Elias Lab University of Minnesota

People

The people behind the lab's research.

Portrait of Mikael Elias

Principal investigator

Mikael Elias

Professor and Cargill Endowed Chair for Biotechnology Innovation, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics (BMBB), and BioTechnology Institute (BTI)

  • Ph.D., Aix-Marseille University, France, 2009
  • FEBS Fellow (2010), Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  • Marie Curie Fellow (2012), Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Lab members

  • Portrait of Rakesh Sikdar

    Rakesh Sikdar

    Researcher

    My research interests are focused on bacterial signalling mechanisms associated with virulence and pathogenesis. I am presently studying the effect of quorum quenching lactonases on bacterial virulence using Caenorhabditis elegans infection models.

  • Portrait of Mai Beauclaire

    Mai Beauclaire

    Postdoctoral associate

    My research focuses on the effects of signal disruption by lactonases in complex and mixed microbial communities. I am currently studying how the substrate preference of the engineered lactonases changes microbial communities, and how bacteria respond to different chemical signaling molecules.

  • Portrait of Reed Jacobson

    Reed Jacobson

    Postdoctoral associate

  • Sharad Sarak

    Postdoctoral associate

Group photos

Thirteen lab members standing together outdoors on a sunny plaza beside colorful sculptures.
Summer 2022. Left to right: Elisabeth Ruder, Eva Grant, Eric Hoffer, Colton Castonguay, Kitty Sompiyachoke, Mikael Elias, Mai Beauclaire, Mayara Almeida, Reed Jacobson, Jessica Smith, Amir Shimon, Rakesh Sikdar, Sudipta Shaw.
Eight lab members and a dog standing in a row in front of an ivy-covered stone wall.
Summer 2021. Left to right: Sudipta Shaw, Reed Jacobson, Kathleen Mahan, Amir Shimon, Kitty Sompiyachoke, Mai Beauclaire, Jo Bravo, Mikael Elias.
Lab members in two rows on a lawn in front of a large red ribbon-like sculpture.
Summer 2018. First row, left to right: Mikael Elias, Ryan Martinmaki, Isabel Larus, Maria Ron Vargas, Sol Choi, Sudipta Shaw. Second row, left to right: Anthony Jenks, Sara Engemann, Qian Zhang, Celine Bergonzi.