People

Current Members

Juliet Ainsley (Undergraduate Researcher)

Juliet is a junior double majoring in Environmental Science and Anthropology: Global Health and Environment. She is interested in how natural sources and pathways of contamination affect human health. In the Mallott Lab, she explores the impact of flooding on the human and soil microbiome as part of the REACH study. Additionally, she works on the REACH study for the Masteller Lab, where she explores soil lead and flooding events. In her free time, she loves to walk outside, play music, and explore St. Louis.

Taz Ezra (DBBS/EEB Graduate Student)

Tasman “Taz” Ezra is a PhD student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program at WashU where he is co-affiliated with the laboratories of Dr. Liz Mallott and Dr. Jonathan Losos. He compares the microbiomes of lizard adaptive radiations in the Caribbean with the goal of teasing apart the roles of contingent and deterministic processes in the assembly of ecological communities over evolutionary timescales and probing ways in which symbionts may promote adaptive diversification. Taz received his bachelor’s from Yale University in Earth and Planetary Sciences and his master’s from Harvard University in Science Education, while serving as Founder and Executive Director of HonduHerp, a Honduran biodiversity conservation nonprofit. He splits his free time between chasing down the world’s amphibian and reptile species and singing/screaming in his environmental emo band, Half Inch Hero.

Dr. Benjamin Gombash (Postdoctoral Research Associate)

Benjamin Gombash is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Mallott Lab where he is investigating nonhuman primate microbiomes. Ben has bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Wildlife Science from the Ohio State University (2012), a master’s in Primate Behavior from Central Washington University (2016), a master’s in Applied and Computation, Mathematics and Statistics (2022) and a PhD in Biology (2023) from the University of Notre Dame. Ben’s PhD research was focused on the microbiomes of long-tailed macaques and how they are impacted by anthropogenic changes to the host’s diet and external environment. In his free time Ben enjoys reading, hiking, and playing boardgames with friends.

Kiersten Grathwohl (Lab Manager)

Kiersten is the Lab Manager for the Mallott Lab. She majored in Animal Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2018) and has a Master’s degree in Biology from Murray State University (2020). While in school, she completed research projects on anthropogenic disturbance effects on mantled howler monkeys, and completed her thesis research on the effect of invasive species on the stress response in native, freshwater mussels. In the lab, Kiersten maintains lab organization and assists with different research projects. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and finding new recipes to cook.

David Hernandez (DBBS/EEB Graduate Student)

David Hernandez is a PhD Student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program. He has a B.S in Zoology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale IL where he studied the population genetics of ants across the Mississippi River. His research looks at how microplastic contaminants affect the host-associated microbial communities in freshwater fish populations and what roles they play in resilience, behavior, and predator-prey interactions. A St. Louis native, he enjoys exploring the city for great venues for dancing, eating new foods, and watching live entertainment.

Leena Kwak (Undergraduate Researcher)

Leena is a senior double majoring in Anthropology: Global Health & Environment and Biology with a minor in Spanish. She is broadly interested in the various ways that social and environmental factors can contribute to health disparities. In the Mallott Lab as part of the REACH study, she is investigating the effects of social determinants of health on the gut microbiome, with a specific interest on the possible impact of food insecurity on gut microbial diversity and composition. In her free time, Leena enjoys reading, playing tennis, and going on walks/runs in Forest Park.

Ingrid Lyons-Carlson (Undergraduate Researcher)

Ingrid is an undergraduate sophomore majoring in Biology on the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology track with a minor in Studio Art. She is interested in ecology and conservation biology’s role in climate justice. In the lab, she is starting to research the evolutionary history of lizard microbiomes in the Caribbean. In her free time, she writes to international pen pals, radio DJs, backpacks, and draws.

Dr. Liz Mallott (PI)

Liz is interested in understanding host-associated microbiome variation within and between species. Liz majored in both Biology and Music at Grinnell College (2006) and has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2016). She was a postdoc at Northwestern University, Dartmouth College, and Vanderbilt University before starting at WUSTL in 2022. When not in the lab, Liz spends most of her time hanging out with daughter and partner, gardening, cooking, visiting the elephants and monkeys at the zoo, hiking, and discovering new playgrounds. mallott (at) wustl (dot) edu | CV | GitHub

Bryce Nien (DBBS/PMB Graduate Student)

Bryce (Ting-Shuo) is a PhD student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program at WashU. He received his B.S. and M.S. from the Department of Life Science at National Taiwan University, where he studied bacterial interactions using cyanobacteria with different light preferences for photosynthesis. In the Mallott Lab, he is currently investigating the interplay between the gut microbiome, immune function, and hormone levels during pregnancy to better understand maternal-fetal conflict. Outside the lab, Bryce enjoys playing pickleball, watching bison and raccoons in Lone Elk Park, and discovering new restaurants in St. Louis.

Jennifer Ong (Undergraduate Researcher)

Mimi Reagler (Undergraduate Researcher)

Mimi is a sophomore majoring in Biology with a minor in Public Health. She is interested in the role of the animal microbiome in health and disease, especially how much remains unknown about its impact on conservation and veterinary care. In the Mallott Lab, she is beginning work on a project investigating potential links between the vaginal microbiome and reproductive health in African painted dogs. Outside of the lab, Mimi enjoys reading, walking her dog, and playing water polo.

Lab Alumni

Dr. Carlye Chaney (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2023-2025) - now an Assistant Professor in Anthropology at the University of Missouri

Kaylaa Betts (Undergraduate Researcher, 2022-2023)

Dev Mukundan (Undergraduate Researcher, 2024-2025)

Shan Wang (Harrison D. Stalker Award in 2024, Undergraduate Researcher, 2023-2024) - currently a Medical Assistant at Piedmont Health Services