Alumni

Jose Gutierrez

Jose is a fourth-year transfer student, majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Global Disease Biology. He received his A.S. in Animal Science from Reedley College. He is interested in One Health and accessible veterinary access. He hopes to work towards his D.V.M. following graduation and is interested in mixed animal practice. 

Outside of the lab, Jose enjoys traveling, hiking, photography, and trying new foods. 

Juliette Di Francesco (DVM, PhD)

jdifrancesco@ucdavis.edu

Juliette is a Postdoctoral fellow currently working with Dr. Pires on the multi-state Farm Animal Risk Mitigation Prepare Prevent Evaluate (FARM PPE) Project, which aims at improving biosecurity measures and reducing disease spread in small-scale, diversified, and backyard farms. She is interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of animal, human, and environmental health to prevent the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases. 

Elizabeth Isenhower 

Elizabeth Isenhower is a fourth year transfer student, majoring in Animal Science. She has an A.S. in Animal science from Merced College. She is interested in veterinary public heath and outreach. She hopes to work towards a DVM following graduation, and wants to pursue a career in large animal veterinary medicine. 

Outside of the lab she enjoys camping, reading, and jewelry making. 

Jannie Xu

Jannie was a fourth year transfer student majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major at UC Davis. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to become a clinical laboratory scientist.

Outside of lab, she enjoy hiking, trying new food places, and watching movies

Teresa Miranda

Teresa was a Visitor Scholar from Portugal. She’s a Veterinary Medicine student, writing her Master´s thesis on Anthelmintics and Antimicrobial solutions for organic farms. Her interests include epidemiology and public health and she plans to continue her studies in this areas.

Outside the lab she enjoys traveling, watching sunsets and spending time with friends and family

Carolyn Chandler Khayd (BS)

cvchandler@ucdavis.edu

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Davis. Her main interest lies in human health and research. She hopes to continue working in the research field and to pursue her Master's degree in the near future.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, enjoying a nice cup of coffee, or admiring the great outdoors. 

Thomas Luder (B.S.)

Thomas graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and a minor in Environmental Policy and Planning at UC Davis. He aims to work towards a Ph.D. following graduation and to start a career in biochemical research. He hopes to pursue research that helps fight disease and preserve the environment. 

Outside of the lab, Thomas enjoys SCUBA diving, surfing, hiking, board games, and costuming, among many other things. Alongside major-related classes at UCD, he has enjoyed classes in topics such as Shakespeare, gaming, and cheese. 

Everardo Sanchez (B.S.)

Everardo recently graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science and is pursuing a DVM degree to become a small-animal veterinarian in the future with the hope that he can expand veterinary care to impoverished and low-income communities.

Outside of the lab, his hobbies include Pokémon, video games, dancing, and traveling.

Kimberly Aguirre (B.S.)

Kimberly was a 2022 graduate with a B.S. in Animal Biology and a minor in Public Health Sciences at UC Davis. She is now pursuing a DVM degree at UCD and aims to become a public health veterinarian in order to address emerging infectious diseases that impact animal, human, and environmental health. 

Apart from research and veterinary medicine, Kimberly is passionate about educational equity, One Health, mentorship, diversity and inclusion. Some of her hobbies include yoga, playing tennis, watching horror movies, and spending time with friends/ family.

Laura Ann Patterson (PhD student, Graduate Group in Epidemiology)

lpatters@ucdavis.edu

Laura Patterson was a PhD epidemiology student working under the guidance of Dr. Alda Pires. Her research focuses were on evaluating risk factors, farm management practices and surveillance methods to detect and prevent the transmission of foodborne pathogens and zoonotic diseases on small-scale diversified farms.

As a former farmer, she brought a unique perspective to the field of food safety and her background in agriculture informed her projects and career goals, including her aspiration to work as a cooperative extension specialist, providing science-based information to farmers to keep food safe in a pre-harvest environment.

Nicholas La

nicla@ucdavis.edu

Nicholas was a fourth year transfer student from Sacramento City College and was pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from UC Davis. His interest in working in Pires Lab comes from his enjoyment working as a Lab Assistant from his community college. He hopes to pursue a job in a field that will allow him to travel the world. 

His hobbies include martial arts such as boxing and MMA and writing rap lyrics. He has recently come out of retirement from the competitive gaming scene.

Olivia Ysabel Thorn

oythorn@ucdavis.edu

Olivia was a senior studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a planned minor in Global Disease Biology at the University of California, Davis. She hopes to pursue a career in formulations chemistry and develop more sustainable products. 

When she is not in the lab, Olivia can be found rock climbing, running, cycling, or hiking. She enjoys spending time outdoors and plans to complete the John Muir Trail with her father, post-graduation.

