Lab Members

Eric earned his B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, his Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis from Northwestern University, and his M.P.H. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Northwestern University.

Originally from Ohio, she earned her B.S. from the University of Mount Union and her M.S. from the University of Cincinnati. She supports laboratory and Departmental operations.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Nichole earned a B.S. and M.S. from University of Nevada, Reno. She supports laboratory and the VI4 operations.

Juan was born in Mexico City and earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. He started his graduate work in Austin with Marvin Whiteley and moved with his lab to Georgia Tech, where he obtained his PhD. His work focused on the development of tools for characterizing the spatial structure of microbial communities within the context of infectious diseases. In 2022, Juan started his postdoctoral work in a joint venture with the Cassat and Skaar lab at the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation. His project incorporates quantitative imaging, clinical samples and single cells assays to answer basic questions about host-pathogen interactions in the gut. He is an avid cyclist, live music enthusiast and is working towards developing a world-class taco experience from his kitchen.

Callie grew up in middle Georgia and earned a B.S. in Biology from Georgia Tech. After her undergraduate studies, she started her professional career in a forensic toxicology lab while working on her M.S. in Criminal Justice. As a Research Assistant II in the Skaar lab, Callie is currently supporting a project focused on macrophage responses to S. aureus. In her spare time, Callie has continued her studies and is obtaining an M.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science with a concentration in Biochemistry. 

Bradley grew up in Athens, Georgia and earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from Mercer University, where he studied on C. auris unmasking under Dr. Sahar Hasim. He joined the Skaar lab in 2024 to study macrophage interactions with B. anthracis. Bradley plans to continue his education in grad school.

Valeria was born and raised in Puerto Rico and received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao. After graduating, she moved to Philadelphia where she earned her PhD with Dr. Sunny Shin at the University of Pennsylvania. For her doctoral work, she investigated immune detection of bacterial components by the human NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome.  Her current project focuses on understanding how S. aureus responds to manganese in the heart and defining bacterial and host factors affecting susceptibility to infection.

Caitlin grew up on Merritt Island, a barrier island on Florida’s Space Coast. After receiving her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Florida, she moved to Durham, NC to pursue graduate studies at Duke University. There, she earned her PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the lab of Dr. John Rawls. For her dissertation, she used zebrafish to study mechanisms by which the microbiota shape the development of the innate immune system. In the Skaar lab, Caitlin continues to use gnotobiotic zebrafish as a model to investigate the impact of metals on shaping inter-bacterial interactions in the intestine.  

Dillon grew up in western Pennsylvania and earned his B.S in biology from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He stayed in Pittsburgh for his doctoral work, where he earned his Ph.D from the University of Pittsburgh in Dr. James Bina’s lab, where he studied the link between Vibrio cholerae RND multidrug efflux pumps and bacterial adaptive responses. In the Skaar lab Dillon studies the struggle for nutrient metals at the Acinetobacter baumannii host-pathogen interface.

Marty was born and raised in Long Beach, CA, and earned his B.S in Microbiology at California State University Long Beach. For his doctoral work, he studied in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Trent at the University of Georgia, where he used genetic approaches to understand lipid transport to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. In the Skaar lab, Marty is studying how C. difficile responds to host-mediated immune responses.  

Sarah Price, a Tennessee native, completed her bachelor's degree in microbiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After working for several years in Dr. Lucio Gama’s lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she relocated to Kentucky where she pursued her PhD under the guidance of Dr. Matt Lawrenz at the University of Louisville. During her doctoral research, Sarah studied the mechanisms of zinc acquisition in Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the plague. In the Skaar lab, she continues to focus on bacterial pathogenesis and host interactions, with a particular emphasis on Clostridioides difficile.

Christopher was born and raised in Merced, CA and earned his B.S in Biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. For his doctoral work, he moved to Chicago to work in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Ulijasz at Loyola University Chicago, where he studied how the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa senses and responds to the toxic aldehyde glyoxal. In the Skaar lab, Christopher studies how Acinetobacter baumannii survives exposure to toxic zinc levels, as well as the formation of bacterial subcellular structures and their importance during infection.

Annie earned her B.S. in Health and Exercise Science and her M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma in the labs of Drs. Paul Lawson and Ralph Tanner where she studied the use of acetogens for industrial biofuel production. Annie went on to receive her Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Jimmy Ballard at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center where she investigated the role of calcium in driving Clostridioides difficile Toxin B functions. In the Skaar lab, Annie is focused on understanding how Acinetobacterbaumannii utilizes zinc metallochaperones as a nutrient acquisition strategy during pneumonia.

Kyle began his academic studies at Stanford University, obtaining a B.Sc. in Chemistry and an M.Sc. in Biology in 2020, after which he joined the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). At Stanford, he conducted basic research in the lab of Dr. Lynette Cegelski, studying the biochemistry underlying uropathogenic E. coli biofilm formation and the function of curli amyloid fibrils. In addition, he assisted with clinical infectious disease research in the group of Dr. Dora Ho. Since transitioning to his graduate studies in the Skaar Laboratory, Kyle’s work is focused on investigating the competition for essential metals between S. aureus and the human host during infection.

Jacqueline is from Moraga, California and received her B.S. in Math and Chemistry from the University of Puget Sound. She is working on developing strategies for high spatial resolution MALDI imaging mass spectrometry to study S. aureus infections.

Kacie was born and raised in Santa Clarita, California and earned a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University. Kacie entered Vanderbilt’s IGP program in 2021 and joined the Skaar lab in 2022. Her research focuses on understanding the effect of zinc at the host-pathogen interface during Acinetobacter baumannii infections.

Jesse grew up in both Taiwan and Fullerton, California. She obtained her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!). Jesse joined the Skaar lab in 2023, and her project focuses on iron acquisition and homeostasis in S. aureus at the host-pathogen interface.

I am from the west suburbs of Chicago, I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with my BS in biology. I am a part of the 2022 IGP cohort and will be working with MALDI imaging mass spectrometry to study host-microbe interactions through the lens of metabolomics. 

Summer grew up in New Jersey, and earned a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in French Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Summer joined the Skaar Lab in 2024 through the IGP program, and her project focuses on how C. difficile survives zinc limitation during infection when in competition with the host and other gut commensals.

Owen grew up in Bozeman, Montana, and earned a B.S. in Microbiology and a B.A. in Political Science at Montana State University. Owen received his MRes in Biomedical and Translational Science from King’s College London before joining the Skaar lab in 2024. Owen’s project focuses on the interactions between Bacillus anthracis and host immune cells.

Lauren grew up in St. Joseph, Michigan. She is currently an undergraduate student at Belmont University where she is pursuing a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. After completing her B.S., Lauren plans to continue her education in graduate school. Lauren joined the Skaar lab in January 2024 under the mentorship of Martin Douglass working on C. difficile.