pronouns: he/him
role: Principal Investigator
A proud Pitzer College alum, Patrick received his Ph.D. from the UW Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Graduate Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center under the mentorship of Harmit Malik and Michael Emerman, where he studied the evolution of host-virus interactions. Patrick nex
pronouns: he/him
role: Principal Investigator
A proud Pitzer College alum, Patrick received his Ph.D. from the UW Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Graduate Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center under the mentorship of Harmit Malik and Michael Emerman, where he studied the evolution of host-virus interactions. Patrick next conducted his postdoctoral training with Russell Vance at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied the evolution, mechanisms, and functional consequences of innate immune sensors that detect 'pathogen-specific activities.' He's thrilled to be back in Seattle as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at UW. When not in the lab, Patrick enjoys cooking and exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. He's also an avid Seattle sports fan.
pronouns: she/her/hers
role: Lab Manager
Megan is from the greater Boston area and has lived in Massachusetts most of her life. As an undergrad at Mount Holyoke College, she studied the localization of ATP synthase during sporulation in Bacillus subtilus in the lab of Dr. Amy Camp. After graduating in 2019, Megan worked as a technician in
pronouns: she/her/hers
role: Lab Manager
Megan is from the greater Boston area and has lived in Massachusetts most of her life. As an undergrad at Mount Holyoke College, she studied the localization of ATP synthase during sporulation in Bacillus subtilus in the lab of Dr. Amy Camp. After graduating in 2019, Megan worked as a technician in the Laub Lab at MIT, where she contributed to a variety of projects ranging from chromosome organization and DNA topology to toxin-antitoxin regulation to phage defense. She is now joining the Mitchell Lab as a lab manager, where she is excited to learn more about innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions. In her free time, she enjoys trying out new coffee shops and tending to her house plant collection.
pronouns: she/her/hers
role: Research Technician
Shania was born in Dededo, Guam before moving to Puyallup, WA where she spent most of her childhood. She went to the University of Washington and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology. Her research career began her senior year when she joined the Reniere lab as a la
pronouns: she/her/hers
role: Research Technician
Shania was born in Dededo, Guam before moving to Puyallup, WA where she spent most of her childhood. She went to the University of Washington and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology. Her research career began her senior year when she joined the Reniere lab as a laboratory assistant and moved up to an undergraduate researcher position. During her time as an undergraduate researcher she was under the tutelage of graduate student Monica Cesinger. The two sought to learn more about the role of the transcriptional regulator spxA1 in Listeria monocytogenes in terms of determining cell shape. This was done by creating a GFP-FtsZ protein that would be put into L.monocytogenes and be used to observe the irregular septum ring formation that’s characteristic of ΔspxA1 bugs. Shortly after graduation, Shania was employed to be a full-time research scientist assistant and lab manager for the Reniere lab. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking/baking, drawing, going to farmers markets, and spending time with her rabbit, Oreo.
After growing up in Germany, Stef moved to Massachusetts where she received her Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Greenfield Community College and her Bachelor’s with departmental honors in Biology from UMass Amherst. As an undergraduate researcher and lab technician, she investigated T. pallidum protein-protein interactions (Dr. Pe
After growing up in Germany, Stef moved to Massachusetts where she received her Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Greenfield Community College and her Bachelor’s with departmental honors in Biology from UMass Amherst. As an undergraduate researcher and lab technician, she investigated T. pallidum protein-protein interactions (Dr. Peter Uetz); T. brucei kDNA replication (Dr. Michele Klingbeil); circadian rhythms (Dr. Eric Bittman); sexually divergent neuronal cell death (Dr. Nancy Forger); and HPT axis development (Dr. Ksenia Tonyushkina) before pursuing her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) at the Johns Hopkins SOM under the mentorship of Dr. Bill Bishai. Her doctoral work identified the master regulator PARP1 as a host target of the antibiotic pyrazinamide and as a molecular determinant of sex differences in tuberculosis. Other projects focused on elucidating the roles of MDSCs, RIPK1, MDA5, and the integrated stress response in tuberculosis host-pathogen interactions. As a postdoc in the Mitchell lab, she is excited to study inflammasome activation as a mechanism of pathogen sensing. In her free time, Stef is a volunteer ski patroller and an avid disc golfer and mountain biker.
