Current grads, postdocs, and staff
Di Wu
Postdoctoral Researcher
woody63 /at/ uw.edu
Di joined the lab in November 2023 as a postdoctoral researcher, bringing a diverse background in plant immune signaling and plant-herbivore interactions. Currently, he is investigating the spatial aspects of INR-mediated defense, along with screening for additional components in the INR-mediated pathways.
Brian Behnken
Research Technician
bbehnken /at/ uw.edu
Brian is a microbiology major with the intention of pursuing a PhD in immunology. He joined the lab in winter of 2022 and is looking forward to learning about plant immune systems. His interests include research and reading anything from physics to biology, and outside of the academy he enjoys backpacking, finding any excuse to make curry, and create art.
Ben Sheppard
Graduate Student
bdshep /at/ uw.edu
I am graduate student studying molecular mechanisms of immune signaling in plants. Previously I studied plant genetics as an undergraduate at Whitman College, and worked in human vaccine research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. My key interest is in understanding how the molecular perception of pathogens and pests induces threat-specific immune responses in plants. My current work focuses on the role of signaling kinases following plant perception of caterpillar herbivory by the legume Inception Receptor.
Natalia Guayazan-Palacios
Graduate Student
nguaya /at/ uw.edu
I am a USDA-NIFA predoctoral fellow studying the molecular mechanisms that regulate plant-induced defenses. During my BSc and MSc, I focused on plant pathogens and the cellular and transcriptomic changes they undergo during plant host colonization. Although a microbiologist at heart, I always wondered “How do plants fend off invaders?” as I saw my favorite plant pathogen struggle to colonize a new host. This question stayed with me, ultimately leading me to the Steinbrenner lab where I currently explore the regulation of herbivore- and pathogen-induced defenses in legumes through an approach that integrates transcriptomics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioassays with herbivores and microbes. Twitter: @nataliagupa.
Adam Steinbrenner
Principal Investigator
astein10 /at/ uw.edu
Associate Professor, UW Dept. of Biology
HHMI Postdoctoral Fellow, UC San Diego (2016-2019)
PhD 2015, UC Berkeley Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology
BS 2010, Tufts University
I am fascinated by plant immune systems. Building on my training in chemical ecology and molecular genetics of immune receptors, my lab now explores new aspects of plant immunity, often using comparative, evolutionary, and synthetic biology lenses. I love working with excited, creative trainees to develop projects on these topics.
Undergraduate lab members
Amelia Wayman
Tiba Hashim
Laura Barbosa-Chifan
JT Dugan
Aster Earls
Euan McCubbin
Former full-time lab members
Antionio Chaparro (2019-2022), currently at UC Berkeley PhD program, Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology
Anthony Garcia (2019-2022), currently at University of Washington PhD program, Dept. of Biology
Simon Snoeck (2019-2022), currently postdoctoral researcher with Cyril Zipfel, University of Zurich
Wesley George (2022-2023), currently at UC Riverside, Plant Biology Graduate program
Former undergraduates
Jaden Benitez (summer 2024)
Morgan Alonso (2022-2024)
Nick Petersen (2023-2024)
Justin Kwok (2023-2024)
Hannah Luskin (2021-2023), currently lab manager at Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley CA
Erika Khosrovian (2022-2023)
Alice Lutzenhiser (summer 2023)
Ava Kloss-Schmidt (2019-2022), currently in NYU Biology PhD program
Karyn Tindbaek (2021-2022), currently technician at Metzger Lab, Pacific NW Research Institute, Seattle WA
Nathan Greenwood (2021-2022), currently undergraduate at UW Institute for Protein Design
Sandy Tran (2021-2022)
Sanjana Jadhav (2021)
Anthony Garcia (2019-2020), currently in UW Biology PhD program
August Liu (2021), currently Research Associate, AAV Gene Therapy at Allen Institute for Brain Science
