Cole Hammett
MS Student
Cole grew up in Central Missouri, emersed in agriculture from a young age through involvement in 4-H and FFA. Growing up around livestock, he found his passion in plants which keep quieter and smell way better. During high school, Cole worked for the University of Missouri’s Soybean Breeding program in Columbia where they were first introduced to the plant breeding world. Cole graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in 2024 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Plant Biology. While studying in the Cornhusker state, he worked in four different labs that all studied different crops. Wrapping up their undergraduate as a member of UNL’s Small Grains Breeding Lab, Cole did a research project analyzing wheat under drought stress using aerial images taken by a drone. This led to them joining the Gage lab as a master’s student in Plant Pathology in the June of 2024, co advised by Peter Balint-Kurti. His research is on the use of unmanned aerial systems and machine learning for the classification of resistance to Southern corn leaf blight.
Breyton Hill
Hourly worker
Breyton Hill is originally from Auburn, Alabama, but moved up to North Carolina to pursue her major in Genetics (BS) and minor in Biotechnology here at NC State University. Breyton had genetics research experience with the model system of Drosophila, or fruit flies but found herself longing to be outside. She joined the Gage Lab in May of 2025 to experience fieldwork and has now found herself studying maize brace root mucilage. She hopes to pursue her PhD after graduating from NC State. In her free time, Breyton can be found reading all kinds of books or on an adventure with her dog Eric.
Josh Hohls
Hourly worker
Josh Hohls grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to North Carolina in 2018. He attended NC State University as a Biological Sciences major, and graduated in May 2026. Josh spent most of his time as an undergraduate pursuing the pre-veterinary pathway, but wanted to explore the world of plant genetics, just like his father. He joined the Gage Lab in the Summer of 2026 in order to see what field operations entailed. Outside of work, Josh likes to exercise, bake, and spend time with friends and family.
Peyton Vanada
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Peyton has had a great interest in science since elementary school, always knowing it was her passion to contribute to the field. In 2024, she became an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Gage/Holland lab. She graduated with a B.S in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Mathematics from Meredith College in 2025. Her passion is in Genetics and Biotechnology and she will continue her education at East Carolina for her Masters. Outside of academia, she loves shopping and exploring the cities coffee shops!
Ava Taylor
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ava grew up in Cary, NC and has always been fascinated by plants. She is pursuing a degree in Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems with a concentration in Research and Production and a minor in Spanish. For the past two years, she has worked in the Sustainable and Organic Soil Fertility Lab, assisting with projects on soil health and greenhouse gas emissions in NC cropping systems. She joined the Gage Lab summer ’25 to study genetic data and drone imagery to better understand drought responses in St. Augustinegrass and support the breeding of more resilient varieties. After graduating, Ava plans to pursue a master’s degree to advance equitable food systems through sustainable agriculture and research.
Janani Ambuga
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Janani developed a deep interest in genetics while growing up in India. She pursued a degree in Biotechnology Engineering at Vellore Institute of Technology before transferring to North Carolina State University, where she shifted her focus to a B.Sc. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, with a minor in Genetics. In the summer of 2023, she joined the Gage Lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. In addition to her research in genetics, Janani is passionate about animal anatomy and works in a Comparative Anatomy and Functional Morphology Lab. She aspires to pursue a career in healthcare. Outside of academics, she enjoys dancing and reading poetry.
Dr. Stef Elorriaga
Postdoctoral Scholar
Stef grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. She moved to the USA to pursue her higher education. She obtained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at Penn State University. She worked as an analog circuit designer for 2 years before acknowledging that engineering was not her calling (even though she had known it all along). She moved with her husband and two cats to Corvallis, OR, to change her career and ended up with a M.S. in Biological and Ecological Engineering (she stubbornly could not give up the engineering title…it sounds so smart and put-together) and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology of forest trees (finally she pursued what she loved). She has been in love with plants her entire life and with genetics and trait inheritance even since she learned of Gregor Mendel’s work. She is interested in understanding gene regulation from both an individual gene level and a global genomic level. Her PhD work focused on modifying essential flowering genes in eucalypts, poplars, and aspens. Her first two years as a postdoc scholar in NC State focused on making synthetic promoters to modify gene expression. Her work with the Gage lab focused on understanding the effects of active uORFs on gene expression and protein translation. As a native South American and an expert in arepas and cachapas, she thinks corn is the best grain.