Principal Investigator

Hannah K. Frank, PhD

Hannah earned an AB in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology summa cum laude from Harvard College in 2009 before studying ecoimmunology in a threatened reptile in New Zealand on a Fulbright fellowship. She completed her PhD in Biology in 2017 at Stanford University and did her postdoctoral work in immunology in the Stanford School of Medicine. Hannah’s research combines field work, targeted infection screening, genomics and immune characterization to explore the ecology and evolution of host-infection interactions. In particular, she is interested in how host ecology and habitat disturbance impact bat-pathogen interactions and the evolution of bat immunity, especially their B and T cell receptor diversity. In her spare time she enjoys baking and tending to her F1s.
CV (updated 31 January 2024)

Postdoctoral Scholars

Ashley Reers, PhD

Ashley is a postdoctoral researcher interested in using bioinformatic and sequencing approaches to understand the development and function of B cell responses in bats. She completed her BS in Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University in 2018. Then in 2022, she earned her PhD in Integrated Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas Health Science Center, studying gene regulation in Plasmodium falciparum and changes in the B cell receptor repertoire during chronic malaria infection. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys running, road tripping, and hiking with her dogs.

PhD students

Andrea Calderon Brito

Andrea is a third-year PhD student interested in the ecology, evolution, and population genetics of Ecuadorian bats in various habitats. She graduated from La Universidad de Azuay, Ecuador with a BS in Biology, Ecology, and Management. She completed her MS at the City University of New York studying the genetic diversity of Neotropical bats. Andrea aims to integrate genomic tools into conservation management plans.  When she is not thinking about bats, she enjoys riding her bike, watching the latest movies, and eating NOLA's delicious, but too-spicy food.

Hannah Eiseman

Hannah Eiseman is a fourth-year PhD student interested in the disease ecology of bats and the risk of zoonotic disease spillover in anthropologically-influenced landscapes. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2014 with a B.S. in Zoology and received her Master’s degree from Tufts University in Conservation Medicine in 2020. She has previously conducted field work in Patagonia, British Columbia, Australia, and most recently has been studying white-nose syndrome in New England bats with support from the Broad Institute. In her spare time, she enjoys running, reading, and finding new food and music in New Orleans.

Website

Mika O’Shea

Mika is a second-year PhD student and Verena Lighthouse Scholar. She received her B.A. in Cell & Molecular Biology and Mathematics from Occidental College and her M.S. in Infectious Disease and Global Health from Tufts University. With a background in immunology and wildlife ecology, Mika will investigate how host-pathogen coevolution has shaped immune function and diversity in different bat species. Beyond her research, Mika strives to promote inclusivity and accessibility within the scientific community, and enjoys running, discovering new music, and hanging out with her one-eyed cat Tobi.

Phoebe Reuben

Phoebe is a fourth-year PhD candidate and GRFP fellow. She is broadly interested in understanding the combined impacts of global climate change and pathogen pressure on Neotropical phyllostomid bats, especially in the context of agricultural development. Her research explores the use of both bat-capture and non-invasive sampling methods to understand these relationships. She graduated with a B.A. in Biology and Psychology from Vassar College, where she studied phenotypic plasticity in response to predation risk in Dendropsophus ebraccatus tadpoles. In her spare time Phoebe enjoys indoor cycling, reading, and teaching her cats to give high fives.

Website

Juniper Rosen

Juniper is a fourth-year PhD student in the Tulane Bioinnovation program coadvised by Dr. Frank and Dr. James McLachlan in the Tulane School of Medicine. Juniper is interested in the unique immunological host-pathogen interactions between bats and their viruses, and how these mechanisms might be harnessed towards anti-viral therapies. She completed her MS in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Tulane in 2021, during which time she investigated modulations to host lipid metabolism imparted by human cytomegalovirus. Juniper is passionate about sustainability and methods by which research laboratories can decrease their environmental impacts. In her spare time Juniper loves exploring New Orleans by bike, taking in the natural beauty, history, and abundance of local food and agriculture.

