Alumni

Alumni People

Simon Underhill, PhD | Postdoctoral Associate

Alumnus (postdoc)

Office: 406 LSE | Lab: 419 LSE | Tel 405-744-7730

Stillwater OK 74078

Simon primarily studies global transcriptional changes in P. aeruginosa in response to different genetic perturbations with a focus on citrate and glycerol metabolism and on the Nitro-PTS system. He is a mathemetician-physicist-turned-microbiologist with expertise in bacterial genetics and microfludics-coupled fluorescence microscopy. He worked in the lab from June 2020 until December 2022, when he left the lab for an opportunity at a Vancouver, BC (Canada)-based biotech startup that aims to revolutionize transplant technology.

Rabindra Khadka, PhD

Alumnus (PhD, postdoc)

419 LSE Stillwater OK 74078

rabindra.khadka@okstate.edu

Rabi is from Dhangadhi, Nepal. After completing his master’s degree, Rabi worked as a QC Microbiologist at Mylan Laboratories Limited (now part of Viatris Inc., a leading global sterile API company) for two years, where he faced US FDA and several other pharmaceutical industry regulatory audits several times. Having some experience and mastering the fundamental concepts & techniques, he hopes to later work as an R&D research scientist. He studied the molecular properties of stressosomes—large cytoplasmic environmental-stress-sensing complexes—in Bacillus subtilis and discovered that stressosomes are not strictly required for environmental stress sensing. Rabi has a reputation for being an excellent TA and mentor in the MMG department. He has won the departmental TA of the Year award (2020 and 2022) and Outstanding Graduate Mentor award (2022 and runner-up 2023) several times. He was also awarded the MMG Departmental Ed & Mary Grula Fellowship Award (2022-2023) and the Distinguished Graduate Fellowship (DGF) (2023-2024). He earned his PhD in August 2024 and then served as a postdoctoral associate in the lab. In 2025, he departed the lab to take a postdoctoral position in the Ann Stock lab at Rutgers.

Chris Hamm, PhD

Alumnus (PhD)

419 LSE Stillwater OK 74078

chris.hamm@okstate.edu

Chris Hamm was a PhD student, originally from San Jose, California, who is also a paramedic. Chris used microfluidics and genetics to study how different stress-sensing proteins located within the stressosomes of B. subtillisrespond to different types of stressors and affect cell survival. Chris was also a mentor to Master's and undergraduate students, including Niblack Scholars. After earning his PhD in April 2023, Chris now is a MERIT postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Gray at the University of Alabama - Birmingham.

Somalisa Pan, PhD

Alumna, PhD
419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

somalisa.pan@okstate.edu

Somalisa Pan iswasa PhD student from West Bengal, India. She studied how the protein PtsN in Pseudomonas aeruginosa represses biofilm formation through a newly discovered hydrolase and how PtsN phosphorylation affects downstream cell physiology. She decided to continue research in this field of microbiology so that she can study these pathogens at the molecular level, to understand their physiology and pave a way towards finding a therapeutic cure against them. Somalisa was supported in 2019-2020 by an OCRID Pilot Project grant and has served as a mentor to multiple undergraduate Niblack Scholars. She earned her PhD in 2024 and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University in the Hauser lab.

Amal Yahya, PhD

Alumna (PhD)

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

amal.yahya@okstate.edu

Amal Yahya is originally from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and she felt honored to earn her Ph.D. in Microbiology at Oklahoma State University. She studied how different proteins affect biofilm formation in Pseudomonasaeruginosa, in particular a newly discovered DNA-binding protein. In her free time, Amal enjoys volunteering at nursing homes and shelters to take care of elderly people and those in need. After earning her PhD in July 2023, Amal is returning to her native Saudi Arabia to be an assistant professor of microbiology.

Riley Armstead

Post-Bacc Scholar

(ON-RaMP Scholar)

Stillwater OK 74078

riley.armstead@okstate.edu

Riley Armstead was an Oklahoma Network-Research and Mentoring for Post-Baccalaureates (ON-RaMP) Researcher working under Dr. Cabeen in the 2024-2025 year. Riley performed research on the Bacillus subtilis stresosome along with others in Dr. Cabeen's lab. Specifically, Riley studied single-cell stress responses of various mutant strains of B. subtilis. Riley intends on putting this experience to use in achieving a PhD.

