NIU MAC Lab staff

Elizabeth R. Gaillard, Ph.D.
Lab Director and Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry 
gaillard@niu.edu 

Elizabeth Gaillard has directed the NIU Molecular Analysis Core Laboratory since it was founded in 2019. A professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Gaillard is working to advance understanding of eye diseases, particularly age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in older adults. Her team uses a wide variety of experimental methods to study the mechanisms involved in photooxidative damage to the retina, including optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.

Dr. Gaillard earned her B.S. at Florida State University and Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. She worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for Fast Kinetics Research (UT Austin) and the Center for Photoinduced Charge Transfer (University of Rochester, NY) before coming to NIU in 1998.

Michael Vega, Ph.D.
Lab Manager
mvega5@niu.edu 

Michael Vega has been the lab manager for the NIU Molecular Analysis Core Laboratory since 2019. He specializes in aiding and training researchers in mass spectrometry techniques, including LC-MS, MALDI-MS and ICP-MS analyses, as well as other spectrophotometric and thermal techniques. Vega is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the lab, including ensuring that safety protocols are followed and performing routine instrument maintenance. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2013 and Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry in 2019 at Northern Illinois University, and he is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree.