Lab Team
Casey Theriot | Associate Professor
Casey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal microbiology, metabolomics, and infectious diseases.
cmtherio@ncsu.edu | Phone: +1 (919) 513-0711
Stephanie Thomas | Research Associate
Stephanie joined the Theriot Lab in May of 2023. She did her PhD in Microbiology and postdoctoral work at UNC. Her research focuses on regulation of host inflammation with microbial derived bile acids during C. difficile infection.
sathoma@ncsu.edu | Phone: +1 (919) 515-5233
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Caroline Perkins | Animal Research Technician
Caroline joined the Theriot Lab in November 2021. They earned their BS in Animal Science at NC State in 2016, and are now back and working towards a MS in Animal Science. Caroline manages all the in vivo experiments for the Theriot Lab.
ceperkin@ncsu.edu | Phone: +1 (919) 515-5233
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Samantha Kisthardt | Graduate Student
Samantha joined the Theriot Lab in December 2021. She completed her BS in Microbiology at NC State and is a 2021-2022 Genetics and Genomics Scholar. Samantha studies how nutrient use by commensal Clostridia affects secondary bile acid production and C. difficile colonization.
sckistha@ncsu.edu | Phone: +1 (919) 515-5233
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Sam McMillan | Graduate Student
Sam joined the Theriot lab in December 2019. He completed his BS in Microbiology at NC State. Sam is currently exploring how to design probiotics to deliver bile acid altering enzymes to the gastrointestinal tract.
asmcmill@ncsu.edu | Phone: +1 (919) 515-5233
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Sam Hamacher | Graduate Student
Sam joined the Theriot lab in January 2024. He graduated in 2019 with a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with minors in Genetics and Microbiology at NC State. Sam uses cloning techniques to create modified commensal strains to create complex bile acid pools and determine their impacts on C. difficile.
swhamach@ncsu.edu | Phone: +1 (919) 515-5233
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KC Cooper | Undergraduate Researcher
KC is an undergraduate research fellow working towards a BS in Genetics. She is extremely excited to work in the Theriot Lab, where she studies C. sporogenes and how it impacts C. difficile.
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Nish Mathur | Undergraduate Researcher
Nish is an undergraduate research fellow working towards a BS in Microbiology. He is currently studying how commensal Clostridia strains respond to different bile acids.
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Sean Brown | Undergraduate Researcher
Sean is an undergraduate research fellow working towards a BS in both Microbiology and Poultry Science. He is working to define different aspects of the host response when exposed to C. difficile toxin.
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Xochilt Espinoza | Undergraduate Researcher
Xochilt is an undergraduate research fellow working towards a BS in Microbiology. She is currently helping with lab maintenance and assisting the graduate students with their research.
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Lab alumni
- Molly Vanhoy Walsh: undergraduate researcher 2019 -2022
- Dr. Colleen Pike: postdoctoral fellow 2020-2022
- Sana Khan: undergraduate researcher 2021-2022
- Dr. Matthew Foley: postdoctoral fellow 2018-2022
- Dr. Amber Reed: PhD candidate 2016-2021
- Dr. Rajani Thanissery: research associate 2015-2021
- Alissa Rivera: animal research technician 2016-2021
- Gracie Vestal: undergraduate researcher 2019-2020
- Garrison Allen: undergraduate researcher 2018-2020
- Ruth Parsons: undergraduate researcher 2017-2020
- Dr. Joshua Fletcher: postdoctoral fellow 2016-2020
- Dr. Jenessa Winston: clinical investigator and PhD candidate 2015-2019
- Ivy Gold: undergraduate researcher Summer 2019
- Tommy Burdette: veterinary scholar’s program Summer 2018
- Elissa Foss: research technician 2016-2017
- Dr. Susan Gardner: postdoctoral fellow 2016-2017
- Kevin Chang: veterinary scholar’s program Summer 2016
- Allyson Patterson: undergraduate researcher Spring 2016
- Kaitlyn George: undergraduate researcher Spring 2016