
People
Faculty
Rodolphe Barrangou
Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Scholar in Probiotics Research
Hometown: Paris, France
Past Education: BS Biological Sciences, Rene Descartes University, Paris, France; MS Biological Engineering, University of Technology in Compiegne, France; MS Food Science, NC State University; PhD Functional Genomics, NC State University; MBA, Executive Business Administration, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Rodolphe has worked on beneficial microbes, focusing on the occurrence and diversity of lactic acid bacteria in fermented foods and as probiotics. Using functional genomics, he has focused on uncovering the genetic basis for health-promoting traits, including the ability to uptake and catabolize non-digestible carbohydrates. He spent 9 years at Danisco-DuPont, characterizing probiotics and starter cultures, and established the functional role of CRISPR-Cas, as adaptive immune systems in bacteria. He has focused on establishing the molecular basis for their mechanism of action, as well as developing and applying CRISPR-based technologies for genotyping, building immunity and genome editing.
Staff
Sarah O’Flaherty
Hometown: Wicklow, Ireland
Past Education: BA (Mod) Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin Ireland; PhD Microbiology National University of Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland
Sarah’s graduate research concerned the study of bacteriophage and lysins as potential anti-microbial agents against Staphylococcus aureus. Sarah moved to the United States from Ireland after obtaining her Ph.D and joined the laboratory of Dr. Todd R. Klaenhammer as a postdoctoral research associate where she researched functional genomics of lactic acid bacteria and probiotic-host interactions. Currently as a senior research scientist, she continues research on functional genomics, probiotic-host interactions, developing the murine research platform, and is the lead scientist for the vaccine program which focuses on mucosal vaccine delivery systems using lactic acid bacteria. Her research also involves methods to improve on existing genetic systems and to identify new antigen and therapeutic targets. Sarah provides research assistance and supervision to staff, postdoctoral researchers and graduate and international visiting students across various research topics.
Matthew Foley
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Past Education: Microbiology & Immunology BS, University of Rochester; Microbiology & Immunology PhD, University of Michigan
After his PhD, Matthew worked as a postdoctoral fellow studying Clostridium sp. and bile salt hydrolases. He joined the Barrangou Lab in 2021 as a staff scientist. Matthew is interested in understanding how CRISPR-Cas can be used to promote bacterial engraftment and ameliorate disease, and how bile acid altering enzymes can be used to manipulate the bile acid pool, microbiota, and host physiology. Outside of the lab he loves cooking and weightlifting.
Stefanie Andersen
Hometown: Smithfield, Utah
Past Education: Professional and Technical Writing, BA, Utah State University; Bioinformatics, MR, North Carolina State University
Stefanie Andersen is a Bioinformatics Specialist in the Barrangou Lab, where she curates, analyzes, and secures genomic data while mentoring students in computational biology. She is particularly interested in microbial systems biology, with a focus on community dynamics and host-microbe interactions. Stefanie began her career as a Technical Writer before transitioning into bioinformatics. Her graduate research focused on parsing metagenomic data to identify known and novel bacterial strains containing CRISPR arrays. After earning her master’s degree in Spring 2020, she worked as a Software Engineer at Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, a machine learning–driven drug development company focused on rare diseases. She rejoined the Barrangou Lab in 2024, bringing a blend of industry experience and research expertise to support and scale the lab’s computational efforts.
Graduate Students
Kalani Gast
Hometown: Fort Pierce, FL
Past Education: BS Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida
Kalani completed a Bachelor’s in Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida. As an undergraduate, she studied the effect of the herbicide Paraquat on the gut microbiome in Drosophila melanogaster. She transitioned into industry by working as a microbiologist screening foods for pathogens that cause food-borne illness. Kalani joined the lab in July 2021, and is currently interested in probiotic bacteria, CRISPR-Cas systems, bacteriophage, and the gut microbiome.
