LAHONDERE
B
Chloé Lahondère (Principal Investigator)
I am a biologist interested in blood-sucking insects' thermal biology, physiology and neuro-ethology. I obtained my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Tours (France) and pursued a PhD at the same university under the supervision of Prof. Claudio Lazzari. I then moved to Seattle to join the lab of Prof. Jeff Riffell in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington. I joined the faculty of the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech as a Research Assistant Professor in October 2017.
I am affiliated with the Fralin Life Science Institute, the Global Change Center, the BIOTRANS program and the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech.
Link to my CV
Lauren Fryzlewicz (BS/MS student)
Lauren is a first-year BS/MS student at Virginia Tech. She is currently working to complete her bachelor's degree double majoring in Biochemistry and Biology with a minor in Chemistry as well as her Masters in Biochemistry. She began undergraduate research under the supervision of Dr. Vinauger, working on aversive behavior in response to visual stimuli. She is interested in the impacts of changing environmental factors due to Global Warming on vectors of disease. Early 2020, Lauren received a Global Change Center undergraduate research award to support her research. In the future, she hopes to continue research in an Industry setting working with disease vectors. Outside of the lab, Lauren enjoys being outdoors and plays many intramural sports.
Lauren joined the lab in Fall 2019.
Joanna Reinhold (PhD student)
Joanna is a second year Biochemistry Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech. She graduated from Wake Forest University in 2014 with a BA in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Joanna did undergraduate research in parasitology, surveying parasite load in centrarchid fishes under the supervision of Dr. Esch. She is interested in host-seeking behavior and potential pathogen transmission in certain species of mosquitoes that feed on ectothermic animals. Joanna is from Charleston, SC and moved to Virginia a few years ago.
Joanna volunteered in the lab during Summer 2018 before joining the PhD program in August 2018.
Forde Upshur, MS (PhD student)
Forde Upshur obtained his Master's degree in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech. He graduated from Virginia Tech in the spring of 2018 with a Bachelor's in Biochemistry and a minor in Chemistry. He did his undergraduate research at UVa under the supervision of Dr. Brown, working to develop a promoter database for the entire human genome. Forde is looking to gain a diverse array of experience and knowledge during his time as a graduate student, particularly in the fields of biochemistry, chemistry, and behavioral ecology. He also plays guitar and sings and is currently in the process of starting a band.
Forde joined the program in August 2018, rotated in the lab and officially joined in November 2018 as a Master's student. He graduated in may 2020 and is pursuing his PhD in the lab.
Morgen VanderGiessen (MSc student - co-mentored with Clément Vinauger)
Morgen recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Minors in Chemistry and Medicine in Society. She performs field work and has maintained the mosquito colony for both the Vinauger and Lahondère Labs since May 2018. She participated in undergraduate research throughout her education under Dr. Joseph Bassaganya-Riera at BioTherapeutics Inc. as well as under Dr. John Phillips in the Department of Biological Sciences and Dr. Vinauger in the Biochemistry Department at Virginia Tech. During her undergraduate career she was also involved in Alpha Chi Sigma (a co-ed professional chemistry fraternity) and the VT Biochemistry Club. In the future she would like to pursue a PhD in chemical biology with focus in zoonotic disease.
Morgen joined lab in May 2018 as a mosquito colony technician and started as a Lab and Field Assistant in May 2019. She started her Master’s degree in Fall 2019.
Ashlynn VanWinkle (Undergraduate researcher)
Ash is a junior at Virginia Tech, majoring in biochemistry with a minor in chemistry. Originally from the midwest, she moved to Virginia three years ago and now lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Ash works with Lauren, researching how our changing climate is impacting disease vectors. After graduation, she hopes to go into a career in environmental science.
Ash joined lab in January 2020.
Alumni
Elizabeth Bose (undergraduate researcher - 2018-2019)
Elizabeth is a junior at Virginia Tech, and she is double majoring in Biochemistry and Clinical Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and French for Business. She previously did research for a year in Dr. White’s lab with the Biochemistry Department working on a project that studied the anaerobic methionine salvage pathway in Methanocaldococcus jannashii. She also represents Virginia Tech on the Varsity Women’s Golf Team and is additionally involved in Phi Sigma Biological Honors Society and the Neuroscience Club. She is from Norfolk, Virginia, where she graduated from Norfolk Christian High School. Her future career aspiration is to pursue research that involves Biochemistry and Neuroscience
Elizabeth joined the Lahondère Lab in January 2018.
