People

Current Members

Dr. Carlye Chaney (NSF Postdoctoral Fellow)

Carlye Chaney is an NSF SBE Postdoctoral Fellow in the Mallott Laboratory, where she is investigating how pesticides and other environmental contaminants may influence childhood metabolic development. As part of this work, she is exploring how microbiome composition and diversity may mediate the relationship between environmental exposures and thyroid function. Carlye received her PhD in Anthropology from Yale University in 2023, and her PhD research investigated the experiences and biological consequences of exposure to environmental contaminants among mothers and infants from Namqom, Formosa, Argentina, and New Haven, Connecticut. When not in the lab, Carlye enjoys crocheting, running, and reading fantasy / science fiction novels.

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.

Leena Kwak (Undergraduate Researcher)

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.
mallott (at) wustl (dot) edu | CV | GitHub | Mastodon

Jennifer Ong (Undergraduate Researcher)

Shan Wang (Undergraduate Researcher)

Shan is a senior double majoring in Global Studies and Biology. They are interested in understanding the gut microbiome as a mediator between structural inequality and human health, as well as incorporating environmental interventions into community healthcare. In the lab, Shan is investigating the association between flood exposure, fecal microbiome diversity, and host immune response as part of the REACH study. In their free time, they enjoy running, baking, and chess.

Lab Alumni

Kaylaa Betts (Undergraduate Researcher, 2022-2023)