Ashleigh Theberge

Professor

Ashleigh Theberge is an Professor of Chemistry at the University of Washington and Adjunct Professor of Urology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She received a BA in Chemistry from Williams College and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, UK with Wilhelm Huck in droplet-based microfluidics. During her graduate work, she was a Visiting Scientist with Andrew Griffiths at the Université de Strasbourg, France. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Engineering, Toxicology, and Urology with David Beebe, William Ricke, and Wade Bushman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2016. She was elected co-Vice Chair (2019) and co-Chair (2023) for the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on the Physics and Chemistry of Microfluidics. Selected awards include an NIH K Career Development Award (2014), a Kavli Microbiome Ideas Challenge Award grant (2017), an NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (2018, renewed 2023), a Beckman Young Investigator Award (2018), a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering (2019), a Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry (2021), a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2022), and a Schmidt Science Polymath Award (2024). She has also been recognized for her efforts in inclusive mentoring with a University of Washington Undergraduate Research Mentor Award (2021), and she was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Mentor (2021).

Erwin Berthier

Affiliate Professor

Erwin Berthier is an Affiliate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Washington and co-Founder of Tasso, Inc., a medical startup focused on facilitating access to blood-based diagnostics. He holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from ENSTA in Paris, France, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the laboratories of Professor David Beebe (microfluidics) and Professor Anna Huttenlocher (immunology and neutrophil biology). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UW-Madison in the Department of Medical Microbiology under the supervision of Professor Nancy Keller. He has been a lead PI on multi-institute grants to develop patient-centric diagnostic technologies from NIAID, NIMHHD, DARPA, and DTRA. He is an author on over 70 publications in journals such as PNAS, Nature Communications, Blood, PLoS Pathogens, and Lab on a Chip, with an h-index of 28. He is an inventor on over 20 US patents (7 issued and licensed by 3 commercially active companies).

Tristan Nicholson

Assistant Professor BCME Affiliated Investigator

Dr. Nicholson is a fellowship-trained urologist and researcher specializing in Men’s Health. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at the University of Washington and received MD and PhD in Pathology from the University of Rochester. She then completed Urology residency and Andrology fellowship at the University of Washington. Dr. Nicholson’s research interests include laboratory optimization of sperm and the influence of environmental toxicants on testicular function.

Maya Chandru

Assistant Professor BCME Affiliated Investigator

Maya Chandru is an Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of Washington and an attending surgeon in the Division of Pediatric Urology at Seattle Children's Hospital. She leads the GenitoUrinary Engineering collaborative (GU-E ), leveraging diverse interdisciplinary perspectives to improve urologic care, with a focus on recurrent urinary tract infection. Together, the Theberge Lab and GU-E are taking a patient-led approach to develop inclusive solutions to collect and transport urine samples, with a goal to expand access to reliable microbial diagnostic testing at point-of-care and at home.

Current Members

Members are listed alphabetically by last name

Yunos Alizai

PhD Student

Yunos was born and raised in Afghanistan but immigrated to Omaha Nebraska in 2009. Yunos received his bachelors in science at the University of Omaha Nebraska (UNO) in Medicinal Chemistry. At UNO he worked in Dr. Paul Davis's parasitology laboratory. The central aim of the lab is to explore and develop novel compounds for the treatment of Toxoplasma gondii, Schistosoma mansoni, and other infectious microbes, including bacteria and fungi. During his free time Yunos enjoys snowboarding, hiking, and go karting.

Jean Berthier

Affiliate Professor

Jean Berthier is a scientist at the CEA-LETI-Minatec. He received a MS in mathematics from the University of Grenoble, an engineering diploma from the Institut National Polytechnique in Grenoble and a PhD from the University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. After spending four years at Sandia and Los Alamos National laboratories focused on the interaction between liquid and gases, he joined the CEA-Leti in Grenoble, France. He is presently involved in the development of microfluidic solutions for liquid–liquid extraction, bio-encapsulation of living cells, capillary solutions for portable point-of-care devices and theoretical developments of “open microfluidics” theory. He is the first author of the book “Microfluidics for Biotechnology” published by Artech House (second edition 2010), he is the author of the book “Microdrops and Digital Microfluidics” published by Elsevier (second edition 2012), and the first author of the books “The physics of micro-droplets” and “Open Microfluidics” published by Scrivener-Wiley Publishing in 2012 and 2016. He is the author of many publications in scientific journals, conferences articles and patents.

Ella Bouker

Undergraduate

Ella grew up in Maple Valley, WA and is an undergraduate studying biochemistry and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. She enjoys working on interdisciplinary science with applications to disease modeling. In her free time she enjoys biking, pottery, and walking her dogs.

