Meet the Team

  • Valerie P. O'Brien, Ph.D.

    Lab Director

    Post Doc, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Salama Lab)

    Ph.D., Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Washington University in St. Louis (Hultgren & Lewis Labs)

  • Rayna Bandy

    Graduate Student, MCMP

    M.S., Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center

    B.S., Chemistry, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

  • Lehao Wu

    Graduate Student, MCMP

    M.S., Pharmacology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

    B.S., Pharmacy, Shandong University, China

  • Image of Xuyao

    Xuyao (Yvonne) Zhao

    Graduate Student, MCMP

    M.S., Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Southern California

    B.Agr., Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University

  • Anne Serban

    Lab Manager

    B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Nick Wojcicki II

    Lab Technician

    B.S., Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology, Purdue University

  • Picture of Rachel

    Rachel Rudnicki

    Undergraduate Researcher

    B.S., Health and Disease, Purdue University, anticipated Spring 2026