Who We Are

Vaughn Cooper is an evolutionary microbiologist and Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He is broadly interested in how potential pathogens (e.g. bacteria such as Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and viruses like SARS-CoV-2) evolve to adapt to new hosts and environments. Other major interests include evolution in biofilms, the evolution of antimicrobial resistance and why genome regions mutate and evolve at different rates.

He is proud to have founded EvolvingSTEM, a program that provides an authentic classroom research experience for high school students across several states in which they conduct a microbiology experiment that demonstrates evolution in action. He also directs and co-founded the Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine at Pitt. He is also co-Founder and Scientific Advisor of SeqCoast Genomics and Middle Author Bioinformatics, which work together to provide advanced genome-scale sequencing and analyses using intuitive and accessible processes. Previously, he co-founded the Microbial Genome Sequencing Center (MiGS) and was a professor at the University of New Hampshire. He has an AB in Biology with honors from Amherst College, a PhD in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior from Michigan State University, and was a Fellow of the Michigan Society of Fellows at the University of Michigan in evolutionary biology and pediatrics. Dr. Cooper is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and his research on microbial and genomic evolution has appeared in >100 publications. He believes that there has never been a better time to be a microbiologist or geneticist thanks to unprecedented advances in technology, and he is committed to democratizing access to these exciting tools.

Abigail graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Biological Sciences and BA in Anthropology. She received her PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked under the mentorship of David Baum to study genes involved in the evolution of plant leaf hair shape in the Mustard family. She was actively involved in teaching introductory and upper level science courses and was awarded the Eldon H. Newcomb Award for Excellence as a Teaching Assistant.

Abigail is passionate about promoting community engagement with science and has over 10 years of experience in developing science outreach materials for audiences of all ages, with a focus on women and other populations traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. She is currently working to build and expand EvolvingSTEM, an outreach program that engages middle and high school students in an authentic research experiment to explore how bacteria adapt when grown under strong selection for biofilm formation. As a native Pittsburgher, Abigail is excited to share this exceptional learning opportunity with schools across Pittsburgh.

Glenn graduated from Saint Vincent College with a BS in Biology. He received his MD and PhD from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. During his graduate work, he studied how DNA influences the formation of curli fibrils, an amyloid protein component of the extracellular matrix of E. coli and Salmonella, and the immune responses to amyloid/DNA complexes in the laboratory of Dr. Çagla Tükel. He completed pediatric residency and pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. During his clinical fellowship, he worked in Dr. Jennifer Bomberger’s lab where he studied how P. aeruginosa establishes biofilm on airway epithelium and the microbiome in children with cystic fibrosis related chronic rhinosinusitis.

As a physician-scientist, Glenn enjoys studying clinically relevant questions he encounters in the hospital. In the Cooper Lab, Glenn will be studying how P. aeruginosa evolves in the airways of patients with tracheostomy tubes and endotracheal tubes for mechanical ventilation and how the host airway changes because of these breathing devices.

In addition to his lab work, he enjoys his clinical work seeing patients on the Pediatric Infectious Diseases service and teaching medical students and residents at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He also enjoys cooking, baking, and some gardening. His at home microbiology experiments include home cheese making.

An-Chi is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, mentored by Dr. Vaughn Cooper and Dr. Anna Zemke. Her interdisciplinary training spans microbial ecology and evolution, molecular epidemiology, and metagenomics. She earned her M.S. in Life Science from National Taiwan University and her Ph.D. in Veterinary Medical Sciences from the University of Florida, where her research focused on emerging viral and bacterial pathogens in farmed white-tailed deer, integrating field surveillance, necropsy investigations, molecular diagnostics, and genomic analyses. Her research interests center on One Health-oriented pathogen ecology/evolution across wildlife, farmed animals, and human populations, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and microbial genomics. In the Cooper Lab, her current work investigates the pathoadaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and metagenomic dynamics in patients in long-term acute care hospitals.

Beyond academia, An-Chi enjoys open-water swimming, triathlon, and yoga, and holds certifications as a lifeguard and lifeguard instructor.

Jasper joined Cooper Lab as a postdoctoral associate in 2026. His postdoctoral research focuses on phage host interactions and the evolution of phages, with the broader goal of helping shape phage therapeutics as an alternative to antibiotics. He is currently working on how Pf prophages (phage that integrate into the bacterial chromosome) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulate bacterial fitness under various stress condition.

Jasper earned his PhD in the lab of Dr. Chris Waters at Michigan State University, where he studied novel phage defense systems in microbial host and counter defense systems in phages. He earned his B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Sciences from Michigan State University and worked in Dr. Richard Lenski’s lab under the mentorship of Dr. Kyle Card.

Outside of the lab, Jasper likes playing soccer and exploring the City of Pittsburgh.

