Allegra Aron, Principal Investigator
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Allegra Aron grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA and earned her B.S. from Brown University, working with Professor Eunsuk Kim. In 2012, she started her graduate studies with Professor Christopher Chang at the University of California, Berkeley. As a recipient of NSF GRFP, Allegra developed fluorescent and bioluminescent sensors for iron. Allegra moved to the University of California, San Diego in 2018 to join the laboratory of Pieter Dorrestein, where she developed mass spectrometry methods for finding small molecule metal-binding compounds from complex samples.
As an assistant professor at the University of Denver, Allegra has been honored as a 2024 Webb-Waring Early Career Investigator through the Boettcher Foundation of Colorado and has received an NIH R35 MIRA award.
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Outside of the lab, Allegra loves rock climbing, skiing, hiking, and occasionally surfing.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Dr. Logan Ott
Logan received his Ph.D. at Iowa State University.
Dr. Jonathan Michael
Jon received his Ph.D. at University of Oklahoma.
Graduate Students
Olivia Schwartz, 2nd year Molecular and Cellular Biophysics
Olivia grew up in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and received a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Mississippi State University. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics (MCBP). Outside of the lab, Olivia enjoys skiing, hiking, board games, video games, and cooking.
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Marquis Yazzie, 2nd year Chemistry
Marquis Yazzie is from Window Rock, Arizona which is located on the Navajo Nation. Marquis completed his undergraduate in Environmental Science at Regis University. Marquis obtained his master’s in chemistry degree at Northern Arizona University in Dr. Jani C. Ingram’s lab. His current research project characterizes the novel chemical diversity of metallophores produced by the lanthanide utilizing methylotrophic bacteria and understanding their biological role in lanthanide metabolism. This research aligns well with his long-term interest in basic and applied research to study environmental and biological health and exposure using multi-omics, analytical chemistry, and microbiology approaches. Marquis enjoys activities including climbing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, playing basketball, playing the guitar, and watching stand-up comedy.
Emmanuel Asante, 2nd year Chemistry
Emmanuel was raised in Ghana located in the western part of Africa. He earned my bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. Growing up, he was passionate about applying his knowledge in chemistry to solve health and environmental problems. In Dr. Aron’s lab, he has worked on nanoparticle-based strategies for enrichment of siderophores and the purification of escherichelin from E.coli Nissle. Outside of work, I love to spend quality time with my wife, children and positive minded friends.
Undergraduate Students
David Hattan, U4
David is a fourth year undergraduate student earning B.S in Chemistry at the University of Denver. With a departmental grant David will spend the summer of 2024 researching a potential component of Alzheimer's pathology with non-targeted mass spectrometry. Originally from Maine, David enjoys skiing, billiards, and hiking.
Feel free to reach out to us by emailing allegra.aron@du.edu.
Our team is always eager to connect with students, researchers, and collaborators who share our passion.
