Ethan Hughes, PhD
Associate Professor
Ethan received his B.S. from George Washington University. He obtained his Ph.D. from University of Pennsylvania, where he trained in the laboratory of Rita Balice-Gordon. For his postdoctoral training, Ethan worked in the laboratory of Dwight Bergles at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Outside the lab Ethan enjoys hiking the beautiful Rockies, lacing up his boots for soccer pickup, and enjoying life with his fabulous scientist wife and three boys.
Anthony Chavez, AA
Professional Research Assistant
Anthony received an AA in Business Management from Wyoming Technical Institute. He began his career at the University of Colorado Office of Laboratory Animal Research, and now manages the mouse colony and logistics of the Hughes Lab. Anthony is an automotive enthusiast, hobby photographer who also loves live music. He is a Colorado native who loves to experience the beautiful outdoors. Anthony enjoys life with his wife, 2 sons and their Chiweenie (Chihuahua-Dachshund mix).
Kate Brassell
Undergraduate Researcher
Kate is currently a senior on a pre-med track at the University of Colorado Denver. She was originally planning to become an animator, but after taking an Anatomy and Physiology class in her last semester of high school, she discovered her passion for the central nervous system. This led her to pursue a degree in Biology with a minor in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, baking, drawing, animating, and rock climbing.
Gustavo Della Flora Nunes, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Gustavo received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from UFRGS-Brazil and his Ph.D. from SUNY at Buffalo, training in the lab of Dr. Laura Feltri. In 2021, Gustavo joined the Hughes lab, where he is studying how demyelination impacts neuronal function and behavior. If you meet Gustavo outside of the lab, you will have very nerdy conversations, be introduced to cool YouTube videos and occasionally see a magic trick or listen to a half-decent guitar song.
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Stephanie Karas
Undergraduate Researcher
Yessenia Mancha Corchado, BA
Professional Research Assistant
Yessenia received a B.A. in Neuroscience and in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2022. After graduation, she worked in Molas Lab studying the novel mechanisms, neurocircuitry of behaviors,and social interactions in the IPN. In Fall 2023 she joined the lab as a post-bac research assistant, hoping to study the dynamics of Oligodendrocytes in memory and diseases through In-Vivo imaging. Outside of lab, she has a wanderlust drive in traveling. You can often catch her reading, writing, playing her flute, drawing, hiking, attending concerts, and trying out new food places. Caution: She's a huge Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings Fan.
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Clara Mutschler, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Clara received her B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Aberdeen and her PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she investigated axon Schwann cell interactions after peripheral nervous system injury. She joined the Hughes lab in 2024 and is excited to further investigate myelin dynamics in vivo. Outside of the lab, she loves to bake and read, and is looking forward to exploring her new home in Colorado.
Kristen Schuster, MS
Graduate Student, Neuroscience
Kristen received her B.S. from Northwestern University in 2017 and her M.S. from University College London in 2019. Before pursuing more schooling, she worked in the lab of Dr. Hayley McLoughlin at the University of Michigan studying oligodendrocyte dysfunction in SCA3.
In 2022 Kristen moved to Colorado to join the Neuroscience PhD program, where she joined the Hughes lab to continue researching oligodendrocytes. She uses in vivo imaging to investigate signaling mechanisms underlying myelin dynamics during learning. When not in
the lab, Kristen enjoys science outreach, traveling, and trying new restaurants and breweries with her fellow Colorado transplant husband.
Lindsay Osso, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Lindsay received her B.Sc. from McGill University in 2014. She received her Ph.D. from UCSF in 2021, where she worked in Jonah Chan's lab studying mechanisms regulating experience-dependent myelination. She joined the Hughes lab in 2021 and is excited to continue her adventures in myelin with some seriously cool microscopes. Besides science, she enjoys exploring, gardening, and photography.
Michael Stockton, BS
Graduate student, Neuroscience
Michael received his B.S. from UW-Madison, where he worked in the lab of Dr. Xinyu Zhao studying the molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis. In 2019 he moved to Colorado to join the Neuroscience PhD program. Michael uses in vivo imaging to investigate the process of new oligodendrocyte integration in the cortex. Outside of lab, Michael enjoys neuroscience outreach, hiking, and hanging out with his partner and two cats.
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Maureen Wentling, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Maureen received her B.S. from Wheaton College in 2013 and her M.S. from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2017, where she trained under Patrizia Casaccia. She worked on the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis in the Casaccia lab before joining the international Pasteur-Paris University Doctoral program at Institut Pasteur. Maureen received her Ph.D. in genetics and genomics/neuroscience from Sorbonne Université in 2023. Maureen joined the Hughes lab and is excited to interrogate the cellular interactions driving progression in multiple sclerosis in vivo! Outside of lab, Maureen spends most of her time wrangling her 2 young daughters with her husband, but also loves to read, make sourdough and play tennis.
Lab alumni
Name (position in the Hughes lab), next position
Dr. Crystal McClain (Post-doctoral Fellow), Founder of Covalency LLC
Sam Hunt (MHA Masters Student), DOM Candidate, University of Idaho
Sean Haghgou (Professional Research Assistant), Director of Analytical Labs, Cura Cannabis Solutions
Helena Barr (Professional Research Assistant), Graduate Student, Harvard University
Clara Bacmeister (Professional Research Assistant), Graduate Student, Stanford University
Lindsey Milgrom (MHA Masters Student), Pathologist Assistant Program, Tulane School of Medicine
Alejandra Quesada-Stoner (CU SRTP Summer Student), PostBac Research Fellow St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Alex Ramirez (BRAIN Undergraduate Researcher), UPenn PREP Program
Lauren Conant (Professional Research Assistant), Donor Recovery Specialist MiMedx
Manna Morris, (MARC Scholar, UC Denver), PIKE-PREP Program
Johana Haynes, BS, (MHA Masters Student), Tissue Recovery Coordinator at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank
Corinne Parker, (RBI Summer Internship Program), Undergraduate, Ohio State University
Dailey Nettles, (Graduate Student) Post doctoral fellow, Medical University of South Carolina
Michael Thornton, (Graduate student) Post doctoral fellow, Salk Institute