Luiz Minardi is an Associate Financial Analyst for the VUMC Vaccine Center with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Luiz brings his passion for finance to support VUMC’s research initiatives aimed at making a positive impact on the world. With his free time, Luiz enjoys being outdoors and watching soccer, and with a deep love for learning, Luiz seeks to further his education in the financial field to strengthen his contributions to the Vaccine Center.

Luiz Minardi is an Associate Financial Analyst for the VUMC Vaccine Center with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Luiz brings his passion for finance to support VUMC’s research initiatives aimed at making a positive impact on the world. With his free time, Luiz enjoys being outdoors and watching soccer, and with a deep love for learning, Luiz seeks to further his education in the financial field to strengthen his contributions to the Vaccine Center.

Dominic earned a B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Alabama working under Dr. David Dixon studying hydrogen storage molecules. After graduating in 2020, he worked as a research assistant for Dr. Jens Meiler at Vanderbilt University where he worked studying small molecule drug design, glycan masking of Influenza and Marburg viruses, and deletion mutation structural characterization. Dominic is looking to understand and develop nanobody and antibody discovery applications for infectious diseases and cancers and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Thomas received his PhD in Cancer Biology from Wake Forest University in 2004. His dissertation explored how intracellular adapter proteins assemble onto death receptors to propagate the apoptotic signaling cascade. He accepted a postdoctoral training position in the laboratory of Dr Eugene Oltz at Vanderbilt University where he used mouse models to investigate how VDJ recombination and B-cell development are epigenetically regulated by histone methylation. Since 2010 he spent time in academics studying how the oncogenic protein Myc is recruited to target genes and worked in biotechnology where he led efforts do identify HDAC2 inhibitors for treating neurodegenerative disorders, develop genetic based companion diagnostics, and improve blood-based tests to monitor organ health after transplant. In 2023, Lance joined Dr. James Crowe’s lab at Vanderbilt Vaccine Center as an associate basic scientist.

Bethany (she/they) is a classically trained archaeologist, Vanderbilt alum (BA ’18) and current post-baccalaureate student in microbiology and biochemistry at Middle Tennessee State University. Her ultimate career aspiration is to become a veterinary pathologist and conduct drug and vaccine development research for zoonotic diseases. In her free time, Bethany likes to play Pokémon GO, go on walks with her dog, Remy, and cheer on the Nashville Predators.

Eduardo Villalobos is a Research Assistant I at the VVC. He graduated in the winter of 2022 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. His previous research experience includes the characterization of programed DNA elimination in nematodes.

Erica graduated with a degree in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Over the past 14 years she has worked at academic research centers as a research specialist and lab manager. She has managed labs in the US (UPenn, Vanderbilt) as well as Japan (RIKEN). After spending 4 years abroad helping to start a lab in Yokohama, she has returned to the VVC and is transitioning to a new (to her) side of research by joining the Project Management and Finance teams. She is excited to be back in Nashville working alongside researchers and administrators she respects and admires and is looking forward to learning and developing new skills to support the exciting research happening at the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center.

​​​​​​Katherine (Kat) Webb is a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering department at Vanderbilt University. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2022 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Her undergraduate research examined altered expression of HIV linked proteins in BCG-infected macrophages within the Parker Lab. Katherine’s research interests include infectious diseases, global health, and POC diagnostics and therapeutics.  

BIO HERE

Katherine (Kat) Webb is a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering department at Vanderbilt University. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2022 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Her undergraduate research examined altered expression of HIV linked proteins in BCG-infected macrophages within the Parker Lab. Katherine’s research interests include infectious diseases, global health, and POC diagnostics and therapeutics.