Allie Igwe
Principal Investigator
aigwe@vt.edu
Assistant Professor 2024-
LinkedIn | Google Scholar | ORCID
Katy Kachele
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Biology, German Minor
kkachelee@vt.edu
Fall 2025-
Mary Afriyie
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Biology
marya23@vt.edu
Spring 2026-
Daria Smith
PhD Student
M.S. Biology (California State University – LA)
B.S. Biology, Minor: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (California State University – LA)
dariajs@vt.edu
Fall 2025-
Nick Gillespie
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Biological Systems Engineering
nickgillespie@vt.edu
Fall 2026-
Christian Valdez-Santana
MS Student
B.S. Industrial Microbiology (University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez)
c.valdez@vt.edu
Fall 2025-
Past Members
Megan Bourgeois
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Biological Sciences
Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Justin Phan
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Biological Sciences and Microbiology
Spring 2025
Khadeejah Jones
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Urban Forestry (University of Maryland – Eastern Shore)
Summer 2025 (VT-REEL)
Virginia Britt
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Microbiology, Creative Writing Minor
vebritt@vt.edu
Spring 2025-Spring 2026
