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.
Sophie Brown, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Sophie received her B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California San Diego before receiving her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University. During her masters and doctoral training she worked on the development of a 3D primary cell culture model to study neuroimmune interactions. Her work focused on how microglia contribute to circuit dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. Sophie joined the Welle and Hughes labs in January 2026 to study glia–neuron interactions and neuromodulatory approaches to promote myelin repair and functional recovery in neurological disease. Outside of the lab, Sophie loves skiing, hiking, and exploring Colorado with friends and family!
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).
Gail Deeths
PostBac Researcher
Gail is a PIKE-PREP post-baccalaureate scholar who completed a B.A. in neuroscience with a minor in creative writing at Macalester College. As an undergraduate, they studied extracellular matrix contributions to odor discrimination learning in mice, which sparked an interest in how cellular and extracellular mechanisms shape nervous system function. In the Hughes Lab, they now study mechanisms of oligodendrocyte regeneration and myelin repair following demyelinating injury. Gail plans to pursue a PhD in neuroscience and hopes to build a career sharing their excitement for the field through hands-on teaching and mentorship. Outside of the lab, they enjoy reading and writing fiction, rock climbing, and hiking in the mountains of Colorado, the lovely state they grew up in.
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.
Moises Izquierdo-Velasco
Undergraduate Researcher
Moises is an undergraduate at the University of Colorado Denver, completing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. He joined the Hughes Lab as a student assistant, contributing to research focused on characterizing aspects of oligodendrocyte proliferation and differentiation following remyelinating treatments. Initially interested in the human brain through philosophy, he pivoted to neuroscience to answer questions he felt philosophy couldn't answer on its own. Through this work, he is developing the foundation for a future career as a clinician-scientist. Outside the lab and school, you'll find him trying to break personal records at the gym, on a walk with his German-Sheppard Lab Luna, hiking Manitou Springs with his dad, reading a long book about history, or eating out with family.
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.
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
Katelyn Diep (Undergraduate Researcher), Undergraduate Student at CU Denver
Faith Montemayor (Undergraduate Researcher), Undergraduate Student at CU Denver
Samuel Helgerson (Core Undergraduate Researcher), Undergraduate Student at CSU
Michael Stockton (Graduate student, Postdoctoral Researcher), Technical Solutions Engineer at Epic Sciences
Yessenia Mancha Corchado (Professional Research Assistant), Lab Manager/Professional Research Assistant at CU Boulder
Lindsay Osso (Postdoctoral Researcher), Postdoctoral fellow at the Krembil Brain Institute, Canada
Kate Brassell (ISCORE Undergraduate Researcher), Patient Care Coordinator COLORADO MS CENTER
Stephanie Karas (Core Undergraduate Researcher), Professional Research Assistant CU Anschutz Bonney's Lab
Michael Thornton (Graduate student, Postdoctoral Researcher) Post doctoral fellow, Salk Institute
Dailey Nettles (Graduate Student) Postdoctoral fellow, Medical University of South Carolina
Corinne Parker (RBI Summer Internship Program), Undergraduate, Ohio State University
Johana Haynes BS, (MHA Masters Student), Tissue Recovery Coordinator at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank
Amanda Morris (MARC Scholar, UC Denver), Registered Behavior Technician at Insight Behavior Partnership
Lauren Conant (Professional Research Assistant), Donor Recovery Specialist MiMedx
Alex Ramirez (BRAIN Undergraduate Researcher), UPenn PREP Program
Alejandra Quesada-Stoner (CU SRTP Summer Student), PostBac Research Fellow St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Yazmyn Chavez (Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)), Medical Assistant at Injury Solutions
Lindsey Milgrom (MHA Masters Student), Pathologist Assistant Program, Tulane School of Medicine
Clara Bacmeister (MHA Masters Student, Professional Research Assistant), Graduate Student, Stanford University
Helena Barr (Professional Research Assistant), Graduate Student, Harvard University
Sean Haghgou (Professional Research Assistant), Director of Analytical Labs, Cura Cannabis Solutions
Sam Hunt (MHA Masters Student), DOM Candidate, University of Idaho
Dr. Crystal McClain (Post-doctoral Fellow), Founder of Covalency LLC