Team – The Apple Lab

Dr. Agnieszka Apple | Principal Investigator

Agnieszka (Aga) was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology in 2016. Her research unravels complex links between viruses, bacteria and the host immune environment. As part of her scientific accomplishments, she received the prestigious Parker B. Francis Fellowship for Pulmonary Research that supports her research. Aga is also actively involved in science mentoring and outreach, through partnership with the Blackfeet Community College in Browning, MT.

Email: agnieszka.rynda@montana.edu

Kelly Shepardson | Postdoctoral Researcher

Kelly is a postdoctoral researcher that joined the Apple laboratory in July of 2014. Her career in science began with a B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2009 from Wells College in NY. She then continued on to graduate school at Dartmouth College, NH for a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology where she worked on determining the role of hypoxia in the pathogenesis of a human fungal pathogen. Now, working under Dr. Apple, she aims to determine the early immune events during viral infection that shape the ability of the host to respond to subsequent pathogen encounters.

Email: kelly.shepardson@montana.edu

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-shepardson

Monica Hall | Research Associate

Monica joined the Apple Lab March of 2020. She has a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Emory University and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Louisville. At the University of Colorado, her postdoctoral work uncovered defects in muscle stem cell proliferation in aged mice by combining cellular barcoding with high-throughput sequencing to quantify cell divisions in vivo during muscle repair. Monica has many research interests, but her overarching philosophy is to “follow the science.” Outside the lab, she enjoys skiing and hanging out with her 60 lb Asian Water Monitor, the second largest lizard by weight after the Komodo Dragon.

Email: monica.hall@montana.edu

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/monicanicolehall

Evelyn Benson | Research Associate

Evelyn is a Research Associate who joined the Apple Lab in November of 2018. She has an AAS in Animal Health Technology from Colorado Mountain College and a B.A. in Environmental Biology from University of Colorado Boulder. She has worked in various environments including as a certified Veterinary Technician, certified Laboratory Animal Technician, Research Assistant for biotech companies, and Research Associate for pharmaceutical companies. Her most recent work has been at the bench performing various assays including ELISA’s, qRT-PCR and Bacterial Killing Assays.

Currently, she is working with the Apple Lab team on optimizing and validating several types of immune assays for bat samples.

Email: evelyn.benson1@montana.edu

Alexis Hatton | Graduate Student

Alexis is a graduate student who joined the Apple Lab in February of 2019. She received her B.S. in Microbiology from Montana State University in 2018. She aims to understand the role of early immune recognition of viral and non-viral repeating protein subunit patterns (RPSPs) and how these RPSPs alter the host immune environment leading to changes in the host response to subsequent bacterial infections.

Email: alexishatton@montana.edu

Abby Luu | Graduate Student

Abby is a graduate student who joined the Apple Laboratory in August of 2019. She received her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Colorado State University in 2015. Prior to joining the Apple Lab, she worked in the AgriGenomics industry performing SNP analysis. She aims to understand the role that cellular metabolism plays in viral infection and subsequent regulation of Type I Interferons.

Email: abby.luu@student.montana.edu

Ema Robinson | Graduate Student

Ema is a graduate student who joined the Apple Laboratory in March 2020. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology in 2012 from Reed College in Portland, OR. She remained in Portland for many years where she worked as a metal ion analysis technician, as an assay development associate for an emerging biotechnology startup, and as a cystic fibrosis researcher. She intends to investigate the effects of Influenza D infection on subsequent Influenza A and bacterial infections. When she is not in lab, Ema is rock climbing or thinking about rock climbing.

Email: ema.f.robinson@gmail.com