mim_c Trainee Program

The mim_c Trainee Program was established to build community and intellectual support amongst trainees working in the microbiome field in the Puget Sound region. Each month, participants in the program meet to share research presentations and discuss each others' projects in a rigorous, but constructive environment of peers and guest faculty. In addition to the monthly meeting, the mim_c Trainee Program offers a competitive award program each year that provides one-time monetary awards to defray research or salary costs associated with a trainee’s project.

Overview

Keep reading below to learn more about our program and previously awarded trainees.

Learn more:

  • The mim_c Trainee Program welcomes trainees from any graduate or postdoctoral fellowship program. Examples of relevant research areas include, but are not limited to:

    -Interactions between microorganisms, or between commensal microorganisms and a host

    -Influence of the microbiome on health

    -Methodological developments pertaining to microbiome research

    -Development of microbiome focused therapeutics

  • Our next mim_c Trainee Program meeting will be the 2026 kick-off gathering. Contact Kyle Asfahl for additional information.

  • Applications for the mim_c Trainee Program Awards are accepted each Fall. Applications are reviewed by a committee consisting of faculty at UW and affiliated institutions. Award results are announced in January of the following year. Subscribe to our mailing list below to receive award cycle updates in the Fall quarter.

  • The mim_c Trainee Program has a Slack workspace for all things #traineeprogram. All regional trainees working in the microbiome space are welcome to join our Slack to read general announcements, seek and share expertise, and support each other’s work. Join us! Contact Kyle Asfahl to receive an invite.

2026 mim_c Trainee Program Awardees

  • Dmitry Sutormin

    Dmitry Sutormin

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Systems Biology, Anna Kuchina Laboratory

    Project: “Origin and consequences of pervasive transcriptional heterogeneity in human gut microbiomes uncovered with single-cell transcriptomics”

  • Giulia Stewart

    Giulia Stewart

    UW Pharmaceutics Program, Shijie Cao Laboratory

    Project: “Investigating novel microbiome mimics for the restoration of host immune homeostasis”

  • Leah Zahn

    Leah Zahn

    UW Chemistry Program, Lauren Rajakovich Laboratory

    Project: “Determining the biosynthetic pathway of 4-ethylphenol, a disease-associated human gut metabolite”

  • Joe Lim

    Joe Lim

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Systems Biology, Sean Gibbons Laboratory

    Project: “Diet as driver of adaptive evolution in human gut microbiota across human populations”

2025 mim_c Trainee Program Awardees

  • Celine Atkinson

    Celine Atkinson

    UW Oral Health Sciences Program, Jeffrey McLean Laboratory

    Project: “Exploring bacterial crosstalk in periodontal pathogens using MicroSPLiT”

  • Jennifer Liem

    Jennifer Liem

    UW Pharmaceutics Program, Yvonne Lin Laboratory

    Project: “Pharmacomicrobiomics: Investigating the Role of Microbial Metabolites on the Regulation of CYP3A4”

  • Jianing Xu

    Jianing Xu

    Postdoctoral Fellow, UW Comparative Medicine, Danny Miller Laboratory

    Project: “Evaluating Nanopore Long-Read Sequencing as a Tool for Microbiome Profiling in Rodent Health Management”

  • Camilo Gómez-Garzón

    Camilo Gómez-Garzón

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Nina Salama Laboratory

    Project: “Bacterial Interactions in Gastric Cancer: Fusobacterium animalis meets Helicobacter pylori”

2024 mim_c Trainee Program Awardees

  • Lindsey Williams

    UW Pharmaceutics PhD Program, Shijie Cao Laboratory

    Project: “Delivering microbial metabolites to the distal gut in microbiota-mimicking nanocarriers as therapeutics for multiple sclerosis”

  • Norma Garfias Avila

    Norma Garfias Avila

    UW Nutritional Sciences PhD Program, Marian Neuhouser Laboratory

    Project: “How much do red and processed meats affect our gut?”

  • Drake Bouzek

    Postdoctoral Fellow, UW Pediatrics and Seattle Children’s Hospital, Luke Hoffman Laboratory

    Project: “Evaluating the Impact of Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor Therapy on Oropharyngeal Microbiome Dynamics and Clinical Implications for Monitoring Pulmonary Infections in Children with Cystic Fibrosis”

  • Shirley Mathur

    UW Statistics PhD Program, Amy Willis Laboratory

    Project: “Modeling Relationships between Microbial Species Abundances and Covariates”