Lab Members
Allie McClure
Assistant Professor
Pronouns: She/Her
Allie grew up in Minnesota and studied Biology and Math at St. Olaf College. She then moved to North Carolina where she earned her PhD in the lab of Danny Lew at Duke University. There she fell in love with budding yeast as a model system and the power of basic science discoveries. She then moved to London to do her postdoc work with John Diffley at the Francis Crick Institute studying how the process of DNA replication changes in response to stress. She is excited to begin this new chapter of her science journey in Colorado.
Allie is also passionate about mentoring trainees and improving science culture to make it both more accessible and inclusive.
Outside of the lab, Allie enjoys playing Ultimate, reading and watching science fiction and fantasy, and keeping up with her two kids.
Sudikchya Shrestha
Postdoctoral Fellow
Pronouns: She/Her
Sudikchya is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, and studied Biology at NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE where she learnt about the molecular world and the creative experiments that led us to that knowledge. After engaging with research projects on evolution of Ethiopian frogs and DNA polymerases, she deep dived into research by pursuing a PhD at the lab of Frank Uhlmann at The Francis Crick Institute, UK, interrogating the role of replisome components in sister chromatid cohesion.
She is interested in all things inside the nucleus, and most things outside the nucleus as well, and considers herself a student for life. She also enjoys fictional murder mysteries, eating, and doing cartwheels.
She is looking forward to moving to Colorado in early 2023 to study mitotic DNA replication in Allie’s brand-new lab!
Shania Smith
Lab Manager
Pronouns: She/Her
Shania is a Colorado Native from the Denver metro area. She earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Colorado State University. After spending the past few years in the biopharmaceutical industry working on gene therapies, she is returning to her love of research. Shania loves the creative, quirky, and unique – from prions to genetic disease to dinosaurs and other clever creatures.
When she’s not in the lab, Shania is cheering on the Colorado Avalanche, crafting, playing video games, listening to podcasts/audiobooks, or in a battle of wits with her cat. She also loves rocking out at all Colorado’s beautiful concert venues!
That’s a lot! ADHD much? You bet! Shania is a passionate advocate for neurodivergence awareness and acceptance and wants to make sure everyone feels welcome in science!
Andrea MacFadden
Laboratory Science Professional (Lab Tech)
Pronouns: She/Her
Andrea grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan – Flint with a BS in Molecular Biology. She moved to Colorado in 2011. In a reverse Central Dogma of Biology, she started in a protein lab, moved next door to an RNA lab, and is now one floor up in a DNA lab. She has been referred to as an FPLC jockey which is why she was brought into the McClure lab to purify all the proteins.
In her spare time, she likes to take part in all the eclectic crafty hobbies which include but are not limited to pottery, screen printing, bookbinding, etc. To complete her voyage into nerdiness, she also enjoys video games, baking, musicals, and plotting to overthrow the patriarchy.