Born of bedrock. Driven by data. Forged in CHAOS.

Welcome to The Washburn CHAOS Lab

We’re not your average lab.

Led by combat-intel-vet-turned-health-geologist Dr. Rachel Washburn, the CHAOS Lab combines microbiology, geochemistry, and field grit to uncover the invisible ecosystems shaping life in Kentucky—and beyond.

We sequence to Slipknot. We lick rocks. And we fight for science that matters.

Chaos Meets Science

Exploring the impact of geologic systems on microbial life and human health through fieldwork and advanced omics analyses.

Feral Scientists Unite

We sequence to metal music, driving discovery in bioprospecting and pathogen surveillance.

In the Field

We go where science gets gnarly - caves, mines, and toxic springs. Field boots on. Let's get dirty.

We run omics, informatics, and geochem like a live set. Collaborators welcome. Volume guaranteed.

In the Lab

@WashburnChaosLab

Incoming CHAOS

Kentucky Geological Survey Annual Seminar

We’re rolling into the KGS Seminar—where geology hits the real world, and we’re here to throw down on collaboration, chaos, and Kentucky’s future.

6/10

Science doesn’t rest—and neither do we. Here’s what’s next from the CHAOS zone: science briefings, data drops, and a whole lot of noise.

KY Association of Mapping Professionals GIS Conference

We’re hitting the KAMP geospatial information systems stage—Where Microbes Meet Maps: A Dynamic Geohealth Tool for Kentucky.

9/23-9/25

American Society of Pharmacognosy Annual Meeting

8/2-8/6

We're taking the mic at ASP2025—From Mud to Medicine: A geospatial strategy for natural product discovery and pathogen surveillance.

North American Cartographic Information Systems Meeting

Plot twist: microbes are on the map. Catch us live at the NACIS meeting presenting—The Good, the Bad, and the Bioproductive: Microbial cartography in Kentucky.

10/15-10/18

Lexington, ky

Grand Rapids, MI

Florence, ky

Louisville, ky

Volbeat with Halestorm: Greatest of All Tours Worldwide

Noblesville, IN

We're taking a break from microbes to scream with Volbeat and Halestorm—field-tested, volume-approved.

8/21

The N-glycan blueprint of Sertoli cells: Pioneering insights into immune modulation using LC-MS/MS Techniques

Bennett AI & Washburn RL, Adeniyi M, Nwaiwu J, Solomon J, Dufour JM, Mechref Y

Sertoli cells aren't just sperm babysitters—they’re glycan-cloaked immune ninjas, and even with gene edits, their sugar shields still mess with transplant rejection.

Microbial composition of intrauterine device biofilm correlates with complaints and abnormal removals in parous Hispanic women

Hamann LK & Washburn RL, Makii M, Brown E, Hampton M, Schlabritz-Lutsevich N, Ventolini G, Phillips C, Rumbaugh KP, Tipton C, Redman WK

Symptom-heavy IUDs suggest it’s not just bad luck—it’s a bacterial mosh pit, with Fusobacterium and friends thrashing harder than Lactobacillus can keep up.

Sertoli Cell Saga: Adventures in the Testicular Protein Realm Enabled by Advanced LC-MS/MS Methods

Bennett AI & Washburn RL, Adeniyi M, Sandilya V, Solomon J, Dufour JM, Mechref Y

Testicle tanks loaded with immune-shredding proteins, Sertoli cells crush transplant rejection—this is the first full proteomic scream into their molecular mayhem.

Geohealth in Kentucky: Integrating Geological Insights and Health Outcomes

Washburn RL, Robinson D, Curl D, McGlue MM

Kentucky’s geology brings the pain and the cure—geohealth research digs into radon, runoff, and microbes to turn rock-fueled health chaos into science-fueled solutions.

2025

Chaos Projects

Exploring geologic systems and microbial life for human health.

Bioprospecting

Our feral scientists embrace metal music while sequencing groundbreaking research, pushing the boundaries of bioprospecting and pathogen surveillance in the chaotic realm of geohealth and applied omics.

Statewide Microbial Mapping

Our innovative initiatives focus on microbiome mapping and pathogen surveillance, utilizing advanced omics technologies to uncover the intricate connections between geology, microbes, and human health in a chaotic environment.

Chaos Unleashed

The CHAOS Lab welcomes scientists who defy convention.
We’re here for those who do the work for the right reasons—pure science, no ego, no agenda. Just data, grit, and a relentless pursuit of truth.

This isn’t a white-coat cult. Our science is rigorous, field-tested, and grounded in real-world experience.

If you’ve got scars, you’ve also got strength.
This is where resilience fuels research.
Welcome to the pit.