Lab Team

Hazem Abdelaal

Fellow PhD

Hazem got his bachelor’s degrees at Cairo University and his MS at the University of Alexandria, Egypt. He got his PhD in deciphering the virulence mechanisms of Mycobacterial infections at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His interests include developing vaccines and therapeutics against MTC organisms and NTM, and he works to advance diagnostic approaches for early detection of Mycobacterial infections. He has a passion for mentorship and teaching and enjoys photography and hiking.

Sabiriin Abdi

Student Helper

Sabiriin is an undergraduate at the University of Washington studying public health, global health and microbiology. She became interested in research from her biology coursework, which primarily focused on cell biology. She joined the 2021 Summer Scholars Program, which sparked her interest in immunology. She is interested in researching the biological frameworks that govern immune response and ways of utilizing the full capacity of the immune system.

Sasha (Larsen) Akins

Research Scientist IV

Sasha received her PhD in emerging infectious diseases from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In the Coler Lab she works to advance therapeutic and vaccine candidates against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in both preclinical and clinical settings. This includes designing and evaluating novel vaccine candidates as well as bacteriophage treatments in preclinical models of TB. She helps lead clinical trial efforts for an array of known and emerging infectious diseases including pulmonary infections like SARS-CoV-2. Outside of lab, Sasha enjoys traveling with her family.

Susan Baldwin

Research Scientist, Senior

Susan’s interests include the development of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and clinically relevant nontuberculous mycobacteria. She is also interested preclinical models and the use of adjuvant systems to steer effective vaccine-mediated immune responses against these pathogens.

Bryan Berube

Research Scientist IV

Bryan’s research interests center around host-pathogen interactions and preclinical and clinical development of vaccines and therapeutics to impact human diseases caused by infectious agents.

Inés Cadena Cabezas, PhD

Inés got her PhD in chemical engineering with a minor in pharmaceutical sciences at Oregon State University. Her research integrated tissue engineering and statistical modeling to develop high-throughput screening platforms for gynecological diseases that allowed the quantification of phenotypic cell responses in 3D in vitro models. In the Coler Lab, she is passionate about applying her background in chemical engineering, tissue engineering and 3D in vitro models to contribute to the advance of therapeutic and vaccine candidates against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in both preclinical and clinical settings. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, climbing, trail running and cross-country skiing.

Nim Grewal

Research Technician I

Nim joined the Coler Lab in December 2023. After graduating from the University of Washington, Seattle, she was inspired to work in a lab setting. Her background in SARS-CoV-2, mammalian tissue culture, Lentivirus production and flow cytometry led her to join the lab, where she works with the team to innovate therapeutic and vaccine candidates against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in both preclinical and clinical settings. Outside of work, she enjoys the outdoors, socializing with friends and family and cuddling with her pup.

Matthew Harband

Research Technician I

Matthew joined the Coler lab in February 2023. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2021, where he became fascinated with biology and excited by the many ways biologists can make change in the world. Prior to the Coler lab he spent time in the startup world, where the passion and accomplishments of several enterprising biologists helped inspire him to pursue research. He is also an avid outdoorsman and a passionate environmentalist and can often be found in the mountains with his friends.

Suhavi Kaur

Research Technician II

Suhavi has a background in preclinical research, specializing in monitoring the effects of test article during administration and in post-mortem tissues. Her passion for vaccine and therapy development originates from her drive to contribute to a more equitable future and society for all.

Dana Miller

Research Technician I

Dana joined the Coler Lab in October 2021. She graduated with honors from Arizona State University in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in applied biological sciences and a goal to work in biological research. Her interests include novel therapeutic development and improving therapeutic outcomes for high-risk individuals with M.tb. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing tabletop role-playing games with friends and spending time with her family.

Deepika Nag

Fellow PhD

Deepika got her PhD in microbiology from CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource & Technology and Guru Nanak Dev University, India. Her research interest focuses on the development of advance therapeutics and vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M.tb, in preclinical and clinical settings. Apart from research, she enjoys yoga, meditation, painting, and hiking.

Tiffany Pecor-Korman

Research Associate III

Tiffany joined the Coler Lab in 2016, is the unofficial lab manager and does much of the ordering; scheduling; IACUC submissions and amendments; IRB submissions and continuing reviews; and personnel training. Tiffany is also our resident expert at endpoint ELISAs that have been qualified or validated against mycobacteria, SARS-CoV2, schistosomiasis, mycobacteria phages and RSV.

Thomas Smytheman

Research Technician II

Thomas studied genetic epilepsy disorders with the Kalume Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute while earning his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington. Now, in the Coler Lab, he is interested in vaccine development and testing in the hopes of improving global health outcomes for children.

Alison Wald

Scientific Project Manager I

Alison has been a project and program manager since 2011 and has worked with infectious diseases researchers at Seattle Children’s and the University of Washington for most of that time. The IMPAc-TB project is a significant area of focus for her, and she also supports other Coler Lab projects.

Brittany Williams

Fellow PhD

Brittany is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She received her PhD in pathobiology at the University of Washington. Her graduate work in the lab focused on TB and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection, immunopathology and vaccine development. As a fellow, Brittany is focused on investigating lung lesion formation in immunized mice challenged with M.tb and sex as a factor for vaccine-induced immune responses. In her free time Brittany enjoys visiting the many parks of Seattle, long-distance running and exploring new restaurants.

Zhiyi Zhu

Research Scientist II

Zhiyi focuses on qualified and validated Pseudo-neutralization and Plaque Reduction Neutralization Titer assays against SAR-CoV2 for clinical trials. He is also interested in vaccine development against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria through the discovery of new candidate antigens and delivery to induce robust and effective immune responses.