Cameron Hart (undergraduate researcher - 2018-2019)
Cameron is a freshman here at Virginia Tech and is planning on majoring in Biochemistry. He also plans on triple minoring in Chemistry, Medicine and Society, and Spanish. He was born and raised in Souderton, Pennsylvania and graduated from Souderton Area High School being in the top 5% of his high school class of 760. Cameron also is involved in many clubs on campus as well, ranging from the VT chapter of AMSA, to many intramural sports such as soccer, basketball, football, and volleyball. Cameron is involved with a band on campus and plays the piano and sings. He plans on being actively involved in research projects for the remainder of his college career and wants to go to med school in the future.
Cameron joined the Lahondère Lab in January 2018.
Aley Savory (undergraduate researcher - 2019-2020)
Aley is a sophomore at Virginia Tech and is pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. Before coming to Virginia Tech, she attended Avon Grove High School in West Grove Pennsylvania. During her high school career, she was on the varsity women’s swim team, a National Honor Society member, and a teacher’s assistant for her chemistry teacher. She plans on being involved in research for the remainder of her college career along with getting more involved on campus. After college she is looking to go into pharmaceutical field.
Aley joined the lab in Fall 2019 and worked with Forde on GCMS analyses. She will be joining Thermo-Fisher Scientific in Fall 2020.
Sarah Tartabini (undergraduate researcher - 2018-2020)
Sarah is a rising junior at Virginia Tech, and is majoring in biochemistry with a minor in chemistry. She is from Yorktown, Virginia and graduated from Tabb High School in 2016 with honors. Sarah began participating in undergraduate research spring semester her sophomore year and plans to continue doing undergraduate research for the remainder of her college career. Her previous undergraduate research experience is with Dr. Bevan and Dr. Brown in the Department of Biochemistry focused on G-Protein Coupled Receptors and their role in drug discovery using computational and simulation methods. Sarah is very active in the Virginia Tech and participates in many clubs such as Make a Wish-Virginia Tech, VT Engage, predental club, and is involved in Alpha Chi Sigma (a professional chemistry fraternity). In the future Sarah would like to pursue a career in the health-related field as a Physician Assistant.
Sarah joined the Lahondère Lab in April 2018 to work as a Summer Lab and Field Assistant. She returned to the lab as a undergraduate researcher in Fall 2019 and graduated in Spring 2020.
Ryan Shaw (undergraduate researcher - 2019-2020)
Ryan is a senior at Virginia Tech and is majoring in biology. He is from Virginia Beach, Virginia and went to Floyd E. Kellam High School. Ryan is currently an undergraduate teaching assistant for Microbiology. After graduation, he hopes to go to pharmacy school. Ryan works primarily with Joanna, looking at viruses and other pathogens that are transmitted to the local herpeto-fauna by mosquitoes. Ryan received a Global Change Center undergraduate research award in 2020.
Ryan joined the lab in Fall 2019 and graduated in Spring 2020.
Previous mentees (IRBI and UW)
I have had the opportunity to mentor and work with fantastic undergraduate and graduate (both MSc and PhD) students during my PhD and my post-doc
Maurane Buradino
University of Tours, France
B.Sc. level: Licence 3rd year
M.Sc. level: Master 1st year,
July 2010 and April-May 2011
Now an Research Engineer at INRA, France
Jillian M. Joiner
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Biology
September 2014 - September 2015
Now a PhD student at the University of Greenwich, UK
Cindy Laurence
University of Tours, France
B.Sc. level: Licence 3rd year
June 2012
Jessica E. Liaw
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Biology
September 2014 - June 2017
Now a student at the Berkeley Optometry school
Jessica is a co-author on our paper "Modulation of host learning in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes" published in 2018 in Current Biology!
Lauren T. Locke
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Neurobiology
August 2014 - June 2016
Now a medical school student in NY
Lauren is a co-author on our paper "Modulation of host learning in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes" published in 2018 in Current Biology!
Korosh Moosavi
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Biochemistry
August 2015 – June 2017
Assel Shardarbekova
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Neurobiology
November 2015 - March 2017
Kennedy Tobin
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Neurobiology
March 2016 - August 2017
Now a post-bac in the Seder lab at the NIH