Tia Hughes

Tia earned her Bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Western Kentucky University (WKU), where she later obtained her Master's degree in Biology with a focus on molecular genetics. She began her research career at WKU as a lab manager in the Genetics lab, working with lepidoptera and drosophila. There, she mentored undergraduates and taught the genetics lab course.

In 2009, Tia joined the DNA Core Lab at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), the precursor to VANTAGE, under Cara Sutcliffe's leadership. At VANTAGE, she managed DNA extractions, special projects for PIs, RNA extractions, and library preps for Illumina Next Gen Sequencing. She also participated in the BioVU project and completed the VPRAD program to learn more about research administration.

In 2018, Tia moved to Dr. Mark Denison’s lab as a Senior Research Specialist to work on coronavirus research. She tested Murine Hepatitis Virus (MHV) drug sensitivities and assisted with the Moderna phase I trials, evaluating the vaccine's efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. She procured liquid handling robotics to improve experimental consistency and increased sample throughput for drug sensitivity assays. 

Recently, Tia has joined the Crowe lab as a Project Manager, where she aims to develop her administrative skills and support the lab's research initiatives.