Rachel N. Wilsey
Senior Research Associate
Rachel.Wilsey@UTTyler.edu
Rachel graduated from Baylor University in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. During her time at Baylor, Rachel studied CRISPR-Cas9 mutations affecting cell adhesion and migration in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Rachel joined the Honda Lab in August 2021 and moved with the lab to Texas from Colorado in April 2023. Rachel leads projects focusing on the environmental factors that contribute to NTM pulmonary disease. Her current projects focus on respiratory relevant NTM in the context of the Kīlauea volcano and other related natural disasters. In parallel, Rachel studies the human immune pathways that are implicated in the control of NTM infections, particularly after exposure to various environmental hazards. Rachel also spearheads all projects related to culturing NTM from various environmental samples and tests disinfection methods to reduce environmental exposures. In her free time, Rachel enjoys exploring local coffee shops, going thrift shopping, and hiking with her dog.
Lianghao Ding, PhD
Bioinformatic Analyst
Lianghao.Ding@UTTyler.edu
Lianghao received his Bachelor of Medicine degree from the Beijing Medical University, PhD in Medicine from Tohoku University School of Medicine in Japan and has 10+ years of experience in next generation sequencing data analysis and genomics research. Before joining the Honda Lab, he was an active faculty member at UT Southwestern contributing to projects related to cancer genomics and computational biology. He joined the Honda Lab in Dec. 2023 and embarked on an exciting new venture into the study of NTM genomics. When he's not decoding genomes, you'll likely find him chilling out with some music or lost in a good book.
Kristin T. Dean
Research Associate
Kristin.Dean@UTTyler.edu
Kristin graduated from UT Tyler with her B.S. in Biology in May of 2018 and continued her education at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler where she received her M.S. in biomedical technology in May 2020. Her Masters thesis focused on the identification of N-formylated peptides as neutrophilic chemotactic factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In June 2020, she began working in the field of NTM as a research associate. Kristin joined the Honda Lab in Feb. 2024 and continues mechanistic studies to elucidate the host-pathogen-environment interactions of NTM while being the lab’s expert in NTM nucleic acid extractions. In her free time, Kristin likes to explore her culinary talents as well as spend time with her husband and three children.
Madelyn M. Terrell
Research Associate
Madelyn.Terrell@uttyler.edu
Madelyn graduated from Texas A&M University – Commerce in December 2023 with a B.S. degree in Biological Science. While there, she participated in research pertaining to the role of G1P3 protein in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. After completing an honors thesis and graduation, Madelyn began searching for a job in academic research. She joined the Honda Lab in early Feb. 2024 and assists in translational research related to understanding the diversity of NTM in varied environmental samples collected from across the nation. Moreover, she leads the lab’s studies related to NTM proteins and is elucidating the complexities of the amoeba-NTM relationship. In her free time, Madelyn enjoys jogging, painting birds, and reading horror novels.
Adrian J. Hornby, PhD
Staff Scientist
Adrian.Hornby@uttyler.edu
Adrian graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with a B.Sc. Geology in June 2011. His PhD dissertation focused on the brittle-ductile mechanics of lava dome eruptions, graduating with his degree in 2016 from the University of Liverpool. During his studies, Adrian contributed to projects investigating faulting, fracture and frictional melting textures and mechanics in magma, lava, and volcanic ash. For his postdoctoral fellowship, he investigated how fragmentation modes affect the chemistry and mineralogy of ash particle surfaces in Munich, Germany, followed by a postdoctoral position at Cornell University studying the global effects of explosive volcanism and bioleaching of ultramafic minerals. Adrian and his family moved to Tyler in March 2024 to join the Honda Lab. His current projects are to characterize and investigate the responses of NTM with aerosolized environmental soil, dust and ash samples. In his free time Adrian enjoys spending time with his wife and five children, brewing beer, and squeezing in some reading.