Rebecca is an evolutionary biologist interested in questions at the interface of microbial evolution and medicine, with particular expertise in genomic data analysis. She joined the Cooper Lab as a postdoctoral associate in early 2024, where she developed lineage tracking methods in Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas and led projects investigating how the host nutrient environment shapes the evolution of antibiotic resistance in these species. Since late 2025, she has been co-advised by Dr. Kathy Shair, working to improve Epstein Barr Virus-associated cancer risk assessment by identifying high-risk viral alleles.

Rebecca earned her PhD with Dr. Joy Bergelson at the University of Chicago, where she studied phytopathogen adaptation using controlled infections. Prior to her doctoral studies, she completed an MS with Dr. Tim F. Cooper, conducting a long-term evolution experiment and comparing the evolutionary responses of specialist and generalist bacteria.

Erin is a staff scientist in the Cooper Lab. Her research interests include bacterial genetics, genomics, and molecular biology. Erin’s prior work in the Dudley Lab at Penn State involved characterization of an intraspecies interaction in which commensal E. coli enhanced the virulence of E. coli O157:H7. Erin also studied E. coli genes associated with adherence to bovine cells as part of a USDA-NIFA postdoctoral fellowship. Erin holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. in Biology from Allegheny College.

Maya Mahler is the Program Coordinator for the EvolvingSTEM outreach program, working under Dr. Abigail Matela. She joined the team in 2026, drawing on over 15 years of experience as a Middle and High School teacher and her later work running a private Healthcare and Behavioral Health Advocacy agency.

Maya holds an undergraduate degree in Education from John Carroll University. She has been pursuing an MS in Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in School-Based Behavioral Health.

In her role with EvolvingSTEM, Maya leverages her extensive background in the classroom and advocacy to bridge the gap between complex science and community outreach. Her focus is on supporting the program’s mission to make authentic research experiences accessible to middle and high school students.

Outside of the lab, Maya is an avid reader who enjoys running and practicing yoga. She loves traveling with her partner and son, and is a frequent fixture in the stands cheering at her son’s sporting events.

Anna is an MD PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh & Carnegie Mellon University studying Computational Biology for her PhD. Her research focuses on using experimental evolution and computational techniques to custom-engineer bacteriophages for Burkholderia lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). She previously worked on CF stem cell therapies in Scott Randell’s lab at UNC-CH from high school throughout undergrad, and then did two gap years in Pradeep Singh’s lab at the University of Washington studying mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and bacterial persistence in the CF lung. When rounding in the hospital, Anna can be seen as a matched set with her golden retriever Winston, who flunked out of service dog school and now thrives as a therapy dog at UPMC. Career-wise, Anna is focused on finding better solutions for cystic fibrosis patients, but also thinking about ways to re-engineer the healthcare system to be more high-quality, equitable and accessible for everyone through technology and humanism. In addition to her CF research, she is a 2023 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow and a Co-Founder of Korion Health.

Sydney is a PhD student in the Program in Microbiology and Immunology (PMI) at Pitt. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Virginia Tech in 2024 where she studied gut bacteriophage and anti-phage compounds in the Hsu lab, spent a summer analyzing bacterial RNA-seq data, and did historical research on influenza. She is interested in how an evolutionary perspective can improve our understanding – and treatment – of bacterial infection and has long been passionate about science education and outreach.

Ethan Canavan is an undergraduate researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering with a minor in chemistry. He is currently studying the evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that colonize tracheostomy tubes. He plans to pursue an MD-PhD to combine his passions of research and medicine.

Amanda Riegel is an undergraduate researcher at the Cooper Lab. She is currently a junior at Pitt pursuing a bachelor’s in microbiology with a minor in chemistry. Mentoring under Alecia Rokes and Erin Nawrocki, she is assisting in the research of efflux pump function in Acinetobacter baumannii and its role in antibiotic resistance and treatment failure. After graduation, Amanda plans on enrolling in a graduate program to pursue a research career as a microbiologist. Outside of research, Amanda enjoys going to concerts and watercolor painting.

Hello everyone, this is Cathy Li, a freshman undergraduate researcher intending majoring in molecular biology/biochemistry. I’m deeply fascinated by the world of science, and I also enjoy working with people, which is why I chose Cooper’s Lab! In the lab, I work under Dr. Abigail Matela for the EvolvingSTEM outreach program.

Katie Kyper is an undergraduate researcher at the Cooper Lab. She is currently a junior at Pitt pursuing a bachelor’s in biology with a minor in chemistry. Working under Erin Nawrocki, she is researching the predation of the mucoid phenotype of Pseudomonas fluorescens when combined with a P. fluorescens wild-type strain. After graduation, Katie plans on pursuing a graduate program in pathology.

Kelly Lee is an undergraduate researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology and a minor in Linguistics. In the lab, she works under Dr. Abigail Matela for the EvolvingSTEM outreach program. She plans to pursue an MS in SLP upon graduation.