TJ Caira

PhD Student

TJ grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and stayed close to home to receive his BS in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. At UMass, he synthesized PROTACs designed to target and degrade circadian rhythm proteins in the lab of Dr. Michelle Farkas. In the Theberge Lab, TJ is researching the fundamentals of open microfluidic systems utilizing trigger valves and sperm vitrification using open microfluidic droplet generation. Outside of research, he enjoys cheering on all Boston sports teams, playing card/board games, and climbing.

Sophie Cook

Postdoctoral Scholar

Sophie is originally from Portland, OR and joined the Theberge lab as a Postdoctoral Scholar in 2024. She received her BA in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from Bethany College (Lindsborg, KS) in 2018 and a PhD in Bioanalytical Chemistry from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA) in 2023. During her PhD and first postdoc, she worked in the lab of Dr. Rebecca Pompano developing novel 3D-printed multi-organs-on-chip technology and a tubing-free impeller pump. Sophie used her chips and pump to study communication with the lymph node in the context of vaccination and neurodegenerative disease. Sophie’s current research focuses on developing homeProtein, a method to measure stabilized proteins using an at-home blood collection device. With this technology, she plans to study the changes in inflammatory cytokine levels in Rheumatoid Arthritis when starting a new medication. In her free time, Sophie enjoys reading, going on adventures in nature, eating bagels, and sipping a good cup of tea.

Madeleine Eakman

PhD Student

Maddie grew up in Covington, Washington, and received a BS in Biochemistry and a BA in German Studies from the University of Washington in Spring 2020. As an undergraduate she worked with Dr. Jesse Zalatan optimizing a CRISPR Co-LOCKR allosteric sensor for use in engineering loops in genomic DNA. In her free time she enjoys baking, collecting video games and vinyl records, and learning how to play guitar.

Sarah Feng

Undergraduate

Sarah grew up in Shoreline, WA and plans on majoring in something under UW's School of Public Health. Feel free to ask Sarah about how she got into doing archery for fun and join Sarah in her adventures to discover cheap eats in the Seattle area.

Amanda Haack

Senior Scientist

Amanda finished her PhD in Chemistry in 2023 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship before returning to finish her MD in the Medical Scientist Training Program. She is now a Senior Scientist in the lab. She's interested in how tissue mechanics drive disease and how we can make molecular monitoring accessible to everyone. She's co-inventor of STOMP, STEAM, and homeRNA - platforms for suspended tissue patterning, geometric tissue engineering, and remote blood sampling, respectively. Outside the lab, she's a member of an adult masters synchronized swimming team, has been biking 12 miles to campus on the beautiful Burke Gilman Trail, and every year attempts to grow an unreasonable number of tomato plants in her garden.

Braden Hanson

Postdoctoral Scholar

Braden is originally from Houston, Texas, and joined the Chandru/Theberge Labs as a postdoctoral scholar in September 2025. He earned his B.S. in Biology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas (2015–2019) and completed his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University (2021–2025). During his doctoral studies, Braden conducted research under Dr. Sargurunathan Subashchandrabose, focusing on screening novel small-molecule inhibitors of uropathogenic E. coli in the presence of biologically relevant concentrations of copper. His research interests center on combating antimicrobial resistance in infectious diseases, with a particular focus on urinary tract infections. Currently, Braden is working to incorporate patient-centered feedback into the design of alternative treatment strategies that move beyond traditional antibiotics. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports, playing video games with friends, and going on spontaneous adventures.

DB Hatchett

Postbaccalaureate Researcher

D.B. Hatchett came to UW to study chemistry on an impulse and has since decided it was a good decision. He joined the BCME team as an undergrad and continued as a post-bacc after graduating in 2023. His major focus in the group is on the CandyCollect project, specifically device development and fabrication.

Dahna Kim

Undergraduate

Dahna grew up in Seattle, WA and is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry. She joined the BCME Lab in January 2025, pursuing her interdisciplinary interests in bioanalytical research and health justice. Outside of lab, you can usually find Dahna running, reading, or writing poetry.

Liam Knudsen

Undergraduate

Liam grew up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He is an undergraduate student studying Bioengineering, and is interested in developing novel microfluidic systems for disease modeling and diagnostics. Outside of the lab he enjoys cooking, hiking, exploring new restaurants and going to the gym.

Winston Liang

Undergraduate

Winston is an undergraduate student studying Biochemistry. Originally from Beaverton, Oregon, he chose UW because of its incredible research opportunities and fantastic biology/biochemistry programs; his primary area of interest is anything related to health or medicine. In his free time Winston enjoys baking, exercising, watching movies/TV series, and doing integrals or MCAT practice problems.

