Lab Members

Matthew P. Miller, Ph. D.

Assistant Professor

Matt is originally from Denver, CO. He earned his bachelor's in biology from Carleton College in 2001, and then worked at NatureWorks LLC (2001-2006), combining metabolic engineering and genetics to develop biocatalysts for the production of biodegradable plastic. He earned his PhD in 2012 from MIT, where he worked in Angelika Amon’s lab studying meiotic cyclin-dependent kinase regulation and the consequences of misregulation. Matt conducted his postdoctoral training in Sue Biggins’ lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where he investigated the mechanisms by which tension stabilizes kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Matt joined the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah in May of 2019 and is still fascinated by the question of how cells accurately segregate their chromosomes during division. Outside of lab, Matt enjoys outdoor activities including skiing, hiking and biking, and also loves spending time with his wife and two young kids.

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Emily Parnell, Ph.D.

Research Associate

Emily is originally from Ohio/western Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Marietta College in Ohio. For her PhD research, she worked in Pamela Geyer’s lab at the University of Iowa, studying the role of genomic insulators in transcriptional regulation. She later moved to Salt Lake City and joined David Stillman’s lab in the Department of Pathology, investigating mechanisms of complex gene regulation in yeast. She became a member of the Miller lab in July 2020. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, hiking, and spending time with her family.

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Michael Stewart

Graduate Student

Michael is originally from Springfield, VA. He earned a bachelor’s in biochemistry in 2017 from Brigham Young University. While at BYU, he worked in Richard Watt’s lab studying iron metabolism in diseases of inflammation. After graduating, he worked as a Research Associate at Tolero Pharmaceuticals and then as a Lab Technician in Peter Shen’s lab in the Department of Biochemistry. He joined the Miller lab in the spring of 2020 as a graduate student. Outside of the lab he enjoys being outdoors hiking and camping with his family.

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Talia Cahoon

Graduate Student

Talia is originally from Boise, ID. She earned her bachelor’s in microbiology in 2020 from Idaho State University. While at ISU, she worked in Caryn Evilia’s lab studying halobacteria from the Great Salt Lake. She joined the Miller lab in the spring of 2021 as a graduate student. Outside of the lab, she enjoys gardening, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.

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Ahmed Abouelghar

Graduate Student

Ahmed comes from Egypt, where he received his bachelor's of science degree in molecular and cell biology from The University of Science and Technology-Zewail City in 2020. During his undergrad, he worked under the supervision of Menattallah Elserafy, using budding yeast as a model to study DNA repair. Ahmed joined Miller's lab in May 2022 as a graduate student to study the kinetochore which he thinks is one of the most fascinating protein complexes in the cell. Aside from work, Ahmed likes to cook and enjoy nature.

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Sara Hoppe

graduate student

Sara grew up primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, acquiring a B.S. in Biochemistry in 2016. She then spent time in Lubbock, Texas at Texas Tech University, studying canine olfaction via bioinformatic and genomics-driven techniques, and earned an M.S. in biotechnology. She moved back to Colorado to work at Inscripta, Inc. in Boulder, working in next-generation sequencing to evaluate genomic editing. She joined the Miller lab in 2022 as a PhD student, and is looking forward to studying the role of tubulin and microtubules in cell division. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, skiing, cooking, and starting craft projects.

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Spencer Ashworth

graduate student

Spencer was born and raised in Boise, ID. He attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT and graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry in 2022. While at BYU, he worked in the lab of Josh Andersen, now a professor here at the U, researching understudied kinases and their roles in cancer. His attraction to cancer research translated to an interest in studying mitosis and how chromosome mis-segregation can lead to disease. He joined the Miller lab in May of 2024 as a graduate student. Outside of work, he enjoys volleyball, journaling, playing the piano, and is currently learning how to rock climb and play the guitar.

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George Miller

Lab Technician

George is a native of Springville, Utah, and graduated from Utah State University in 2024 with a B.S. in biochemistry. While there he taught supplemental biology classes and loved learning about the inner workings of cells. He hopes to expand on this knowledge as a lab tech in the Miller lab. George’s claims to fame include having attended high school in China, being an expert builder of beaver dams, and an ability to identify root beer brands by taste. Outside of the lab you can find him camping, at gymnastics practice, or taking a nap.