular and cell biology. During his time at UC Merced, he studied t-cell dysfunction during autoimmunity in the Hoyer lab and tissue resident macrophage development in the Beaudin lab. Upon graduation Noah continued working in the Beaudin lab where he now studies the effects of distinct cell types on bone marrow transplantation. During his free time he enjoys hiking and playing board games.
Aleah Griffin
Aleah is from Millcreek, Utah and graduated spring 2022 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Utah. She joined the lab as an undergraduate and is currently working as a lab technician. She has spent most of her life swimming competitively and enjoys a good book and cuddling with her cat.
Sydney Garcia
Sydney Garcia is originally from Clovis, CA and is studying Nursing with a minor in Military Science. She has been in ROTC for the past few years and is looking forward to graduating and becoming an awesome nurse while also serving as a 2LT in the Army Reserves after graduating. Sydney has been working in the lab for two years now after impulsively applying when experiencing extreme boredom at the start of the pandemic (and also to learn and have fun!!) and has the best job bugging Gabe and helping him with the macrophage project. She is considering helping out with research in her nursing career in between working with trauma/critical care and going back to school to become a CRNA. Some hobbies include cross stitch, violin, chatting with her family back home, updating everyone in the lab about the Real Housewives and the Bachelor, hiking, and traveling.
Danny Barrera
Danny Barrera is a 3rd-year Biochemistry Major with Minors in Human Development & Family Sciences and Physics. Although born and raised in Northern Utah, Danny also has proud roots in Mexico and is the first of his family to pursue a career in Science. He joined the University of Utah with the goal of learning more about research and medicine. He then joined the Beaudin Lab to fulfill this goal! Danny has gained experience through his mentor Gabriel Leung in his research toward macrophage development within the fetal hematopoietic niche. Since having joined, he became a Spring 2022 UROP Scholar recipient and is looking forward to reapplying and exploring other research programs. Overall, this experience has given him insight into where to direct his career, as he aims to study Internal Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine and serve underrepresented communities in Utah. In his free time, Danny follows basketball news, watches basketball, and plays basketball. He's a big fan of the Utah Jazz team, and even though they aren't what they used to be, the prospect of a new, young and determined team appropriately reflects Danny's drive in and out of the lab!
Emilio Trujillo
Emilio Trujillo hails from the lands of potatoes: Idaho. However, he has been all over the place! Surprisingly, he lived in six different places in total. Most of his early childhood, he grew up in Spain where he learned Spanish and tried to learn English. Currently, he lives in Utah and studies at the University of Utah. He majors in Biomedical Engineering, because of his curiosity for prosthetics and the physiological properties of the body. He currently works in the Beaudin lab with Kelly Otsuka and became a UROP scholar in Summer 2022 to investigate cochlear immune response to cytomegalovirus. In his free time, he enjoys sleeping and not thinking about homework. Additionally, he likes to play piano, sing, and read whenever he doesn’t have to think about sleep or homework.
Victoria Chiou
Victoria is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Utah, pursuing a BS in Biochemistry. She plans to pursue a career in medicine and research and is interested in pediatrics, which led her to join the Beaudin lab in her second year at the university. She was born in Taiwan and has lived interchangeably between Taiwan and Idaho throughout her life. Outside of the lab, she enjoys listening to music, playing tennis, hiking, and cooking.
Anneke Enquist
Anneke Enquist is an undergraduate student at the University of Utah studying Biochemistry and Physics, intending to pursue a dual M.D./Ph.D. in Neuroimmunology. She joined the lab to further her knowledge and experience of laboratory techniques and laboratory environment, as well as to assist in meaningful research that advances an understanding of the function of fetal hematopoietic progenitors with regard to adult immune function. Outside of the lab, she enjoys boxing, sculpting, and stargazing - oftentimes hiking to find the most interesting forms and clearest skies.
Natalie Aguilar
Natalie Aguilar was born and raised to a Latin family household in Salt Lake City, Utah where she is the oldest among five children. Currently, she attends the University of Utah as an undergraduate pre-med student where she studies Business Administration. She currently works in the Beaudin lab assisting PhD students with experiments and is a pending UROP scholar. In her free time she enjoys embroidery, calligraphy, and photography.
LAB ALUMNI
April Apostol
April Apostol, PhD, graduated from San Franscisco State with a B.Sc. in Microbiology and a minor in Chemistry. After a brief stint as a chemist in Santa Cruz, April returned to UC Merced for her PhD, where here thesis work examined the the impact of maternal Toxoplasma gondii infection on fetal hematopoietic stem cell development in collaboration with Dr. Kirk Jensen. April graduated from UC Merced in May, 2022, and currently works as a Custom Applications Scientist at BD in San Diego.