Brandon Faubert, PhD
Assistant Professor, Section of Hematology/Oncology
Brandon completed his PhD at McGill University in the laboratory of Dr. Russell Jones, where he studied the role of the energy-sensing LKB1-AMPK pathway in cancer. He pursued his postdoctoral training with Dr. Ralph DeBerardinis at UT Southwestern, studying tumor metabolism directly in patients with lung cancer. He held PhD and postdoctoral fellowships from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and was awarded a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Cancer Institute.
In 2021, Brandon joined the faculty at UChicago, where he is a member of the UC Cancer Center and the UC Metabolomics Center.
The laboratory is supported by a Young Investigator Award from the Cancer Research Foundation, the National Cancer Institute (R00), and the V Foundation.
Our Research Team
Robert Cameron, MD, PhD
Clinical Fellow, Section of Hematology/Oncology
Originally from Germantown TN, Rob obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Davidson College before earning his M.D. and PhD. from the Medical University of South Carolina. His dissertation work in the laboratory of Rick Schnellmann focused on beta-2 adrenergic receptor signaling in renal proximal tubule mitochondrial biogenesis. Rob came to the University of Chicago for his residency in Internal Medicine, and his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology as part of the Physician Scientist Development program. His current work in the Faubert lab centers on targeting lactate metabolism in concert with clinically applicable drugs to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). His clinical work has focused on surrogate endpoints for early-stage NSCLC. When not in the lab or clinic, he spends his time paying tribute to his Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Oligoproline.
Brianna Chang
Research Assistant
Brianna is a senior in highschool at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Her work in the Faubert lab includes stable isotope tracing analysis, CRISPR Cas9 gene editing, and developing new cloning methods for the lab. In her free time, Brianna enjoys figure skating and represented Team USA at the 2023 Nations Cup.
Mace Clare
PhD Candidate, Committee on Cancer Biology
Mace graduated from Purdue University, having previously studied factors that regulate T-cell differentiation. In the Faubert lab, Mace studies how cancer cells develop chemoresistance by interrogating cell-cell crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment.
Nathan Dubois, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Originally from France, in the superb Champagne region, Nathan obtained his MS in Biology and Health. During his studies, he became particularly interested in Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) in pancreatic and colon cancer. With this particular interested in EVs, he pursued his PhD in Belgium, a country where the food isn’t as good, but the beer and fries are better. His PhD work focused on the role of EVs in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, studying how EVs established a protective environment for cancer cells by altering the native immune cells.
In his free time, Nathan tried to watch as many series and films as possible, while trying to make people around him laugh.
Theresa Haitzmann
Visiting PhD Candidate
Theresa is visiting the Faubert lab from Austria, where she is pursuing her PhD at the Medical University of Graz. She is interested in the adaptation of lung cancer cells to glycolysis inhibition, focusing on how alternative nutrients and pathways are used to circumvent glucose restriction and promote lung cancer growth and proliferation. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities and has a passion for good food.
Nia Hammond
PhD Candidate, Committee on Cancer Biology
Originally from Denver, Colorado, Nia graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a double major in biochemistry and molecular, developmental and cellular biology. In her PhD work, she is interested in understanding the metabolic pathways that aid metastasis and how different organs provide unique metabolic environments that force metastatic cancer cells to adapt to in order to survive.
Rachel Zuckerman
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Coming from Washington, DC, Rachel Zuckerman is a Clinical Excellence Scholar in her third year at the College majoring in neuroscience and biological sciences specializing in cell and molecular biology. After she gets her undergraduate degree, she hopes to attend medical school. She can’t wait to begin narrowing down topics for her thesis research. Rachel has worked as a professional muralist and likes to use art to understand lab concepts.