Ariel Lin

PhD Student

Ariel is from Corona, California, and received her B.S. in Biochemistry from California State University, San Bernardino. As an undergraduate at CSUSB and as a staff research scientist at UW, Ariel has studied S. cerevisiae membrane trafficking proteins by utilizing biochemical techniques. In the BCME lab, she is currently aiding in the development of various 3D tissue patterning platforms and applying these platforms to relevant tissue models. During her leisure time, Ariel enjoys lifting, trying new restaurants and cafes, and going to concerts.

Emilie Novak

Postdoctoral Scholar

Emilie grew up in New Hampshire and received her BS in 2019 and MS in 2020 from Purdue University, where she worked with Dr. Jacqueline Linnes on paper-based diagnostics. She received her Ph.D. in 2025 from Rice University, where she worked in the lab of Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum on sample-to-answer detection of high-risk HPV mRNA expression for early cervical cancer prevention. Emilie developed extraction-free mRNA sample preparation strategies and used isothermal amplification to detect HPV16, 18, and 45 mRNA at the point of care at hospitals in Houston, Texas and Maputo, Mozambique. She joined the Theberge Lab in 2025 as a National Cancer Institute K00 Fellow, where she is working on developing a physiologically replete cervix model with three-dimensional cellular co-culture to evaluate novel biomarkers and detection strategies for high-risk human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. Outside of the lab, Emilie enjoys any and all things outdoors, including running, hiking, rock climbing, camping, and skiing, as well as cooking and baking.

Ingrid Robertson

PhD Student

Ingrid joined the Theberge Lab in 2022 as an undergraduate research assistant, contributing to both the CandyCollect and Wildfire projects. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management in 2023 from the University of Washington's School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. Following graduation, she continued her research as a master's student before transitioning into the Ph.D. program. She is actively involved in human subjects research, sample analysis, and mentoring several undergraduate researchers.

Filip Stefanovic

PhD Student

Filip has always been fascinated by how different organisms communicate. They are excited to explore how chemical signals reveal signs of disease, distress, and—most importantly—how they contribute to invisible forms of interaction within and between different species. Filip is most interested to learn more about the chemistry of plants, fungi, and human skin. Now a second year, they are still excited by research and teaching. Outside of their academic interests, Filip loves spending time in nature, reading, baking, and climbing.

Xiaojing Su

Research Scientist

Taissia Thesmann

Undergraduate

Taissia is a Bioengineering undergraduate from Kenmore, WA. She is interested in pursuing a PhD and, in her free time, enjoys hiking around Washington.

Sanitta Thongpang

Senior Research Scientist

Sanitta Thongpang is a faculty member at Mahidol University in Thailand. She received BE and ME in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined the department of Biomedical Engineering at Mahidol University in 2012 specialized in neuroengineering and microfluidic areas. In 2017, she joined Moritz LAB, Rehabilitation Medicine and Electrical and Computer Engineering, UW as a visiting scientist and then joined Theberge group as an acting instructor in 2020 to work on open microfluidics for novel at-home diagnostics.

Asha Viswanathan

Undergraduate

Asha grew up in Seattle and is an undergraduate pursuing bioengineering. They are interested in studying cellular communication and disease modeling. In their free time, they enjoy running, collecting CDs, and making art.

Xiaofu Wei

PhD Student

Xiaofu grew up in Nanjing, China, and received a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California, Davis, followed by an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. During the master’s program, Xiaofu worked on projects involving bioinformatics and data analysis in epigenetics. In the lab, Xiaofu is now using computational tools to analyze biological samples and study questions in human health, including the effects of wildfire-related diseases. Outside of research, Xiaofu enjoys baking, singing, and watching animation.

Jamison Whitten

PhD Student

Jamison is from Farmington, Utah and received a B.S. in Forensic Science and a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Arizona State University as well as a M.S. in Biomedical Forensic Science with an emphasis in Forensic Chemistry from Boston University. Some of her previous research focuses were on source attribution of trace additives in gasoline samples by direct analysis real time mass spectrometry, method development for benzodiazepines in complex matrices by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, and the removal of fatty acid methyl esters from bone samples aided by analysis in gas chromatography mass spectrometry. In the BCME lab, she is currently working on the team for developing and applying various 3D tissue patterning platforms to relevant tissue models as well as analyzing microbial cell signaling by two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Outside of the lab, Jamison enjoys being outdoors, training in aerial acrobatics, and going to concerts.