Nina Baggett

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

nina.baggett@okstate.edu

Nina Baggett graduated OSU in December 2020 with a degree in microbiology. Nina worked in a team with Adam studying how a newly discovered protein affects biofilm formation and interbacterial attack by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nina's excellence in research was recognized by her desingation as a 2019-2020Niblack Scholar. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant in the Cabeen lab.

In fall 2021 Nina will begin her PhD studies at UT-Southwestern in Dallas, TX.

Kylea Basde

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

kylea.basden@okstate.edu

Kylea graduated in May 2021 from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Nutrition and a minor in Microbiology. She was invaluable, assisting lab upkeep and maintenance in the Cabeen lab. She also worked part-time for Stillwater Sweets and served as secretary and honors chairman for Phi Mu fraternity. She is now enrolled in the University of Oklahoma PA program in Tulsa.

Adam Bronson

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

adam.bronson@okstate.edu

Originally from Dallas, Adam Bronson graduated from Oklahoma State University in December 2020 with a degree in Microbiology/Cell and Molecular Biology. Adam worked in veterinary general practice for three years and in a specialty oncology practice for a year, where he assisted in chemotherapy administration and staging. Adam worked in a team with Nina on a student-driven project about how a newly discovered protein influences biofilm formation and interbacterial attack by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Adam also served as the tireless lab manager of the Cabeen lab. Adam was a 2019-2020Niblack Scholar. In his free time, Adam enjoys fly fishing, running, and spending time with his friends and family. Go Pokes!

After graduation, Adam worked as a research assistant in the Cabeen lab until May 2021. After a summer program run by UCSF, he will begin his MD/PhD studies at Loyola University in Chicago.

Adriahna Blackburn

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

adriahna.blackburn@okstate.edu

Adriahna is currently a seniorand joined the lab in the summer of 2023 as one of OSU's first Beckman Scholars. She is working with Jesna Varghese to learn how broadly the connection between XerC and pyocin production is conserved and to help work out the molecular mechanisms of noncanonical pyocin production. She plans to graduate in December 2025 and is presently spending the semester abroad in the Netherlands.

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

sid.bush@okstate.edu

Sid Bush obtained a microbiology major and hails from Columbus, Ohio. His interests include genetics, music, and conversation. He's also a yo-yo pro. Sid studied how different stress-sensing proteins in Bacillus subtilis affect cell fitness and survival under stressful conditions by competing different strains against one another. Sid was recognized as a 2018-2019 Wentz Scholar and was also a finalist for the 2020-2021 scholarship. He was also awarded a 2020-2021 Niblack Scholarship. He graduated in May 2021 and uses what he leared as an undergraduate research as an expert research scientist at Kerry Ingredients in Wisconsin.

Lauren (Ren) Coakley

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

ren.coakley@okstate.edu

Lauren (Ren) Coakley was an undergraduate student from Washington D.C., pursuing a BSAG in Entomology. From fall 2023 until her graduation in spring 2025, she worked with Jesna Varghese, studying the effects of a compound on the activity of luciferase reporters in strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. She is perusuing a PhD in entomology at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

daxton.reed.butler@okstate.edu

Dax joined the lab in 2021 and worked in the lab until fall 2022, as he is working on getting experience towards his future medical training.. He worked with Chris Hamm analyzing microfluidics data to learn how B. subtilis cells with different RsbR complements respond to different environmental stressors. He is beginning medical school at OSU-COM in Tulsa in Fall 2023.

Alumna

Kate is a Microbiology and Molecular Genetics major from Muldrow, Oklahoma. She is a pre-med student with plans to become a M.D. and specialize in Pediatric Oncology to later work at a Children’s hospital. She plans to use her experience in research to help aid her fight against childhood cancer and continue doing research while still practicing medicine. Kate is also the recipient of a competitive Indian Health Scholarship. Kate worked from 2017-2019 in the lab identifying genes and proteins that influence biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Kate graduated in May 2021 and is part of the Medical Laboratory Sciences program in Tulsa.