Ryan hails from Port Huron, a town in Michigan’s ‘thumb’. He earned a BA and MS from Dartmouth College where he spent four years in the lab of F. Jon Kull studying the structure and function of unique kinesin-like proteins. Ryan then headed west to the University of California - San Francisco and received his PhD with John Gross. There, h
Ryan hails from Port Huron, a town in Michigan’s ‘thumb’. He earned a BA and MS from Dartmouth College where he spent four years in the lab of F. Jon Kull studying the structure and function of unique kinesin-like proteins. Ryan then headed west to the University of California - San Francisco and received his PhD with John Gross. There, he examined the regulation of decapping, a critical step in mRNA degradation, by disordered regions and phase separation. In the Mitchell lab, Ryan is excited to characterize new mechanisms of inflammasome activation and how they integrate various danger signals. When he’s not in lab, Ryan can be found outside hiking and biking or trying some new recipes in the kitchen.
Miles grew up in Southern California where he received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of California, San Diego. While completing his degree, he had the privilege of working under Dr. Matthew Daugherty, where he investigated host-viral arms races involving innate antiviral proteins and viral proteases. With a fascination for vi
Miles grew up in Southern California where he received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of California, San Diego. While completing his degree, he had the privilege of working under Dr. Matthew Daugherty, where he investigated host-viral arms races involving innate antiviral proteins and viral proteases. With a fascination for viruses and the Pacific Northwest (and a fear of finding a real job), Miles decided that pursuing a PhD with the UW Microbiology program was the ideal path forward. Under the guidance of Dr. Patrick Mitchell, he is excited to study the determinants of inflammasome activation and viral pathogenesis. In his spare time, Miles indulges in video games and frequents the climbing gym to participate in Seattle’s greatest pastime.
Jessie is from the San Francisco Bay Area in sunny California. She earned her B.S in Pharmacology from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she had her first research experience in Denise Montell’s lab studying the role of stress granules in anastasis, a form of cell recovery. After graduating, she returned to San Francisco t
Jessie is from the San Francisco Bay Area in sunny California. She earned her B.S in Pharmacology from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she had her first research experience in Denise Montell’s lab studying the role of stress granules in anastasis, a form of cell recovery. After graduating, she returned to San Francisco to work in the lab of Andreas Puschnik at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub where she conducted genome-wide CRISPR screens to identify and characterize cellular host factors important for viral infection. Excited to further explore her passion for virology, Jessie bought a raincoat and moved to Seattle to pursue her Ph.D in the UW Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Graduate Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center under the co-mentorship of Patrick Mitchell and Michael Emerman (yes, the same one that mentored Patrick!). Outside the lab, Jessie enjoys biking, playing her ukulele, crocheting cute critters, and hanging out with her cat CRISPR Cats9
Christina was born and raised in California, where one can drive for multiple hours in any direction and find themselves still in California. Her interest in fictional pathogens from films and novels inspired her to pursue a B.S in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis. After graduating from UC Davis (literally the day aft
Christina was born and raised in California, where one can drive for multiple hours in any direction and find themselves still in California. Her interest in fictional pathogens from films and novels inspired her to pursue a B.S in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis. After graduating from UC Davis (literally the day after), Christina disappeared across the country to Maryland and spent the summer in the Vaccine Research Center at the NIH in the laboratory of Dr. Barney S. Graham. Her summer research project focused on targeting the conserved stem region of influenza hemagglutinin by displaying “headless” HA trimers on self-assembling nanoparticles. Following her summer internship, she returned as a postbaccalaureate research fellow where she focused on the structural characterization and conformational stabilization of influenza neuraminidase. The culmination of her research experiences motivated Christina to pursue her Ph.D. in the UW Microbiology Graduate Program under the mentorship of Patrick Mitchell (who reminded her that inflammasomes exist). During her free time outside of lab, you can either find her asleep or at the boxing/kickboxing gym.