Chelsea "Raulie" K. Raulerson
Bioinformatician
Chelsea.Raulerson@uttyler.edu
Raulie graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Biology
and
went on to complete a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her thesis research concerned identifying genetic
variants
associated with changes in human adipose tissue gene expression that were colocalized
with cardiometabolic GWAS signals. Prior to joining the Honda Lab, Raulie applied
her
expertise to a variety of different computational challenges from detecting somatic
mutations in tumor samples at UT Southwestern to identifying large structural variations
using optical genome mapping technology at Bionano. Most recently, she modernized
workflows for the characterization of bacterial WGS isolates. She joined the Honda
Lab in
January 2025. In her free time, Raulie is quite the bookworm but sometimes manages
to sneak in some sewing and fiber arts between chapters.
Jenea Travier
Research Assistant
Jenea.Travier@uttyler.edu
Jenea graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology
in May 2024. During her time at Prairie View, she developed a strong foundation in
research
techniques and data interpretation through her work in various research labs. She
also
served as President of the Psychology Club, where she led key initiatives, coordinated
events, and managed club operations, further honing her leadership and organizational
skills. After graduating, Jenea sought to continue her scientific research journey,
which led
her to join the Honda Lab in February 2025. In her free time, she enjoys staying active
in the
gym, listening to music, and reading books.
Virgina “Jenna” Rogers
Research Assistant, Bioinformatics
virginia.rogers@uttyler.edu
Jenna graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a minor in genomics and bioinformatics. During her time at UT Tyler, she was an undergraduate research assistant where she collaborated with faculty and peers on a research project in graph theory. For her senior project, she focused on different types of statistical models that can be used to analyze healthcare data. She joined the Honda Laboratory in August 2025, contributing to many projects related to NTM bioinformatics. In her free time, Jenna enjoys reading, going on walks with friends, and hanging out with her cat, Bagel.
Christine Ponce
M.S. Student University of Texas as Tyler, Biotechnology program
B.S. University of Texas as Tyler, Biochemistry
Minor: Chemistry and Marketing
Christine is currently a graduate student with the University of Texas at Tyler, pursuing
a master's degree in biotechnology. She is an alumnus of the University of Texas at
Tyler graduating with her B.S. in Biochemistry and minors in Chemistry and Marketing
in May 2025. Her previous research focused on self-assembling protein systems, particularly
virus like particles (VLPs) for therapeutic delivery and enzyme encapsulation. Christine
joined the Honda lab in January 2026 to pursue her master's thesis to characterize
the cellular and immunological features of bronchiectasis and NTM infection in a post
tuberculosis murine model of infection.
Outside of the lab, Christine enjoys going on walks, reading, and learning new languages.
Jerry Gao
High school student, ‘Iolani School (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
Jerry is a student at 'lolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii graduating in 2027. During his time at 'lolani, he has acquired a strong foundation in biological research and is currently performing independent research with the Honda Laboratory to apply numerous bioinformatic tools to understand the antibiotic resistance profiles of environmental and respiratory NTM from Hawaii. In his free time, Jerry enjoys playing water polo, swimming, and hanging out with his two dogs, Chestnut and Isabelle.
Benjamin Bouldin
University of Texas as Tyler, SOM Medical Student
B.S. Texas A&M University, Biochemistry
Benjamin earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University and is currently a medical student at UT Tyler School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, he worked for six years as a nurse assistant at Houston Methodist The Woodlands, where he also participated in research and quality improvement projects focused on pressure injury monitoring and prevention. Benjamin joined the Honda Laboratory in May 2026 to assist in researching NTM in the context of metal exposures. His research interests include infectious disease, microbiology, and host–pathogen interactions. In his free time, Benjamin enjoys hiking, spending time with family and friends, and walking his dog.
Maryam Khan
Laboratory volunteer
University of Texas at Tyler: B.S. Chemistry (In Progress)
A.S. Tyler Junior College, Chemistry
Maryam is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Tyler pursuing a degree in Chemistry with a pre-health focus. Prior to joining the lab in June 2026 as a volunteer, she worked as a chemistry lab assistant at Tyler Junior College, where she assisted with lab setups and grading. She is interested in furthering her research experiences to build a stronger foundation in biomedical sciences. In her free time, she enjoys catching up on her shows, and taking care of her cats.