Lab Members

Jennifer Richer, PhD

Nicole grew up in both Denver and Centennial, CO. She received histology training early in her career thanks to the mentorship of John McGinley, HTL (ASCP), and continues to employ those techniques in her everyday work. Nicole received molecular biology and administrative training during her time in Kathryn Horwitz’s lab, where she was mentored by Jennifer Richer, PhD and many other invaluable members of the lab. She helped Dr. Richer start up her lab shortly thereafter. In addition to her position in research, Nicole managed the Laser Capture Microdissection Shared Resource at the University of Colorado from 2004-2014, where she had the opportunity to work closely with several scientists both within and outside the university. She currently manages the Richer lab.

In her spare time Nicole enjoys art, travel, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

For the past 15 years Jessica has made it her mission to identify novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of patients with breast cancer. In recent years her aims have shifted to focus exclusively on the study of metastatic disease. Jessica is currently investigating how the lung itself promotes the growth and survival of metastases in an effort to better understand ways in which to block metastatic progression and extend the survival and quality of life of patients with metastatic disease.

• Ph.D., Molecular Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine (2024)

• B.S., Biology and Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Asheville (2019)

Makenzy is new to Denver, originally from the east coast, she was raised in Asheville, North Carolina and spent 6 years in Baltimore, Maryland. Her undergraduate research mentor at UNC Asheville, helped her pursue graduate school and a career as a research scientist. She finished her Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Stuart Martin at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where her thesis work focused on metastatic breast cancer and cell signaling. Makenzy's unique thesis project with calcium physiology and breast cancer, will bring a new skillset to the Richer lab for her postdoctoral work. In her free time, Makenzy enjoys baking, reading, Pure Barre, and spending time with her dogs and family. 

• Ph.D., Pharmacology - University of Colorado | AMC, Aurora, CO (2024)

• B.S., Biological Sciences - Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ  (2016)

Dillon was born and raised in New Jersey where he ultimately attended his undergraduate institution at Rowan University. Here, he performed research in yeast genetic research seeking to understand how organisms respond to stressful environments, like hypoxia. Dillon then moved on to graduate school at the University of Colorado | AMC, where his thesis demonstrated a new mechanism by which mitochondria support metastasis of disparate tumors through novel regulatory control over Rho GTPases. He is now looking forward to contributing to the Richer lab research targeting therapy resistant and metastatic breast cancer resistance. In his free time, Dillon enjoys traveling, hiking, and exploring Denver’s food scene.

• MD Candidate, University of Colorado School of Medicine – Aurora, CO

• B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Carolina – Columbia, SC (2023)

Charlotte discovered her passion for research as a high school student designing and testing new hydroponic farming technologies, after which she would switch to biomedical research and molecular biology techniques as an undergraduate researcher in a neuropharmacology lab. She became interested in oncology during a summer internship, studying the role of lncRNAs in rhabdomyosarcoma. In 2023, Charlotte began as an MSTP (MD/PhD) student at the University of Colorado. Now three years into medical school, Charlotte is excited to deepen her understanding of cancer metabolomics and the tumor immune microenvironment in the context of Triple Negative Breast Cancer as a graduate student in the Richer lab. In her free time, Charlotte volunteers at free medical clinics, and follows Colorado sports teams. 

• B.A., Biological Anthropology and Bioinformatics, Dartmouth College - Hanover, NH (2025)

After undergrad, Nolan returned to his home state of Colorado and joined the Richer Lab. He was first introduced to lab work at Anschutz, where he interned with Dr. McMurray’s cellular and developmental biology lab, helping investigate reproductive mechanisms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He would then join Greffex, working on early stage development of vaccines and genetic therapies for COVID, Lyme Disease, Usher Syndrome, and emerging strains of influenza. Working in the Richer Lab, Nolan hopes to deepen his understanding of cancer biology and immunology. An aspiring physician-scientist, he is passionate about bridging gaps between clinical research and patient-driven advocacy. Outside of the lab, Nolan can be found taking classes at CU Denver, enjoying the outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and cheering on the Avalanche. 

• B.S., Animal Science, Minor in Education - University of California, Davis (2021) 

Cat is originally from East Lost Angeles and from a young age, her love for biology and animals steered her to become a veterinarian. Post-graduation and post-pandemic, she landed at CUAnschutz in 2021 with the husbandry team at the Office of Laboratory Animal Resources doing wellness checks and daily care for animals used in biomedical research. After 9-months, she had the opportunity to move to the veterinary care team as a veterinary technician assistant, where she stayed for over 3 years gaining and advancing technical skills while working alongside registered technicians and board-certified veterinarians. She has had the pleasure of working with mice, rats, voles, gerbils, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and pigs. While working for the Richer lab, Cat is striving to make herself a more competitive candidate for veterinary school by deepening her understanding of molecular biology and using her technical skills to aid in protocol approved animal experiments for breast cancer research. Fun fact: Cat got her CDL class B license at 19 to drive the big red buses for Unitrans, a transportation company managed and operated entirely by students of UC Davis except for several managerial and maintenance positions. Unitrans is known famously to provide real-time service in vintage London double-decker buses.