Current Lab Members
Dr. Erin Eggleston is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Middlebury College. Full CV.
Sophia Fatima ’24 is from Jakarta, Indonesia. She is a double major in Biology and Anthropology. She is interested in environmental health, such as understanding the impacts of pollution on the ecosystem and human populations. Outside of school, she likes cooking, hiking, biking, and watching K-dramas.
Irene Hu ’24 is from Shanghai, China. She is majoring in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry. If you smell something good in Middlebury it could be Irene cooking. Outside of school, you may find her buried in the snow, snowboarding down the slope or riding the lift to snowboard down the slope.
Eli DiBari ’24 is originally from Missoula, MT. He studies Conservation Biology and PreMed at Middlebury and is particularly interested in the intersections of human society and the natural world. Eli is the president of Middlebury Ski Patrol and is a volunteer firefighter for the Town of Middlebury. For fun, you can find him in the water and woods of VT or enjoying good food and live music.
Taniya Newson ’24.5 was born and raised in Chicago. She is double majoring in Biology and Japanese and interested in molecular biology specifically with a focus on genetics. Outside of school, you can find her complaining about how she doesn’t like water but always in a body of it. She also enjoys hanging out with friends and watching TV.
Angie Como Mosconi ’25 is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is a Biology major and PreMed. She is interested in the impact of global climate change as well as understanding how to effectively communicate scientific information. Outside of school she plays instruments, logrolls, and likes to paint and weave.
Maya Henning ’25 is from New York City. She is majoring in Conservation Biology at Middlebury and minoring in Film and Media studies. Coral reef conservation and scuba diving are her passions, and she is interested in understanding tissue loss disease dynamics in various coral genera. Outside of school, you can find her rock climbing outside or at the wall, playing at WOMP, or exploring nature.
Lab Alumni
Pete Streufert ‘24 is from Bainbridge Island, Washington. He is majoring in Geography. At Middlebury he runs the college’s outdoor outing club and works at the college climbing wall. He frequently leaves campus on his quest to discover the best swimming spot in Vermont or to visit his favorite restaurant in Burlington – Pho Hong. During summers he leads a conservation trail crew on Colorado 14ers. He is interested in researching relationships between recreation, conservation, and use of natural resources.
Isabel Tseng ’23 is from Denver, Colorado. She majored in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. At Middlebury Isabel was captain of the women’s crew team and a tour guide. Outside of school, you can find her hiking, backpacking, swimming, or doing just about anything that takes advantage of the beautiful outdoors! She is currently a Research Assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Olwethu (Olli) Ngubo ‘25 is from Durban, South Africa. She is a Neuroscience major on the pre-med track. She is interested in educating low-income and POC communities about neurological and psychological disorders and finding ways to accommodate people with these disorders in poorly funded low-income communities. Outside of school, you can find her dancing with Riddim, skateboarding, biking, hiking or in her room singing along to the Hamilton soundtrack.
Katie Baker ’24 is from Westport, CT. She is a Biochemistry major and an Italian minor on the Pre-Vet track. She is excited to apply the study of microbial ecology to veterinary medicine. Outside of STEM, she is part of an A cappella group, The Paradiddles, and an active member of Hillel.
Gifty Atanga ’23 is from Los Angeles, California. She was a Molecular Biology & Biochemistry major interested in research, microbes, and pathogens. She is passionate about using science to better serve minority populations, especially through a public health lens. When not in the lab, you can catch her watching Netflix, listening to R&B, or reading a book at the beach. She is currently a Research Assistant with Volunteers of America Los Angeles.
Briana Johnson ’23 is from Los Angeles, California. She majored in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry on the pre-med track. She plans to use research to find cures for diseases which predominantly affect people of color. Briana is also a member of the track and field team at Middlebury, and a food enthusiast with a passion for cooking. She is currently a Research Assistant at Oregon Health & Science University.
Matt Brockley ’23 is from Delmar, NY. He was a Biochemistry and Mathematics double major. He is interested in microbiology, pharmacology, and reaction kinetics. Outside of lab, Matt enjoys taking long walks, downhill skiing, and playing the cello and piano. He started a PhD at Stanford University in Fall 2023.
Kaja Aagaard ’22 is from Seattle, Washington . She has interests in ecology and medicine and is majoring in biology with a planned minor in global health. At Middlebury, she sailed, cross-country skied, bouldered and occasionally baked challah. She is currently a Lab Sciences Professional with Dr. Katrina Claw at UC Anschutz doing work in pharmacogenomics and Indigenous communities and data sovereignty. She will begin Medical School in Summer 2024.
Amanda Girod ’21 grew up in Miami, FL, and was a Molecular Biology & Biochemistry major on the pre-med track. Outside of her passion for medicine, Amanda is interested in marine biology and ecology. Outside of the lab, you can find her dancing in Evolution Dance Crew, reading books, or binging TV and Netflix shows. She started Medical School at Yale University in summer 2023.