William Colton

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

william.colton@okstate.edu

William Colton is a recent graduate (in just three years) from Houston, Texas who earned a double major in Microbiology and Biochemistry. William would like to either go into Regenerative Medicine or Immunopathology where he can help patients who haven’t had a chance at effective treatment for their condition. William studies how an uncharacterized repressor protein affects biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.William is also an entrepreneur, and his company, Paldara Pharmaceuticals, has recently won regional competitions and has been awarded substantial seed funding. He's sticking around to run his company and continue studying microbiology.

Madalyn Cory

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

madalyn.cory@okstate.edu

Madalyn Cory graduated in spring 2025 as an honors biology student and is from Joshua, TX. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2024 and worked with Olivia studying the regulation of the type three secretion system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She plans to attend dental school to pursue a career in dentistry.

Natalie Demarest

Alumna

419 LSE Stillwater OK 74078

natalie.demarest@okstate.edu

Natalie joined the lab in Fall 2020 and worked in a team with Rabi and Brannon to study the functional roles of specific amino-acid residues in RsbRA, a sensor protein in the B. subtilis stressosome. Natalie graduated in May 2022 with quadruple degrees and is pursuing multiple options for graduate studies with an eye towards a government job.

Mary Erdmann

Alumna

419 LSE Stillwater OK 74078

mary.erdmann@okstate.edu

A 2023 graduate from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mary Erdmann was a 2019 Oklahoma State Scholars Society Fellow who majored in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Pre-med. Working with PhD student Somalisa Pan, Mary researched new mechanisms of biofilm suppression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hoping to become a doctor, she believes her research will promote success throughout medical school and her future career. Mary is winning all the awards! She was selected as a 2021-2022 Wentz Scholar and a 2022-2023 Niblack Scholar. She is attending OU-Health Sciences Center to earn her MD beginning in Fall 2023.

Emily Fayard

Undergraduate researcher

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

efayard@okstate.edu

Emily Fayard is a senior studying animal science with a pre-veterinary/pre-medical concentration. Part of the 2-in-1 program, Emily will advance into veterinary school after only two years at OSU. After veterinary school, Emily aspires to become a wildlife or zoological veterinarian with a focus on rehabilitation, conservation, and research. After taking Dr. Cabeen’s introduction to microbiology course and honors-add on, Emily joined the Cabeen lab working directly with Dr. Cabeen to study osmotic cell death in Bacillus subtilis. Emily is a contributor to the research paper “Temporal σ^Bstress-response profiles impact Bacillus subtilis fitness".

Nick Frey

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

nicholas.c.frey@okstate.edu

Nick joined the lab in 2021 and graduated in May 2022. He now works at a biotech firm in Oklahoma City. He continues to work towards completing a project that continued Sid's work examining the fitness outcomes of having different RsbR proteins in B. subtilis. He worked in a team with Shelby Sanders.

Bryn Goldsmith

Alumna

Stillwater OK 74078

bryn.goldsmith@okstate.edu

Bryn graduated from Oklahoma State University in May 2021 with a Microbiology/Cell and Molecular Biology degree and a Spanish minor. She was a 2020-2021 Wentz Research Scholar who joined the Cabeen lab in Fall 2020. Her self-designed project compared the effectiveness of charcoal-based toothpaste formulations and traditional toothpastes in terms of whitening and protection against tooth decay mediated by S. mutans. Bryn enjoys hiking, reading, and playing instruments. She is now studying dentistry at Texas A&M College of Dentistry in Dallas.

Bridget Ha

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

bridget.ha@okstate.edu

Bridget joined the Cabeen lab in Fall 2020. She worked with Sid Bush to discover how different stress-response paterns correspond to fitness under stressful conditions. Bridget graduated in May 2021 and is now working on her master's degree in public health.

Laura Hanson

Alumna

Laura hails from Ponca City, OK (but originally from up north in Minnesota) and graduated from OSU in December 2019. She studied how Bacillus subtilis responds to environmental stressors. She plans to continue doing research in graduate school!

Sophie Harston

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

abbey.hays@okstate.edu

Abbey Hays graduated in December 2024 in biology with a pre-medical sciences

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

logan.hill@okstate.edu

Logan joined the lab in Fall 2021 and graduated in Spring 2023. He worked in a team with Savannah Johnson under Dr. Underhill studying metabolic pathways and pyoverdine regulation in P. aeruginosa. He is now attending chiropractic school at Cleveland University - Kansas City.

