PEOPLE
Chelsey VanDrisse, Assistant Professor
I have a love for mechanistic and basic research. Uncovering the intricacies of bacterial networks is very exciting and I am motivated by the countless things happening in a cell at once. All of these networks are coordinated to create a complex yet simplified set of reactions that allows a cell to adapt, survive, and grow. Due to this, I am passionate about exploring acetylation as I can study the processes it regulates, including central metabolism, biofilm formation, persister cell formation, transcriptional regulation, amino acid biosynthesis, antibiotic resistance, and even photosynthesis (to name a few!). Outside of the lab you can find me eating at local Athens restaurants, going to Duluth for Dim Sum, experimenting with arts and crafts, fixing and tinkering with things, decorating my house to exude hygge, and discussing topics of philosophy and psychology with friends.
B.S. Microbiology, Minor in Leadership, University of Minnesota. Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Gralnick
Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Georgia. Mentor: Dr. Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena
Post Doc, Caltech. Mentor: Dr. Dianne K. Newman
Haley Monacchio, Graduate Student
Hi, I’m Haley a first-year graduate student in the lab with a passion for learning, caffeine, and cats. In our lab, you can find me investigating a transcriptional regulator, an acetyltransferase, and making science-related memes. Before I started my Ph.D. I was working as a research technician at the University at Buffalo analyzing tryptophan scavenging by the oxygen sensor TgPHYa in response to IFNγ in Toxoplasma gondii. I received my B.S. in Biochemistry at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NY. I performed my undergraduate research with Professor Rachel Graham investigating soil for novel antibiotic-producing bacteria utilizing the iCHIP method. When I am not in the lab or my classes you can find me reading (usually a mystery or a thriller), crafting, working out, or hanging out with my cat Poppy.
Ritika Shah, Lab technician and manager
I have a fond affection for everything Pseudomonas. At the VanDrisse Lab, you’ll find me doing cloning (the lab’s bread and butter), screening for growth and biofilm phenotypes, figuring out the beauty that is acetylation, along with organizing and managing the lab.
Before joining the VanDrisse Lab, I was doing my MS in Biological Sciences (Biotechnology) at Illinois State University under the guidance of Dr. Jan-Ulrik Dahl where I was working on characterizing the role of polyphosphate in interspecies interactions.
Outside of lab, you’ll find me reading or watching the next true crime documentary.
Kendall Hall, Undergraduate
Kendall starts in the lab in January 2024!
YOU?
I am currently recruiting graduate students (through ILS, apply here: https://ils.uga.edu) for Fall 2024. I accept Ph.D. students on the Genetics or Microbiology track. As is, my lab is full for undergraduate researchers and will not be accepting any at this time.
I am particularly interested in mentoring deaf and hard of hearing students and am intermediate in ASL.
Lab News
Jan. 29, 2024. After showing Pseudomonas who is in charge, Haley finally got her acetyltransferase mutant.
Reward: Peanut butter M&Ms.
Feb. 16, 2024. Defying her own odds, Ritika gets her first ever clean deletion mutant (actually it was two!).
Reward: Case of Kombucha
April 23, 2024. With absolute ease and on her first try, Kendall gets her first deletion mutant. She will be a tour de force in grad school!
Reward: Watermelon Sour Patch Kids