Alumni
Dr. Maher's Lab has helped advance the training of numerous graduate students and research fellows.
- David H. Tse
- 2017-2021: Maher lab Ph.D. training
- 2021-present: Staff scientist, Illumina, Madison, WI
- Email: Davidtsehinwah88@gmail.com
- John A. Smestad
- 2011-2013: Maher lab post-baccalaureate
- 2015-2019: Maher lab Ph.D. phase of M.D.-Ph.D. Program
- 2019-2021: M.D.-Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
- 2021-present: residency, University of Iowa Health Care, Iowa City, IA
- Email: smestad.john@gmail.com
- Lauren S. Mogil, Ph.D.
- 2011-2016: Maher lab
- 2016-2018: Postdoctoral fellow, Departments of Biology and Computer Science, Heather Wheeler Lab, Loyola University Chicago
- 2018-present: Bioinformatics scientist at Tempus Labs
- Email: lauren.s.mogil@gmail.com
- Yeng F. Her, Ph.D.
- 2011-2015: Maher lab
- 2015-2017: Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program
- 2017-present: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency: UCSF Fresno/University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Email: yher@fresno.ucsf.edu
- Estefania Mondragon, Ph.D.
- 2011-2015: Maher lab
- 2015-present: Postdoctoral Fellow, Barry Stoddard lab, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
- Email: mondrage85@gmail.com
- Justin P. Peters, Ph.D.
- 2008-2012: Maher lab
- 2012-2018: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Maher lab, Mayo Clinic Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 2018-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Northern Iowa
- Email: justin.peters@uni.edu
- John Paul Bida, Ph.D.
- 2006-2011: Maher lab
- 2011: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Mayo Clinic Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
- 2011-2012: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Physics, Stanford University
- 2012-2016: Vice President, Spark Pay Analytics, Capital One Bank, San Francisco, CA
- 2016-Present: Chief Inspiration Maker, Kid Effect Inc.
- Email: bida.john@gmail.com
- Susan Wurster, Ph.D.
- 2005-2009: Maher lab
- 2009-2010: Mayo Clinical Laboratory Fellowship in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
- 2011-2015: Medical technology program and adjunct faculty in biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN 37044
- 2015-present: Staff, Hematology Section, Centennial Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
- Email: swurster@my.apsu.edu
- Emily Smith, Ph.D.
- 2002-2007: Maher lab
- 2007-2008: Postdoc — Maher lab
- 2008-2011: Mayo Clinical Laboratory Fellowship in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
- 2017-present: Illinois Department of Public Health Newborn Screening Laboratory; NxGen MDx variant curator
- Email: emsk2011@gmail.com
- Kasandra Riley, Ph.D.
- 2002-2007: Maher lab
- 2007-2012: Postdoc — Department of Biophysics & Biochemistry and HHMI, Yale University.
- Adviser: Joan Steitz
- 2012-present: Assistant Professor — Department of Chemistry, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789
- Email: kasandrariley@gmail.com
- Robert J. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D.
- 2002-2006: Maher lab
- 2006-2008: Medical Scientist Training Program
- 2008-2009: Internal Medicine Preliminary Year, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education
- 2009-2011: Clinician Investigator Training Program, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education
- 2011-2015: Diagnostic Radiology Residency, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education
- 2015-2016: Neuroradiology Fellowship, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education
- 2016-present: Assistant Professor and Senior Associate Consultant, Mayo Clinic Department of Radiology
- Email: mcdonald.robert@mayo.edu
- Laura A. Cassiday, Ph.D.
- 1998-2002: Maher lab
- 2002-2005: Postdoctoral Fellow — University of California-San Francisco. Adviser: Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn
- 2005-2015: Freelance science writer and editor
- 2015-present: Associate Editor, Inform, the magazine of the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS)
- Email: lauracassiday@yahoo.com
- Phil Hardwidge, Ph.D.
- 1998-2002: Maher lab
- 2002-2005: Postdoctoral Fellow — Biotechnology Laboratory, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Adviser: Dr. Brett Finlay
- 2005-2009: Assistant Professor — South Dakota State University
- 2009-2012: Assistant Professor — Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics & Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 4031A Wahl Hall West, Kansas City, KS 66160
- 2012-present: Associate Professor — Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, 340 Coles Hall, 1600 Denison Ave., Manhattan, KS 66506
- Email: phardwidge@kumc.edu
- Paula Rodrigues Hoyne, Ph.D.
- 1997-2001: Maher lab
- 2001-2003: Postdoctoral Fellow — Mayo Medical Ventures, Rochester, Minnesota
- 2003-2008: Contracts Manager — Mayo Clinical Trial Services
- Email: prhoyne@gmail.com
- Eric Ross, Ph.D.
- 1996-2001: Maher lab
- 2001-2005: Postdoctoral Fellow — NIH/NIDDK, Bethesda, Maryland. Adviser: Dr. Reed Wickner
- 2005-present: Associate Professor — Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, 1870 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870
- Email: eric.ross@colostate.edu
- Visit Dr. Ross's website
- Nicole A. Becker, Ph.D.
- 1995-1999: Maher lab
- 1999-2002: Postdoctoral Fellow — Department of Experimental Pathology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota. Adviser: Dr. David Smith
- 2002: Postdoctoral Fellow — Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota. Adviser: Dr. Jim Maher
- 2003-2007: Senior Research Technologist III — Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota. Adviser: Dr. Jim Maher
- Present: Professional Associate in Research and Assistant Professor — Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota. Adviser: Dr. Jim Maher
- Email: becker.nicole@mayo.edu
- Lori Lebruska, Ph.D.
- 1995-1999: Maher lab
- 1999-2001: Postdoctoral Fellow — Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California. Adviser: Dr. Martha Fedor
- 2002-2005: Research Scientist — Research & Development, Invitrogen Corp., San Diego, California
- 2005-2007: Science Writer — Illumina Inc., San Diego, California
- 2007-2008: Assistant Director — Development Manufacturing, Ibis Biosciences, Carlsbad, California
- 2008-2009: Assistant Director — Training, Ibis Biosciences, Carlsbad, California
- Email: lebruska@gmail.com
- Garrett Soukup, Ph.D.
- 1993-1997: Maher lab
- 1997-2000: Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Adviser: Dr. Ron Breaker
- 2000-present: Professor and Associate Dean for Medical Education, Creighton University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178
- Email: gasoukup@creighton.edu
- Juliane Strauss-Soukup, Ph.D.
- 1993-1997: Maher lab
- 1997-2000: National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow — Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Adviser: Dr. Scott Strobel
- 2000-present: Professor — Creighton University Chemistry Department, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178
- 2013-present: Director – Creighton University Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship
- Email: jksoukup@creighton.edu
- Visit Dr. Strauss-Soukup's website
- Wendy Olivas, Ph.D.
- 1992-1996: Maher lab
- 1996-2000: Postdoctoral Fellow — Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Adviser: Dr. Roy Parker
- 2000-present: Associate Professor and Chair — Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1 University Blvd., #R223, St. Louis, MO 63121
- Email: olivasw@umsl.edu