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

ajack47@okstate.edu

Ashley Jackson graduated in Spring 2025 as an honors microbiology pre-med student. She is from Frisco, Texas. She was in various courses taught by Dr. Cabeen including his intro microbiology, microbiology honors add-on course, the Cambridge Scholars Program 2023 course: Disease, Drugs, and DNA, and his Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance courses. Ashley aspires to pursue a career in the medical field and specifically has an interest in gastroenterology. Ashley worked in the lab with PhD student Autumn Hansen on her project with pyocin lysis exploring both canonical and alternative lysis pathways.

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

katie.johnson12@okstate.edu

Katie graduated from OSU in May 2021 with a degree Microbiology/Cell and Molecular Biology. She aspires to become a pediatrician. Katie worked in a team with Lauren to study how Bacillus subtilis reacts to different combinations of environmental stressors. She is now completing a master's degree at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX.

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

sjohn43@okstate.edu

Savannah joined the lab in Fall 2021 and graduated in May 2023. She worked in a team with Logan under Dr. Underhill studying metabolic pathways and pyoverdine regulation in P. aeruginosa. She is thinking about attending graduate school soon!

Eliza Kent

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

eliza.kent@okstate.edu

Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Elizabeth Kent is a rising senior at Oklahoma State University. Eliza studied the effects of surfaces covered with silicon nanosprings created by the McIlroy group at OSU on bacterial colonization as a Wentz Scholar from 2019-2022. In addition to her academic pursuits, Eliza considers herself a coffee connoisseur and also enjoys reading British literature and hiking. She has now pivoted to studying sociology as her main academic interest.

Creed Killgore

Alumnus

419 LSE Stillwater OK 74078

creed.killgore@okstate.edu

Creed graduated in December 2022 and worked as a tech in the lab in Spring 2023 with Trenton Skinner to study the molecular regulation of pyocins, phage-tail-like interbacterial killing proteins produced by P. aeruginosa. He will begin medical school at OSU-COM in Tahlequah in Fall 2023.

Lydia Landgraf

Undergraduate researcher

419 LSE Stillwater OK 74078

lydia.landgraf@okstate.edu

Lydia is a junior majoring in Biology with a concentration in Pre-Medical Sciences. She hopes to attend medical school post-graduation. She was with the lab in Spring 2024 and is excited learn more about microbiology.

Brannon Maravich

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

brannon.maravich@okstate.edu

Brannon graduated in May 2023 after working with Rabi to study the functional roles of specific amino-acid residues in RsbRA, a sensor protein in the B. subtilis stressosome. He will begin medical school at OSU-COM in Tahlequah in Fall 2023.

Jake Osborne

Alumnus

Jake Osborne graduated in 2020 with a dual degree in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Microbiology. He is very interested in researching how cells survive and respond when under stress and is studying how different stress-sensing proteins in Bacillus subtilis affect cell survival under stressful conditions. Jake was a 2018-2019 Wentz Scholar and took second prize for his Wentz poster presentation in spring 2019.

Jake will begin medical school at the University of North Texas in fall 2021.

AnaLisa Rodriguez

Postgraduate researcher

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

analisa.rodriguez@okstate.edu

AnaLisa Rodriguez is a December 2024 graduate in Microbiology who joined the lab in August 2023. She worked with Abbey and Abigail under Dr. Cabeen studying osmotic cell death in Bacillus subtills and contributed to the research paper “Temporal σB stress-response profiles impact Bacillus subtilis fitness". She intends to go to graduate school to ultimately pursue a career in academia.

Shelby Sanders

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

shelby.sanders10@okstate.edu

Shelby joined the lab in 2021 and graduated in May 2023. She worked with Nick Frey on a project that continued Sid's work examining the fitness outcomes of having different RsbR proteins in B. subtilis. She is now in the PhD program in Neuroscience at OU-Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.

Samantha Shafer

Alumna

Samantha Shafer is from Muskogee, Oklahoma and graduated early because that's the kind of student she is. Sam is the former president of the Microbiology Club at OSU and was a 2018-2019 Wentz Scholar. She then completed a post-bacc program at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Among her other research, she examined genetic variations that make some people more susceptible than others to COVID-19!

