Current Lab Members
 Michael J. Harms, PhD Principal Investigator Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Institute of Molecular Biology harms@uoregon.edu 541-346-9002 (Office) 541-346-9003 (Lab) @EvolBiochemist |
Mike grew up in Oregon, attending Oregon State University for his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry/Biophysics. He earned a PhD in molecular biophysics under Bertrand Garcia-Moreno E. at Johns Hopkins University. He then accidentally returned to Oregon to do postdoctoral studies in molecular evolution with Joe Thornton. He hasn’t left yet. Hobbies: spends time with his beautiful wife and two boys. Road bikes and goofs off with home built robotics in his (copious amounts) of spare time. IMB Page Google Scholar Profile ResearchGate |
| Jeremy Anderson Postdoctoral Fellow @Biophyser 541-346-9003 (Lab phone) |
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 Andrea Loes PhD Student, Biochemistry 541-346-9003 (Lab phone) |
Andrea brings an interest in bacterial communities and transition metal ecology to the lab. She is currently studying the evolution of calprotectin, a multi-functional heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9 that sequesters Mn(II) and Zn(II) in the mammalian gut, playing roles in innate immunity, inflammation, and cell motility. She completed undergraduate degrees in microbiology and biochemistry at Arizona State University, where she did undergraduate research studying antimicrobial activity of clay mineral mixtures and inhibition kinetics of the urease of Staphylococcus saprophyticus. When not growing microorganisms in the lab, she uses them at home to brew beer. |
 Zach Sailer PhD Student, Physical chemistry @zrsailer 541-346-9003 (Lab phone) |
Zach is using conceptual and computational tools developed for studying physical chemical systems to study how the structure of protein sequence space shapes protein evolution. He brings a strong background in scientific computing and software development to the lab, having completed a degree in physics at Cal Poly and then working as a developer on the IPython/Jupyter platform. When not programming at work, he programs at home because, why not? And no, we have no idea what’s going on in his picture. |
 Joseph Harman PhD Student, Biochemistry @jharman25 541-346-9003 (Lab phone) |
Joseph grew up in Mississippi before heading out west, where he received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Willamette University. His undergraduate research at Willamette focused on designing a fluorescent probe for monitoring changes in the oxidation state of a ruthenium-based anti-cancer drug, NAMI-A. Now a student in the chemistry and biochemistry PhD program at UO, he is studying the evolution and underlying biophysical properties of heterocomplex formation between S100 proteins S100A8 and S100A9, which form a multifunctional complex in humans called calprotectin. Outside of the lab, Joseph enjoys sports and spending his time at Oregon’s many beautiful lakes, rivers, and mountains. |
 Anneliese Morrison PhD Student @angraliese 541-346-9003 (Lab phone) |
Anneliese earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Florida State University where she studied the adaptation of Microvirid bacteriophages to biophysical selective pressures. Now a PhD student in UO’s biochemistry program, she is studying how the structure and underlying properties of protein sequence space shape the evolution of new functions. When not in the lab, Anneliese enjoys exploring the pacific northwest and continuing the quest to find the world’s best donut. |
| Ran Shi Undergraduate |
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| Caitlyn Wong Undergraduate @cwong37 |
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| Maureen Heaphy Undergraduate |
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| Genevieve Dorrell Undergraduate |
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| Daria Wonderlick Undergraduate |
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| Erik Cid Undergraduate |
Previous Lab Members
 Luke Wheeler, PhD @LCWheeler9000 |
Luke was born in the rain shadow of the Cascades and subsequently grew up in central Oregon. Luke finished his PhD in the Fall of 2017. He used ancestral sequence reconstruction, phage display, next-generation sequencing, and biophysical approaches to understand the evolution of peptide binding specificity in the S100 protein family. He earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Montana State University where he did undergraduate research on the encapsulation of various peptides into the interior of virus-like particles. He unicycles, hikes, and takes pictures of wildlife including, but not limited to, snakes, lizards and very annoying storks. In Winter of 2018, he started a postdoc with Stacey Smith at UC Boulder. |
| Hiranmayi Duvvuri @hduvvuri8 |
Hiranmayi finished an undergraduate degree in biology in 2017. She worked on scientific programming projects in the lab, including pytc. |
| Bram Rickett Undergraduate |
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| Matt Wong Undergraduate |