Ourania (Rania) Raftopoulou
Hometown: Athens, Greece
Past Education: BSc in Crop Science & MSc in Food Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
Rania completed her Bachelor’s in Crop Science at the Agricultural University of Athens in Greece. As an undergraduate, her research focused on the identification of endemic epiphytic yeasts from pistachio nuts that could be applied as biological agents for the control of aflatoxins. Afterward, she completed her MSc in Food Science at the same university in Greece. Her Master’s was focused on two main objectives: a) creating machine learning models for the estimation of chicken spoilage through multispectral imaging and, b) evaluating the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in chicken nuggets using mathematical models. Rania started her Ph.D. in Microbiology in 2019 and worked for three years on assessing the impact of the biofilm lifestyle on the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes and its behavior on apples. She joined our lab in April 2022 and is currently working on bioengineering probiotic bacteria using CRISPR.
John Beckley
Hometown: Congers, NY
Past Education: BS Biochemistry Boston College; MS Microbiology Illinois Institute of Technology
John completed his Bachelor’s in Biochemistry at Boston College and spent over 10 years in the food and beverage industry before transitioning back to academia for his Master’s in Microbiology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Working as a food safety consultant, he provided scientific and regulatory support for the industry in the US and abroad. John joined the lab in August 2022 and is currently interested in developing CRISPR technology, engineering bacteriophages, and studying the gut and soil microbiomes.
Emma Jager
Hometown: Efland, North Carolina
Past Education: BS Microbiology, BS Mathematics, NC State University
Emma completed Bachelor’s degrees in Microbiology and Mathematics at NC State University before transitioning to industry and working as a production scientist in a fermentation department. As an undergraduate she participated in a summer research experience learning about modeling biological systems, and spent a semester searching for an elusive RNase P gene in the genome of an archeote. She joined the lab in January 2023 and is working on better understanding lactobacillus-bacteriophage dynamics.
Grace Fuller
Hometown: Biloxi, Mississippi
Past Education: BS in Environmental Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi; MS in Agronomy with an emphasis in Weed Science from Mississippi State
As an undergraduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, Grace performed a point-center quarter analysis of Ragland Hills, a mixed forest outside of Hattiesburg, MS. During her time as a graduate student at Mississippi State, she researched the allelopathic potential of chromosome substitution (CS) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) lines. After receiving her master’s degree, she worked in the Biology Department of Mississippi State as a lab manager. There, Grace worked on transforming Elephant Grass (Miscanthus ssp.) to increase its efficacy as a bioenergy crop. Grace joined the lab in March 2023, and is interested in learning more about and developing genome editing tools.
Jiyong (Tim) Shin
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Past Education: BS Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, South Korea; MS Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Tim completed a Bachelor’s in Food Science and Biotechnology at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. As an undergraduate, his research focused on developing various amplification-based detection methods for lactic acid bacteria strains and allergens. Following that, he completed his MS in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His Master’s research was centered on developing CRISPR/Cas12a-based systems for detecting antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Tim joined the lab in August 2023 and is currently interested in the applications of the CRISPR-Cas system in probiotic bacteria.
Sydney Baker
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Education: AS, Wake Technical Community College; BS in Microbiology and Minor in Biotechnology, North Carolina State University
Sydney completed a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology at North Carolina State University in 2024. She joined the CRISPR Lab in May 2023 as an undergraduate researcher and continued on as a Ph.D. student in July 2024. Sydney’s undergraduate research involved characterizing and testing CRISPR-Cas systems, as well as engineering a portable delivery mechanism for said systems. Now, she is interested in developing and testing genome editing tools, CRISPR-based and otherwise, for industrially relevant probiotic bacteria.
Undergraduate Students
Catherine Merigliano
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Education: BS in Food Science, Minor in Agricultural Business Management and Biology, North Carolina State University
Catherine is currently working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science. She joined the lab in January 2024 as a lab assistant and has since moved to an undergraduate research position. She is interested in learning how probiotic bacteria can be modified for food production and nutritional purposes. Outside of the lab, she loves baking, going on walks, and being around friends.
Kevin Bolin
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Education: BS in Bioprocessing Science, BS in Food Science, Minor in Biomanufacturing , North Carolina State University
Kevin is working to complete his Bachelor’s Degree in Bioprocessing and Food Science. He joined the lab in June 2024 as an undergraduate researcher. He is interested in understanding CRISPR-Cas systems as a tool for genetic engineering in soil and probiotic bacteria.