Sam will enroll in fall 2021 in the NIH OxCam MD/PhD program at Emory University and at the University of Cambridge.

Trenton Skinner

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

trenton.skinner@okstate.edu

Trenton Skinner, from Shawnee, Oklahoma, graduated in December 2022 and then worked as a tech in the lab in Spring 2023. He plans on attending medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. His favorite things are football, hunting, and spending time with his family. Trenton worked in a team with Creed Killgore to decipher the molecular regulation of pyocins and the associated cell lysis that occurs in pyocin-producing cells.

Will Stewart

Undergraduate researcher

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

will.stewart@okstate.edu

Will Stewart majored in Microbiology with a focus in Pre-Medical Sciences and graduated in spring 2025. He is from Shawnee, Oklahoma and enjoys all things outdoors. He says: "Dr. Cabeen's lab has allowed me to greatly improve my lab skills and microbiology knowledge, and I've worked with so many great people in it". He primarily worked with Niloy on understanding the function of the stressosome in B. subtilis.

Julia Terrell

Alumna

Julia is from Frisco, TX, and graduated in Spring 2020 with a double degree in Microbiology Medical Lab Sciences and Biochemistry. She was the Cabeen lab's first student! During the 2019-2020 school year she completed the MLS program at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. She chose to study within the field of Microbiology in hopes that she can help understand microorganisms to further improve the fight against pathogens. In the lab, Julia studies how the PtsN protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulates biofilm formation by this organism, and even discovered a new protein in the process. She was a 2018-2019 Wentz Scholar. Julia is putting her expertise to work as a Core Lab Medical Technologist in the Chemistry and Hematology Departments at UT-Southwestern in Dallas, TX.

Madeline Toews

Alumna

Andy Tom

Alumnus

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

andy.tom@okstate.edu

Andy joined the lab in 2021 and graduated in Spring 2023. A US Marine Corps veteran, he now serves in the Minnesota National Guard while attending medical school at the Mayo Clinic on a full scholarship. Andy worked with Rabi to understand the molecular details of environmental stress activation in B. subtilis, with a focus on the role of RsbT.

Dakota Whitman

Undergraduate Researcher

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

dakota.whitman@okstate.edu

Dakota Whitman is from Dodge City, KS. He graduated in Spring 2025 with a major in Human Nutrition Pre-medical sciences with a minor in Microbiology. He is now pursuing the medical field in hopes of becoming a physician. Within the lab he worked with Autumn Hansen, a PhD student, and studied pyocin production-related lysis within Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Sarah Winburn

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

sarah.winburn@okstate.edu

Sarah Winburn graduated magna cum laude in 2019 as a Biochemistry major with minors in Spanish and Microbiology. A Gates Millennium Scholar, 4-time President's Honor Roll student and 2-time Dean's Honor Roll student, she hopes to travel and gain work experience after graduation before eventually attending professional school. Sarah studies how the different stress sensing proteins located within the stressosomes of B. subtillis respond to different types of stressors and affect cell survival. Sarah just graduated from our Accelerated Master's program for 2019-2020—during her program she was also a TA for BIOL 1114 and was a superb mentor to Katie and Lauren. Having graduated, Sarah is technically a lab alumna, but she is sticking around OSU to do more teaching and will frequently be around the lab!

Lauren Wong

Alumna

419 LSE

Stillwater OK 74078

lauren.wong@okstate.edu

Lauren Wong is originally from Edmond, Oklahoma. Lauren graduated in May 2021 with a degree in Physiology with a Pre-Med track, along with minors in Dance and Microbiology. In the Cabeen lab, Lauren studied how Bacillus subtilis reacts to environmental stressors on different timescales. Lauren loves to read, cycle, and spend time with her friends in her free time! She is now completing a master's program at Tufts Medical School in Boston, MA.

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Alumni People

Simon Underhill, PhD | Postdoctoral Associate

Somalisa Pan, PhD

Nina Baggett

Kylea Basde

Lauren (Ren) Coakley

Madalyn Cory

Laura Hanson

Lydia Landgraf