Our Team
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Sabrina Absalon, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Sabrina Absalon received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France. Her graduate work in Dr. Philippe Bastin's Lab at Pasteur Institute Paris focused on studying flagellum assembly and function in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. She then moved to Boston for her first postdoctoral training in Dr. Anna Krichevsky's Lab at the Harvard Institute of Medicine to determine the contribution of microRNAs to Alzheimer's disease progression.
In 2011, she returned to parasitology and joined a research group led by Dr. Jeffrey Dvorin at Boston Children's Hospital, where she studied the molecular pathogenesis of malaria infection. She joined the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in October 2019, where she is currently an Assistant professor.
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James Blauwkamp
IBMG Ph.D. Candidate
James graduated from Kettering University in the Winter of 2018 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and joined Absalon Lab in the Spring of 2020. At the same time, he has had little experience with Plasmodium spp. Before joining, he was eager to learn all he could and to be an asset to the lab. While not working or taking classes, he enjoys getting fresh air on the golf course or relieving stress with bowling.
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Oliver (Oli) Harrigan They/them/theirs
Research Technician
Oli graduated from IUPUI in May of 2024 with a B.S. in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. They joined the Absalon Lab in the summer of 2024 and are excited to learn about U-ExM and other laboratory procedures. They completed research with Dr. Anderson and Dr. K. Marrs in the IUPUI Department of Biology during their undergraduate years. Outside the lab, they enjoy reading, playing cards and video games, and watching movies.
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Alumnus: Benjamin LIffner, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate of the University of Adelaide, Australia
Ben graduated with a BSc from the University of Adelaide, and then went on to complete BSc (Honours) and Ph.D. in Danny Wilson’s lab at the University of Adelaide’s Research Centre for Infectious Diseases. During his Honours and Ph.D. studies, Ben focused on investigating how malaria parasites invade red blood cells at a molecular level, with a specific emphasis on using advanced microscopy techniques to understand this intricate process. Ben joined our lab in January 2021 and returned to Australia in June 2024 to establish his own research team.
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Alumnus: Erica Hathaway
Undergraduate student
Erica is attending her junior year at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She will graduate with a B.S. in Biology and Neuroscience in the Spring of 2024. Erica joined the lab in early 2023 and is eager to learn more about plasmodium. Last year, she completed an LHSI internship with the IU School of Medicine’s Research In Medical Education (RIME) team. Outside of school and lab, she enjoys swimming and reading.
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Alumnus: Elaine, Ann Hilton
IUndergraduate Student - LHSI 2021-2022
Elaine is a current Junior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She will graduate with a B.S. in Biology in the Spring of 2023. Elaine is excited to join the Absalon Lab in Fall 2021 as an intern through the Life Health Sciences Internship Program. She hopes to learn about Plasmodium parasites and further her passion for research. In her free time, some of her hobbies include fishkeeping and traveling.
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