Marisa was born and raised in the greater Seattle area. While earning her BS in Biology at the University of Washington she had her first research experience in Dr. Billie Swalla’s lab at UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories marine station where she spent a quarter studying the genetics of central nervous system regeneration in marine worms. U
Marisa was born and raised in the greater Seattle area. While earning her BS in Biology at the University of Washington she had her first research experience in Dr. Billie Swalla’s lab at UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories marine station where she spent a quarter studying the genetics of central nervous system regeneration in marine worms. Upon returning to Seattle, she spent the rest of her undergraduate career studying cleft palate pathogenesis in Dr. Kai Yu’s lab at Seattle Children’s. After graduating in 2018, she returned to her love of marine invertebrates and genetics and worked as a research technician at Pacific Northwest Research Institute in the lab of Dr. Michael Metzger where she studied transmissible cancers – cancer cells that have evolved to jump between individuals just like pathogens – in clams and mussels. Finding the rain suits her just fine, Marisa chose to stay in Seattle and pursue a PhD in the UW Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) program where she is super excited to learn more about innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Mitchell. While away from the bench, you can often find her cooking/baking, reading, or at one of Washington’s many beaches, looking for sea slugs.
Serena is a 3rd year University of Washington undergraduate majoring in microbiology and minoring in dance. She hopes to pursue a career in public health or immunology after graduation, focusing on inequities in the medical sphere. In her free time, Serena likes to hang out with her friends, ski, cook, and play piano.
Alexis is from Oakland, California and is currently a sophomore at the University of Washington majoring in Biology and minoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. After undergrad she hopes to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN in order to better address the racial disparities that are prominent in the sphere of women's healt
Alexis is from Oakland, California and is currently a sophomore at the University of Washington majoring in Biology and minoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. After undergrad she hopes to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN in order to better address the racial disparities that are prominent in the sphere of women's health. In her free time, Alexis likes to crochet, read, and watch tons of movies.
Michael Lindberg - lab manager (inaugural Mitchell Lab team member) - 2021
Taran Paul - undergraduate researcher - 2021-22
Amandine Chantharath - visiting student from ENS Lyon - 2022
Joy Lee - undergraduate researcher - 2022
Luka Bedalov - undergraduate researcher - 2021-22
Selena Wong - undergraduate researcher - 2021-22
Ashcon Pashai - undergraduate researcher - 2022-23
Katie MacNary - undergraduate researcher - 2022-23
We're excited to build a supporting and inclusive research team as part of the Department of Microbiology and the greater Seattle research community. If our research piques your interest, we have the following openings:
MICROM499. Interested students should email me if they are interested. The minimal time commitment is 9h/week (3 credits) per quarter. Note that we are located on the UW SLU campus (not in the Health Sciences Building).
MICROM496. Interested students should email me if they are interested. I do not take MICROM496 students in Winter quarter. A general course description can be found HERE and an example syllabus can be found HERE. Strong preference for students who are also doing MICROM499 with us.
Graduate students. Rotations available for 2023-24.
Postdocs: We are always on the lookout for interesting and unexpected host-pathogen (or other) ‘arms races’ and we’re open to following them wherever they may lead. Got an idea for a new project? Please don't hesitate to email me about a possible position.
We are actively recruiting a postdoc to study the mechanisms, consequences, and evolution of effector-triggered immunity. There are several available projects in the lab, and it is expected that postdoctoral associates bring their own excitement, ideas, and expertise to these projects to advance both central aspects of the Mitchell Lab’s research while building an independent research program or working towards their self-defined goals. For more information, click HERE
Research technician I: entry level position. For more information and to apply, click HERE
Mouse technician: entry or advanced position. For more information and to apply, click HERE