Research Team

E. Han Tan (he/him)

Principal Investigator
PhD, Washington University in St Louis, 2011
AB in Visual Arts, Duke University, 2005
BS in Biology, Duke University, 2005
email: ekhtan@maine.edu



Professional Staff


Diane Spencer (she/her)

Laboratory Manager
MS, University of Maine, 2022
MS of Env Sci, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 2019
B of Eng, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 2004
email: diana.spencer@maine.edu


Graduate Students


Daniel Balderrama (he/him)

PhD Student
BS, University of Puget Sound, 2020
email: daniel.balderrama@maine.edu

Salem Ermish (they/them)

PhD Student
MS, North Carolina State University, 2023
BS, North Carolina State University, 2021
email: salem.ermish@maine.edu


Undergraduate Students


Brygid Sawitsky (she/her)

Student Laboratory Assistant, Undergraduate Intern
University of Maine, Class of 2026
email: brygid.sawitsky@maine.edu

Adam Carnes (he/him)

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2026
email: adam.carnes@maine.edu

Holden Zuras (he/him)

Capstone Student
University of Maine, Class of 2025
email: holden.zuras@maine.edu

Izzy Weigand (she/her)

Undergraduate Intern
University of Maine, Class of 2026
email: isabella.weigand@maine.edu


Past members


Zoƫ Colwell (she/her)

Research Associate
MS, University of Maine, 2024
BS, University of Arizona, 2021
email: zoe.colwell@maine.edu

Noah Williams

MS Student
BA, Skidmore College, 2022
email: noah.williams2@maine.edu

Strix Kugler (she/they)

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2026
email: strix.kugler@maine.edu

Sydnie Brahan (she/her)

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2027
email: sydnie.brahan@maine.edu

Kristen Brown-Donovan (she/her)

Research Associate
PhD, University of Maine, 2020
MS, University of Maine, 2013
BS, Susquehanna University, 2011
email: kristen.m.brown@maine.edu

Hakon Teceno (he/him)

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2026
email: hakon.teceno@maine.edu

Margaret Perotta

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2024
email: margaret.perotta@maine.edu

Jacob Caruson

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2024
email: jacob.caruson@maine.edu

Karla Mendoza (she/her)

Undergraduate Intern
University of Maine, Class of 2023
email: karla.mendoza@maine.edu

Lucas Heroux

MS Student
MS, University of Maine, 2022
BS, University of Maine, 2020
email: lucas.heroux@maine.edu

Declan Schilling

Highschool Intern, Summer 2022
Maine School of Science and Mathematics
email: declan.schilling@maine.edu

Amy Twohig

Research Intern
University of Maine, Class of 2024
email: amy.l.twohig@maine.edu

Kat Klebon

Summer Research Intern
Capstone Student
University of Maine, Class of 2021
email: kathryn.klebon@maine.edu

Femi Alaba

Graduate student
University of Maine
email: oluwafemi.alaba@maine.edu

Thomas Bertsch

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2024
email: thomas.bertsch@maine.edu

Ben Moore

Student Laboratory Assistant
2019 CUGR Summer Fellow

University of Maine, Class of 2021
email: benjamin.moore1@maine.edu

Katie Tims

Honors Student
University of Maine, Class of 2021
email: kathleen.tims@maine.edu

Dominic Crowley

Research Intern
University of Maine, Class of 2023
email: dominic.crowley@maine.edu

Lily Webber

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2023
email: lily.webber@maine.edu

Gage O'Bannon

NSF-REU-RAHSS Intern
R. B. Stall Highschool, South Carolina
email: na

Lily McLaughlin

Top Scholar Intern
University of Maine, Class of 2023
email: lily.m.mclaughlin@maine.edu

Matt Davis

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2021
email: matthew.l.davis@maine.edu

Grace Lee

Research Intern
Colby College, Class of 2022
email: glee22@colby.edu

Betelhem Abay

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2020
email: bethelhem.abay@maine.edu

Charles-Alexandre Roy

Student Laboratory Assistant
2018 CUGR Fellow

University of Maine, Class of 2019
email: roy.charlesalexandre@gmail.com

Courtney Hatton

Student Laboratory Assistant
Capstone Student

University of Maine, Class of 2019
email: courtney.hatton@maine.edu

Jillian Doyle

Student Laboratory Assistant
Capstone Student

University of Maine, Class of 2019
email: jillian.a.doyle@maine.edu

Alison Eaton

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2020
email: alison.eaton@maine.edu

Rob Murray

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2022
email: robert.f.murray@maine.edu

Tashawna Spellen

Capstone Student
University of Maine, Class of 2018
email: tashawna.spellen@maine.edu

Mallori Morris

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2018
email: mallori.morris@maine.edu

Anna Landry

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2018
email: anna.landry@maine.edu

Katie Asalone

Research Intern
BS, University of Maine, 2017
email: kathryn.asalone@maine.edu

Katelyn Brown

Student Laboratory Assistant
University of Maine, Class of 2019
email: katelyn.e.brown@maine.edu