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Michel Lab

Michel Lab

Mailing Address
Kansas State University
Division of Biology
267 Chalmers Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
USA

Phone
office +1-785-532-0161
lab +1-785-532-0183
insectary +1-785-532-5837

Fax
+1-785-532-6653

email

lab photo

Lab members

Kristin MichelKristin Michel

Professor

I obtained a Diplom in Biology (M.Sc. equiv.) at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Entomology at the University of California Riverside. I did my Ph.D. training with Dr. Peter Atkinson working on insect transformation systems, and subsequently worked on mosquito immunity in Dr. Fotis C. Kafatos' laboratory at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Imperial College London. I joined the faculty in the Division of Biology at K-State in 2007.

Phone: 785-532-0161
email: kmichel@ksu.edu

Postdoctoral Researcher

Miao LiMiao Li

I received my Ph.D in Biochemistry at Kansas State University in September of 2019. My postdoctoral work focuses on the biochemical analysis of the protease network in Anopheles gambiae that regulates innate immune reactions.

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: Limiao@ksu.edu

Graduate Students

Bianca Morejon ViteriBianca Morejon Viteri

I received my bachelor's degree in Biology from Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in 2017. I joined the lab in the Fall of 2019 to pursue my doctorate degree in Microbiology.

My Ph.D. research focuses on immune system regulation in mosquitoes. In collaboration with Dr. Nicolas Buchon, Cornell University, I am currently looking at the transcriptional responses of Anopheles gambiae to infection with several bacterial and yeast species.

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: bmorejon744@ksu.edu
Patil TawidianPatil Tawidian

I graduated with a M.Sc. in Plant Protection from the American University in Beirut. I joined the Michel lab in Fall 2017 to pursue my doctorate degree in Microbiology, and advanced to candidacy in the fall of 2019.

My research focuses on the interactions of mosquitoes with fungi in the larval habitat. As part of this work, I also investigate the efficacy of locally isolated entomopathogens on mosquito source reduction.

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: patilt@ksu.edu

Shasha ZhangShasha Zhang

I am a visiting graduate student from China Agricultural University, where I pursue my PhD in the lab of Dr. Chunju An. I joined the Michel lab at the beginning of 2020 with a scholarship from the Chinese Scholarship Council.

My research in the Michel lab focuses on the interactions of serpins with CLIP serine proteases. As part of this work, I am pursuing the function of SRPN16 in An. gambiae antimicrobial immunity.

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: zshasha@ksu.edu

Undergraduate Students

Portrait of Jordan Block

Jordan Block

I am a Junior in Microbiology at Kansas State University, and joined the Michel lab in 2018. I am a recipient of a K-INBRE fellowship, and use this funding to investigate the impact of locally isolated fungal species on the survival of Aedes albopictus larvae. 

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: blocjord@ksu.edu


Portrait of Paige Griggs

Allison Burnett

I am a Senior in Biology/Pre-vet at Kansas State University. I have been accepted to the Vet program at Kansas State and will begin the program in 2021. I joined the Michel lab in 2018. Besides assisting in general lab maintenance and mosquito rearing, I now started a research project investigating the impact of the mosquito Toll pathway on different microbial infections.

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: ajburnett@ksu.edu

Recent Alumni


Sarah Hansen

Sarah Hansen

I graduated in Spring 2020 with a B.Sc. in Microbiology at Kansas State University, and will start medical school in the fall of 2020. I joined the Michel lab in 2018. My research focused on examining the impact of the Toll pathway on larval immunity. For this, I have established a injection protocol for Anopheles gambiae and Aedes albopictus larvae.

email: sarahkhansen@ksu.edu

Rachel HuntRachel Hunt

I graduated in Spring 2020 with a B.Sc. in Biology at Kansas State, I joined the Michel lab in 2017, and helped with general lab maintenance and mosquito rearing. My research project evaluated the impact of Beauveria bassiana on larval development of Anopheles gambiae.

Phone: 785-532-0183
email: rahunt98@ksu.edu