scientists

Sebastiaan Bol, PhD, MSc  |  ORCİD

Cowboy Cat Ranch founder Sebastiaan earned his Master's degree in Medical Biotechnology (cum laude) at Wageningen University and his PhD in virology at the University of Amsterdam. He was born and raised in the Netherlands, but is living in the USA since 2011. Prior to moving to the Texas Hill Country in 2016, he lived in beautiful southern California where he did postdoctoral research at the University of California Riverside. Sebastiaan worked as a senior research scientist and assistant professor research at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio till 2025. Here, together with his wife Evelien Bunnik, he studied the development of naturally acquired protection to malaria and basic Plasmodium parasite biology using human tissues and in vitro cell cultures. He has published 26 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals (9 as first author and 5 as senior / corresponding author), including one in Nature in 2024. Sebastiaan greatly cares about scientific integrity. He is passionate about animal welfare and believes all vertebrae animals are sentient, empathic beings who should be treated as such. 

Evelien Bunnik, PhD, MSc  |  ORCİD

Co-founder Evelien earned her Master's in Biomedical Sciences (cum laude) at the oldest university in the Netherlands, located in the city of Leiden, where she was born and raised. She earned her PhD in virology (cum laude), studying neutralizing antibody responses in HIV patients, at the University of Amsterdam in 2010. After 5 years of postdoctoral research at the University of California Riverside, she started her own research lab when she was recruited by the Department of Microbiology & Immunology of UT Health San Antonio. Since 2023 she is a tenured associate professor. In her lab she studies how antibody and B cell responses protect against malaria in people with life-long parasite exposure, and, on the flip side, how such chronic immune activation affects the immune system. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, including Nature (2024), Nature Medicine, Nature Communications and Genome Research. When at home, she loves cuddling the cats, and playing Stray on the PS5 or playing Moss on the PS VR2.

Ruchita Uttarwar, DVM, MSc  |  ORCİD

Ruchita is a veterinarian and research scientist who began her career in Nagpur, India, where she earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine.  Pursuing advanced studies, she moved to the USA in 2017 and obtained a Master’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Arkansas. She furthered her education with a second master's degree from the University of California, Davis in 2022, where she studied the effect of probiotics and antibiotics on the microbiome. Ruchita published her first peer-reviewed article, with her being first author, in 2024. In her leisure, Ruchita enjoys caring for her two cats and a dog, and occasionally petsits during weekends.

Brittany Lurie  |  ORCİD

Brittany is pursuing her MSc degree in Pharmacology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Her academic journey commenced with the attainment of a BSc in Human Physiology followed by a BSc Honors (cum laude) in Biological Sciences.
Driven by a profound interest in drug discovery and neurological disease research, Brittany exhibits a keen commitment to advancing the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Brittany published her first peer-reviewed article, where she is first author, in 2023. In her leisure hours, Brittany indulges her love for music through playing piano and cherishes companionship of her three beloved rescue cats.

Naomi Kramer, PhD, MSc  |  ORCİD
Project leader

Naomi is a board member and scientist at Cowboy Cat Ranch, where she applies her PhD in Toxicology and MSc in Developmental Biology to help cats live their best lives. Professionally, she works as a regulatory scientist in the agrochemical sector. Driven by a passion for science and animal welfare, she works on research and collaboration to support Cowboy Cat Ranch's mission. She has two adorable feline companions, Assie and Anya, who graciously share their home with her. When she’s not focused on cats, you’ll find her baking, reading, gardening, hiking, or finishing that Paint by Numbers she started last year. 

Jasmine H. Hughes, PhD  |  ORCİD

Jasmine Hughes is a bioengineer turned data scientist, currently heading the Clinical Data Science team at InsightRX, a company focused on precision dosing and clinical analytics software. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and UCSF’s joint graduate program in Bioengineering, where her thesis combined bench science and next-generation sequencing to understand cancer metastasis. Before that, she earned her B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from McGill University. She published 15 articles in peer-reviewed journals, with 8 first authorships and 2 senior authorships. Based in Toronto, Canada, Jasmine shares her home with her partner and their cat Nova—a spirited rescue known for her talent at hide and seek and her enthusiasm for anything string-related. 

Natasha Casas, MSc  |  ORCİD

Natasha is a Clinical Research PhD student at the University of Jamestown. She earned her Master's degree in Pharmacogenomics from the University of Cincinnati and a double BA in Education and Biology at Kean University. Aside from currently being a PhD student, she also enjoys her committee work with the National Institutes of Health/National Human Genome Research Institute and other pharmacogenomic research projects. In her free time you can usually find her reading a book and spending time with her husband and their 6 rescued specials needs cats.

Jessie Payne, PhD, MSc  |  ORCİD

Jessie finished her PhD studies in Food Science at Oklahoma State University in the spring of 2024. She earned her Master's degree in Sensory Science from Kansas State University and her BSc degree in Food Science from Oklahoma State University. She has published six peer-reviewed articles, all with her as first author. Jessie is currently working as a sensory and product experience scientist at Purina*. In her free time, Jessie loves to be outdoors, cook, and spend time with her fiancé and their two cats, Shiloh and Milo.

*Since Jessie works for a company that sells cat food and litter, Jessie cannot and will not be involved in possible future studies from Cowboy Cat Ranch related to cat nutrition or litter.

Daniel G. Kougias, PhD, DABT  |  ORCİD

Daniel is a board-certified toxicologist and managing health scientist in the Health Sciences Advisory group at Stantec. He completed a PhD in neuroscience at the university of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018. Daniel had a very involved undergraduate career, where he held interdisciplinary research positions and completed coursework for a dual degree in molecular & cellular biology and food science & human nutrition. Daniel has published 17 peer-reviewed scientific publications—9 as first author—and 3 book chapters. In his free time Daniel enjoys working out, reading sci-fi/fantasy, and spending time with his family, which includes two cats Meeko and Sophie.

Lyndsay Breeding-Allison
Lyndsay studied zoology and biomedical sciences at the University of Oklahoma, and completed additional pre-vet coursework. She has over 20 years of experience in the veterinary medical field, primarily as a feline veterinary nurse. Additionally, while working in feline-exclusive practices Lyndsay held managerial positions which included overseeing patient care. She also provided in-home nursing services for sick and disabled cats—as prescribed by their vets—for 12 years. Lyndsay founded and ran a foster-based rescue organization dedicated to finding forever homes for cats and other domestic animals for 9 years. Lyndsay credits her beloved cats—Gypsy, Aiden, Dallas, Norman, Izzy, and Butters—for igniting her passion for all things feline.

Lindsey Robbins, PhD, MSc  |  ORCİD