Undergraduate Researchers

Kamaile Fish

Kamaile is a junior at Tulane University majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology on the pre-veterinary track. She joined Dr. Frank’s lab in the Fall of 2024 with an interest in how the resilient immune systems of bats can provide insights into disease ecology as well as enhance both veterinary and human medicine. Outside of academics, she loves hiking, playing with her pets, and swimming in the ocean.

Becky Lang

Becky Lang is a senior at Tulane University majoring in music performance on a pre-medical track. She joined Dr. Frank’s lab in the Fall of 2022 with an interest in cross-species transmission and susceptibility. Outside of academics, she loves playing in the university orchestra and being on the water with the rowing team. 

Emma Nathan

Emma Nathan is a junior at Tulane University majoring in both Cellular and Molecular Biology as well as Economics on the pre-medical track. She joined Dr. Frank’s lab in the fall of 2024 with an interest in how the immune system of a bat is more advantageous in combating diseases that can be deadly in humans. Outside of academics, she loves listening to music and attending concerts as well as traveling around the world.

Kennedy Rice

Kennedy is a senior at Tulane University majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Cellular and Molecular Biology on a pre-medical track. She joined Dr. Frank’s lab in the fall of 2024 with an interest in bats as carriers of zoonotic diseases and their role in facilitating disease spillover to humans and other species. Outside of academics she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants and attending country concerts.

Andrew Spencer

Andrew is a senior at Tulane University majoring in Biochemistry. He joined Dr. Frank’s lab in the spring of 2023 with an interest in volatile organic compounds and parasitism in bats. He is a field organizational wizard and our designated group selfie taker.

Laboratory Technician

Chiara Whitehurst

Chiara is our laboratory technician. She graduated from Tulane University in May 2024 majoring in Public Health and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. She joined Dr. Frank’s lab in the Fall of 2022 with an interest in spillover events and anthropogenic impacts on pathogen-host interactions. Outside of school, she serves as communications director for South Africa-based nonprofit Chumisa Community Composting and religiously completes her Goodreads goal each year.

Field Technicians

Dario Cantos

Dario has been working with the BaT lab since summer 2021. In addition to being a master at all aspects of bat sampling and processing, he is the team’s resident snake spotter and nightjar wrangler. Prior to working with Equipo Murcielago, Dario worked on other research projects at the FCAT field station.

Luis Zambrano

Luis has been working with the BaT lab since summer 2021 (a few weeks after Dario). He is a master of all aspects of bat capture, handling and processing. He is also the resident angel on the team’s shoulder, most of the time. Prior to working with Equipo Murcielago, Luis worked with FCAT on reserve maintenance.

Alumni

Masters students

Thalia Williamson - Now a PhD student at Auburn University

Undergraduates

Zac Ripich - Now a Tulane Admissions Officer

Davis Benson - Now a MD student at Tulane University

Annie Xia - Applying to medical school

Ben Perry - Now an EMT and preparing for medical school applications

Friends and Collaborators

We are lucky to work with a bunch of fantastic collaborators in the field and in the lab. Here is the Equipo Murcielago (Team Bat) in the field in Ecuador in June 2021. Clockwise from top left: Bill Orrico, DVM/MPH candidate at Tufts; Dario Cantos, our intrepid guide and budding bat biologist; Carlos Carrion, PhD; Thalia Williamson, past masters student; Phoebe Reuben, and Julianna Gilson.

And here’s a (nonexhaustive) list of some of our fantastic collaborators:

VERENA consortium

Scott Boyd Lab for Human Immunology (Stanford)

Becker Lab (Oklahoma)

Ladner Lab (Northern Arizona)

Molecular Ecology of Zoonotic and Animal Pathogens Laboratory (Washington State)

Efrem Lim Lab (Arizona State)

Schountz lab (CSU)