Jasmine is a current PhD candidate in the laboratories of Dr. Ophir Klein and Dr. Michael Kattah. She was born in Coos Bay, Oregon, and grew up in Mexico and Oregon. She became fascinated by research after her first internship as an exchange student in Wuerzburg, Germany. As an undergraduate, she pursued research experiences in microbiology and neuroscience. She received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Oregon in 2020. After graduating, she worked in Dr. Robert Guldberg’s lab at the UO Knight Campus as a research assistant. During her time there, she started a project on MSC-derived exosomes as cell-free therapies for osteoarthritis, learned bioengineering techniques, and collaborated on a project focused on ambient cell transport of stem cells in a hydrogel.
Her current research interests are microbe-host interactions in the mouth and gut. She is currently investigating the role of the microbiome in intestinal regeneration. She hopes to uncover regenerative mechanisms modulated by the microbiota in order to determine potential biomarkers that could be used as interventions for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). In her free time, she enjoys traveling, weightlifting, yoga, and spending time with friends and her dogs.