Kyuyoung Lee (MPVM, DVM, PhD)

pvmlee@ucdavis.edu

Dr. Kyuyoung Lee (DVM, MPVM) was a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate group of Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis. He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree at the Chungnam National University in South Korea (2010) and Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) degree at the University of California, Davis (2016). His academic interest is the application of advanced epidemiological, statistical, and computational methods to identify risk factors and predict occurrence of diseases in animal based on health data. His current research focus on the combination of epidemiological data and genetic information of infectious pathogens to reconstruct the transmission routes and capture the evolutionary pattern of pathogens, and spatial and temporal analysis to evaluates the impact of wild-domestic interface for the disease spread based on disease outbreak data and the tracking records of wildlife.

Jerome Nicholas Baron (DVM, MS, PhD)

jnbaron@ucdavis.edu

Jerome was a PhD student in epidemiology who focuses on zoonotic disease modeling, orienting his PhD on modeling rabies. He worked with Dr. Pires as a graduate student researcher, providing statistical and analytical support for multiple projects looking at the perceptions, knowledge, and access to veterinary care of small scale urban livestock owners and modeling risk factors for presence of pathogens on produce. He also used to support the Veterinary Center for Clinical Trials on study design and statistical analysis.

Thais De Melo Ramos (MS, PhD)

tramos@ucdavis.edu

Thais was born in Minas Gerais, Brazil. She completed her master and Ph.D. at the Federal University of Lavras, MG, where her research focused on food sciences. Beyond that, she had an opportunity to work as a teaching assistant and she had the privilege of teaching courses in food sciences. Thais currently holds a Postdoctoral Researcher position at Pires Lab. Her current research interests include pre-harvest food safety specifically related to produce and animal production, with regard to Salmonella species, Shiga toxin-producing E.coli, non O157 STEC, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter, and evaluating the persistence and survival of bacterial (foodborne pathogens) on fresh produce, in biological soil amendments and the farm environment with the goal of identifying mitigation strategies for food contamination.

Viktoria Haghani (BS, PhD Student)

vhaghani@ucdavis.edu

James Stover (BS)

jstover@ucdavis.edu

James Stover has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Davis and is currently working as a Junior Specialist under Dr. Pires in the Department of Population Health and Reproduction. He helps manage various ongoing projects related to pre-harvest food safety with regards to produce and animal production. He is interested in genetic applications in research, such as CRISPR/CAS9 techniques, and he hopes to continue his education in the future. In his free time, James enjoys outdoor activities, such as riding his motorcycle, playing soccer, hiking, and Jiu Jitsu.

Rachel Anne Hawkins (BS)

rahawkins@ucdavis.edu

Zoe E. Scholar (BS)

zescholar@ucdavis.edu

Junior Specialist Zoe Scholar works with samples both in the laboratory and in the field, and assists in educational outreach on many of the lab's projects. Additionally, under the tutelage of Dr. Pires, Zoe is designing and working on her own project surveying California organic dairy farms. For this project, Zoe will be investigating the dairy cow husbandry practices for disease prevention and treatment of dairy cows in Northern California. A recent graduate from University of California, Santa Cruz, Zoe’s Bachelors of Science degree in Biology was conferred with honors. She is very excited to continue her academic and professional journey in the field of microbiology at University of California, Davis.

When not in the lab or in the field, Zoe is a dancer dedicated to the growth and preservation of local and statewide dance communities. She has taught both ballroom and fusion dance classes since 2015 and is the founder of Sunset on the Pacific, a non-profit fusion dance event where dancers can come together as a community regardless of style or experience.

Holly Shores Anderson

hsanderson@ucdavis.edu

Deonnie Winnie Huang (BS)

deohuang@ucdavis.edu

Deonnie obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree at UC Davis in Genetics & Genomics. She joined the Pires Lab due to her interests in improving population health and reducing the outbreak of foodborne illnesses. In her free time, Deonnie enjoys playing piano, running, and going to the Davis Farmers' Market. Deonnie hopes to attend medical school.  

Amy Maylanee Patamakomol (BS)

ampatamakomol@ucdavis.edu

Amy has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Davis. After she began volunteering in a hospital after high school, she developed an interest in pharmacy and public health. She is interested in how the spread of viral and bacterial diseases can impact human and animal health. Additionally, she hopes to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Hannah Southgate (Undergraduate)

hbsouthgate@ucdavis.edu

Amanda Taylor (BS)

actaylor@ucdavis.edu

Amanda recently graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Genetics and Genomics. She is interested in exploring different research opportunities in the field of microbiology and genetics. She hopes to one day pursue research focusing on genetics after attending grad school. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and camping.

Ka Man Woo (BS)

kwoo@ucdavis.edu

Ka Man is has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Food Science. She is interested in the study of food microbiology, ranging from food fermentation to food safety. Her passion for microbiology stems from the variety of fermented food that can be produced with the aid of microorganisms. However, working in a food microbiology lab has made her come to realize the invisible challenges in food safety. From her work at Pires Lab, she has gained experience in lab settings and the field in identifying specific bacteria to prevent the spread of foodborne pathogens in small-scale farms.