Colin Howe ‘20.5 grew up outside of Syracuse, NY. He was a Biology major with a Religion minor. He worked on cyanotoxin gene analysis. Previously, Colin worked with Professor Dave Allen studying the ecology of Lyme Disease. Outside of the lab, you can find Colin on the Middlebury College log rolling team, snowboarding, or cooking with friends. He is currently a Research Technician at The University of Georgia.
Ellie Broeren ’22 is from Mount Vernon, Ohio. She double majored in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. She’s interested in microbiology, especially the impacts on human health. Outside of science, she can be found participating in feminist activism, leading workshops as a peer sex educator, or playing water polo. Currently she is a Research Associate at the Broad Institute.
Evan Fedorov ’21 is from Los Angeles, California. He was a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major and Russian minor interested in virology and pharmacology. Outside of lab, he can be found enjoying chess and coordinating Red Cross blood drives. He started graduate school at Yale University in their Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program in Fall 2023.
Miranda Herschel Seixas ‘19.75 grew up in Newbury Park, California. She was an Independent Scholar in “Geobiology“, interested in looking at extremophiles on Earth to push the boundaries of what we know about the environmental limits to life. She hopes to use her pilot’s license to fly herself out to field sites. Outside of the science realm you can find her backpacking, climbing, singing with the Middlebury College Choir, or playing IM Soccer. She is currently a Research Associate at Flathead Lake Bio Station with Dr. Matt Church.
Laura Blum ‘19.75 majored in Biology at Middlebury College. In the past she has developed metabarcoding methods for detecting invasive aquatic plants as well as characterizing reactive oxygen species dynamics on coral reefs. In the Eggleston Lab, she explored marine microbial ecology using metagenomics in collaboration with Harriet Alexander and Maria Pachiadaki at WHOI. She plans to keep studying amazing microbes and origin of life research in the future. She received her M.S. at Dartmouth and is currently a Development Scientist Bioinformatician at New England Biolabs.
Bryn Hester ’22 is from Portland, Oregon and she majored in Biology with a minor in Education Studies. She is interested microbiology, specifically how it relates to the environment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, working at the Knoll, and baking bread. She is currently a Clinical Research Coordinator at OHSU Department of Dermatology.
Clara Loftis ’21 is from West Palm Beach, Florida. She is majored in Neuroscience on the pre-med track and is interested in using research to decrease health disparities. Outside of the lab, you can find her reading a book, running, or hiking. She is currently working as an Ophthalmic Technician and is starting an MS at Tufts School of Medicine.
Rebecca Lightman ’19 hails from Orange County, California. She majored in molecular biology & biochemistry with interests in the connections between microbial life, humans, and the environment. She was an avid campus tours and member of the water polo team. She started medical school in Fall 2020 at University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Omar Valencia ’19 grew up in La Puente, California. They majored in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. They’re interested in extreme environmental conditions and how those can affect life at the microbial level. When they’re not in the lab, they tend to read and walk at the same time. They think it helps their motor skills since they haven’t tripped yet! Omar is currently a staff member at the UC Berkeley Genomic Sequencing Core
Therese Tran ’19 is from Lake Worth, Florida. She was a Molecular Biology & Biochemistry major on the pre-med track and is interested in epidemiology, immunology as well as preventative medicine. Outside of being a medicine fanatic, you can find her steaming dumplings or slurping down noodles.
Monica Melendez ’18 was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She majored in Biology and Biochemistry major, with an Education Studies minor, and is interested in Epidemiology and Microbiology. She’s also interested in providing early access science education to children in urban areas. When not wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), you can find her binging on Netflix, reading literally anything, and catching up with friends. She is currently a Molecular Technologist at Tempus Labs, Inc. in Chicago, IL.
John Rustad ‘19.5 is from Boise, Idaho. He majored in molecular biology/bio chemistry, and earned a religion minor, with interests in biogeochemistry and clinical immunology. Outside of lab, John enjoys skiing, cycling, and ’90s Japanese cars. He is currently in Medical School at UVM.
Independent Study or Senior Thesis Research Advisees
Isabel Tseng, Senior Ind. Study Fall ’22-Spring ’23, Summer Research Student ‘22
Evan Fedorov, Independent Study, Fall 19/ Spring 20, Senior Independent Study Fall 20, Senior Thesis Spring 21
Amanda Girod, Independent Study, Spring 21
Margot Chisholm, Senior Independent Study Fall 19
Ellie Broeren, Independent Study Spring 20
Kathryn Van Artsdalen, Senior Independent Study Spring 20
Miranda Seixas, Senior Independent Study & Thesis, Fall 19/Spring 20, Eggleston and Munroe Labs
Laura Blum, Senior Independent Study & Thesis, Fall 19/Spring 20
Omar Valencia, Independent Study, Spring 19
Therese Tran, Independent Study, Spring 19
Rebecca Lightman, Independent Study, Spring 18/Fall 18/Winter 19/ Spring 19