People

Matt Parsek, Ph.D., Professor

parsem@uw.edu | (206) 221-7151

Dr. Parsek received his B.S. in biology from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He received his Ph.D. from the lab of Ananda Chakrabarty at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. He did a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Iowa with Peter Greenberg.

Dr. Parsek has been a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington since 2011. He is a member of the American Academy of Microbiology and was named a Kavli fellow by the National Academy of Sciences.

Hailey Dearing, B.S. (she/her)

dearingh@uw.edu

I’m a research scientist in Parsek lab working with Dr. O’Malley in the study of envelope stress signaling during surfacing sensing and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. I graduated with my BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Western Washington University in 2021. When I’m not in lab, I enjoy reading, being out on the water, and finding cute animals to pet.

Katayoun Daneshjoo, B.S.

kdanesh@uw.edu

I’m a research scientist at the Parsek lab working alongside Dr. Zheng on the regulation of secondary messenger production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. I received my BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Washington in 2023. My hobbies include kayaking, hiking, and watching movies.

Megan O’Malley, Ph.D. (she/they)

megomall@uw.edu

I’m a Pseudomonas enthusiast and current postdoc in the Parsek lab, where I am researching cell envelope stress signaling in surface sensing and biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. I received my PhD in Botany & Plant Pathology from Oregon State University in 2021, where I worked in the Anderson Lab investigating molecular host-microbe interactions of the agricultural pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Outside of the lab I enjoy wild mushroom foraging, fishing, cooking, and live music. My favorite time of year is May when the rhododendrons are in bloom in the northwest.

Angeli Shieh, B.S. (she/her)

ashieh21@uw.edu

I’m a research scientist working with Dr. Zheng to examine the effects of cAMP on P. aerugionsa morphology and antibiotic sensitivity. I received my B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in Data Science from the University of Washington in 2024. Outside of research, I like cooking, crocheting, and watching movies/tv shows!

Steven Woodhams

sjw73@uw.edu

I’m a research scientist graduated from UW with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Microbiology. I moved to Seattle in 2020. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and visiting various new places in western Washington. Academically, I’m interested in further understanding bacterial pathogens and their mechanisms of pathogenesis.

Zichu Yang, Ph.D. (he/him)

zy279@uw.edu

I’m a postdoctoral scholar. I have a B.S. in animal science from Shanghai Jiaotong University and a B.S. in biological sciences from Cornell University. I received my PhD in plant pathology and plant-microbe biology from Cornell University with a focus on plant pathogen model Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. I’m interested in social behaviors and stress responses in bacteria in general and my work has been focused on virulence and motility regulation in host-pathogen/pathogen-microbiome interactions. I’m currently working in both the Parsek lab and the Dandekar lab investigating quorum sensing dynamics in the biofilm context using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 as the primary model. 

Mengshi Zhang, Ph.D. (she/her)

mengshi0@uw.edu

I’m a postdoctoral scholar. I’m interested in bacterial physiology and have explored mRNA-protein relationships in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and across prokaryotes under the supervision of Marvin Whiteley. My PhD thesis asks the fundamental question of whether mRNA abundance is a good proxy to predict protein levels. I earned a B.S. in Biotechnology (first-gen), an M.Phil. in Materials Science and Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Bioscience—an interdisciplinary person who wandered from biophysics to microbiology. Currently, I’m focused on characterizing sensory adaptation through WspA and exploring protein-protein interactions within the Wsp system. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, yoga, and embroidery.

Xuhui Zheng, Ph.D. (she/her)

xuhuiz3@uw.edu

I’m a postdoctoral scholar in the Parsek Lab. I received my BS in biological science from Peking University in 2015 and PhD in microbiology from New York University in 2021, where I worked in the Victor Torres Lab studying Staphylococcus aureus toxins and host interactions. I’m currently working on surface sensing and second messenger signaling during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation. Outside the lab, I like hiking, cooking, and handcrafting.

Humayl Hashmi

humayh@uw.edu

Alyssa Kretschmer (she/her)

alyssank@uw.edu

I am an undergraduate research assistant working alongside Hailey Dearing and Dr. O’Malley in the study of envelope stress signaling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Currently, I am working to complete my B.S in Microbiology at the University of Washington, and I hope to continue with research after graduation. Outside of the lab, I enjoy going to concerts, camping, and trying new coffee shops!