Vincent Gierie
Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
Education: BS in Genetics, Minor in Biotechnology, North Carolina State University
Vincent is currently working towards his Bachelor’s Degree in Genetics. He joined the lab in April 2025 as an undergraduate researcher. He is fascinated by gene editing systems like CRISPR and recombinases and their future applications in health and industry.

Katherine Elsner
Hometown: Sycamore, Illinois
Education: BS in Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, Minor in Biotechnology, North Carolina State University
Katherine is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, with specific interests in processes concerning bacteria and viruses. She became an undergraduate researcher in the lab June of 2025. She is intrigued by bacteriophages and CRISPR systems. She currently also works as an undergraduate researcher in a plant virus lab and has been there since January of 2025.
Former Lab Members
Name | Dates in Lab | Position in Lab | Employer | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
Katheryne Daughtry | 2014-2015 | MS Food Science | Silesia Flavors | R&D Scientist |
Brant Johnson | 2012-2016 | PhD Microbiology | Novozymes | Scientist |
Kurt Selle | 2013-2016 | PhD Functional Genomics | Locus Biosciences, Inc | Scientist |
Jeff Hymes | 2014-2016 | MS Food Science | Symberix | Associate Scientist II |
Joakim Andersen | 2014-2016 | Post-Doc | SysBio | Post-Doc |
Mia Theilmann | 2015-2016 | Visiting Student | University of Denmark | PhD Student |
Emily Henriksen | 2013-2016 | Research Specialist | ||
Emily Stout | 2014-2016 | MS Food Science | Glanbia | Cheese Scientist I |
Cassandra Cañez | 2016-2018 | MS Functional Genomics | Merck Research Laboratories- Cambridge ESC | Scientist |
Allie Crawley |
2013-2018 | MS Food Science PhD Functional Genomics |
AgBiome | Scientist |
Regan Lane |
2017-2018 | Undergraduate Assistant | FastMed Urgent Care | Clinical Assistant |
Stefanie Andersen | 2018-2019 | MS Bioinformatics | ||
Allie Fulp | 2018-2019 | MS Food Science | ||
Katelyn Brandt | 2015-2019 | PhD Functional Genomics | BASF | |
Courtney Klotz | 2015-2019 | PhD Functional Genomics | Sanofi Genzyme | Senior Manager Dupilumab Publications |
Elice Kitchen-McKinley | 2018-2019 | BS Bioprocessing Sciences | ||
Natalia Cobián Fernández | 2019-2020 | Staff Scientist | ||
Claudio Hidalgo Cantabrana | 2016-2020 | Post-Doc | MicroViable Therapeutics | CSO-CEO |
Yong Jun Goh | 2005-2021 | Staff Scientist | AgBiome | Senior Microbiologist |
MaryClaire Chamberlain | 2019-2021 | MS Food Science | McCormick | Scientist I |
Victoria Bartlett | 2019-2021 | BS Genetics | Graduate School | |
Matt Nethery | 2016-2022 | PhD Functional Genomics | Life Edit | Data Scientist II |
Rosemary Sanozky-Dawes | 1998-2022 | Research Associate | Retired | |
Daniel Spang | 2021-2023 | BS Chemical Engineering | Resilience | Cell Expansion Manufacturing Technician I |
Navjot Kaur | 2023-2023 | Visiting Scholar | Plaksha University | Assistant Professor |
Meichen (Echo) Pan | 2017-2023 | MS Food Science; PhD Genomics | Eli Lilly | Nuclease Advisor |
Avery Roberts | 2019-2024 | PhD Genomics | Life Edit Therapeutics | Data Scientist I |
Sydney Baker | 2023-2024 | BS Microbiology | North Carolina State University | PhD Student |
Kendall Malmstrom | 2021-2024 | BS Biochemistry; BS Genetics | Colorado State University | PhD Student |
Ben Heckmann | 2023-2025 | MS Food Science | Recent Graduate |