People
Lab in Fall, 2024
Department R01 celebration, 2022
Abby R Kroken, PhD
Abby earned her PhD at the Medical College of Wisconsin studying the structure and function of clostridial neurotoxins in the lab of Joseph Barbieri. She did her postdoctoral fellowship with Suzanne Fleiszig at UC Berkeley in the School of Optometry, where she developed her imaging skills to study the contact-lens associated pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and also become immersed in the cornea, contact lens, and vision science communities. She now investigates the role of toxins used by bacterial pathogens while colonizing the ocular surface. As an external and clear organ, the cornea presents a unique opportunity for simplified intravital imaging methods and single-cell imaging, allowing her and the lab to ask basic questions about host-pathogen biology and aid in solving vision-threatening problems.
Abby is from rural Wisconsin and spent much of her childhood planning to become an artist or maybe have a nice office job. A few influential teachers set her on a course to take microbiology halfway through college, from which there was no turning back. As a first gen college student, she continually asks (and now occasionally answers) naive questions about how science careers work.
Outside the lab, Abby enjoys kayaking, caring for an extensive plant collection, scouring antique and thrift shops for unusual home decor, and learning to make challenging recipes. She aspires to foster infant kittens, and sincerely hopes everyone has the opportunity to see a glacier before they all melt.
Rachel Mazurek
Hometown: Des Plaines, IL
B.S., Elmhurst University, Biology major
Bacteria, fur babies, spooky season, and heavy metal. Christmas begins Nov 1st.
Adam Thota
Hometown: Muskego, WI
B.S., Wisconsin Lutheran College
M.S., Loyola University Chicago, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zach Resko
Postdoc
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
B.S., Duquesne University: Biological Sciences major
PhD, Loyola University Chicago, Microbiology & Immunology
Millie Martinez
Hometown: Chicago, IL
B.S., Loyola University Chicago, Biology major
Favorite aunt of her nieces and nephews!
Drew Marten
Hometown: Tecumseh, Michigan
B.S., Central Michigan University, Biochemistry major
M.S., Central Michigan University, Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology.
Support Staff
Halimede Kroken-Rusch
The Lost Companion,
class of 2021
kneading machine
Gimli Mazurek
likes the cat and CAR RIDES
Lettuce Mazurek
likes anything that remotely resembles food
Shiloh Thota
primarily interested in napping
Bilbo Bunnins Mazurek
Red Door Shelter,
class of 2023
loves adventures and bananas
Bean Resko
sock collecting enthusiast
Mochi Serrato
anything on the floor is a treat, including the cat
Momo Serrato
Brownstone Animal Shelter,
class of 2023
Chicagoland kitty parkour champion
Coco Martinez
loves sunbathing, sleep, and chicken
Izzy Marten-Gagliardi
wet food connoisseur
Lab Alumni
Keith Klein, Inaugural lab member
Research Assistant II, 2021-2022
Kroken AR, Klein KA, Mitchell PS, Nieto V, Jedel EJ, Evans DJ, Fleiszig SMJ. Intracellular replication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in epithelial cells requires suppression of the caspase-4 inflammasome. mSphere. 2023 Aug 17:e0035123.
After Kroken lab: Medical School at University of Illinois Chicago