The Phelan Lab
@ CU Anschutz Medical Campus
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Vanessa V. Phelan, PhD
Vanessa is the L.S. Skaggs Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at CU Anschutz, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology in the School of Medicine. She earned her BS in Interdisciplinary Sciences with a focus in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from SUNY Albany and PhD in Chemistry from Vanderbilt. She complete NIH K01 funded postdoctoral research in the Dorrestein lab at University of California, San Diego, where she developed and applied microbial imaging mass spectrometry and molecular networking in the GNPS platform. Her current research interest is in combining modern and classical microbiology, analytical chemistry, and cheminformatics methods to elucidate the role of natural product mediated interactions in driving antimicrobial resistance and tolerance of polymicrobial infections. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring the ecology of the Rockies and creating fiber art.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Daniel Breiner
Daniel is a second-year graduate student in the lab. His project focuses on examining how different host-derived iron profiles affect the chemical interactions between members of a synthetic microbial community of the cystic fibrosis airway. He graduated from Creighton University in 2019 with Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience and Biology. As an undergrad, he researched life-history tradeoffs in crickets. After graduating, he worked in the Biochemistry department as a technician in a nucleic acids lab before moving to Aurora in 2021 where he worked as a professional research assistant for Vanessa for two years before joining the PhD program. In his free time, Daniel likes to hike, bake, and spend time with his cats.
PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Emily Giedraitis
Emily attended The University of Washington where she earned her BS in Chemistry and Biochemistry and MS in Applied Chemical Science and Technology. Inspired by the evolving planet due to anthropological impacts, Emily has dedicated her analytical chemistry career to research the complex interactions between organisms and their evolving environments. During her graduate research, she completed research in the School of Oceanography of UW developing an analytical mass spectrometry method to analyze carbonate associated δ15N isotope ratios in coral as a proxy for paleo-bleaching. She joined the lab in May 2022, where she is working on applying recently developed metabolomics approaches to microbial interactions. Outside the lab, she enjoys biking around the city and spending time with her dog, Nahla.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Allison Reveles
Allison is an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado Denver, majoring in Biology. Her long-term goal is to attend dental school. She is a fellow in the Colorado Undergraduate Research in Environmental Health Sciences (CUREHS) supported by an R25 from NIEHS. She joined the lab in July 2022 and is studying the role of natural products in mediating interactions within soil. Outside lab, she enjoys dance and any other forms of creative expression.