| Mayra Alejandra Betancourt Ponce betancourtpo@wisc.edu Barroilhet/Patankar Lab |
Education: BS, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus Research: In the Barroilhet/Patankar Lab, we study ovarian cancer through different approaches. My work will focus on elucidating the effects of oxidative phosphorylation inhibition in the ovarian tumor microenvironment, looking at effects on both cancer and immune cells. |
| Joshua Brand jabrand2@wisc.edu Huy Dinh Lab |
Education: BS, Biology, SUNY Geneseo Research: In the Dinh Lab we apply computational methods to high dimensional technologies such as single cell RNA sequencing to understand immune heterogeneity of various cancers. We are interested in finding predictive markers of progression, novel therapeutic targets, and understanding interactions that define tumor immune microenvironments. |
| Beniah Brumbaugh bbrumbaugh@wisc.edu William Sugden Lab |
Education: BS, University of Vermont Research: Our Lab studies two human, oncogenic Herpesviruses: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and Kaposi’s Sarcoma Virus (KSHV). Using molecular approaches and biological imaging, I propose to examine viral processes that can be targeted to prevent viral replication. |
| Stephan DaRodda Profile darodda@wisc.edu Dan Loeb Lab |
Education: UC Davis Research: I study Hepatitis B virus and the role of the envelope proteins in viral secretion by examing and comparing Duck Hepatis B virus to other Avihepadnaviruses, such as Snow goose Hepatitis B virus. |
| Caleb Dillingham Profile cdillingham@wisc.edu Sridharan lab |
Education: BS, Cellular Biology, 2013 University of Georgia Research: Our laboratory studies the epigenetic mechanisms regulating somatic stem cell reprogramming. I am particularly interested in the enzymatic activity of histone demethylases and the roles they play in reprogramming. |
| Kim Edwards Profile kedwards22@wisc.edu David Gamm Lab |
Education: Indiana University Research: Choroideremia (CHM) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by progressive and irreversible vision loss as a result of degeneration of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE). |
| Billy Erazo berazo@wisc.edu Laura Knoll Lab |
Education: BS, Industrial Microbiology, University of Puerto Rico Research: Our lab studies the host/pathogen interaction of protozoan parasites, including Toxoplasmas gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, and T. gondii’s diarrhea-causing cousins Cryptosporidium parvum and Entamoeba histolytica. My research focuses on finding which host genes involved in cell death pathways affect the invasiveness of E. histolytica. |
| Julia Gambardella Profile gambardella2@wisc.edu Marina Emborg Lab |
Education: Salve Regina University, RI Research: I am interested in the role of the neuronal protein tau in neurodegeneration. My research uses nonhuman primate models of disease, specifically an MPTP neurotoxin model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and a MAPT R406W mutant model of frontotemporal dementia. I am currently mapping endogenous tau and phosphorylated tau distribution in the brains of healthy and diseased rhesus macaques using postmortem immunostaining methods and in vivo PET imaging. |
| Cole Gilsdorf Profile cgilsdorf@wisc.edu Josh Lang Lab |
Education: BS, 2017 Biology, UW Madison Research: The Lang lab utilizes circulating tumor cells (CTCs) found in the peripheral blood as a liquid biopsy for cancer. My research revolves around identifying biomarkers found on CTCs that can be used to diagnose cancer type and stage, predict treatment response, or offer insight into the prognosis for a patient based on their specific biomarker profile. |
| Athena Golfinos Profile agolfinos@wisc.edu Huy Dinh Lab |
Education: BS, 2017 Biology, UW Madison Research: My research is focused on assessing the translational value of various mouse models of head and neck cancer (HNC) compared to their clinical counterparts. I am also interested in using both model organisms as well as clinical samples to assess differences in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in different varieties of HNC. |
| Olivia Harwood Profile osayer@wisc.edu Shelby O’Connor Lab |
Education: BS, Biology, 2016, Colorado Mesa University Research: Our lab is interested in understanding the effects of N803, an IL-15 superagonist complex, on viremia and immune cell activation in SIV infection. Specifically, my research focuses on the role of vaccination in priming T cells to control SIV viremia after N803 treatment, and also the potential for N803 in combination with vaccination to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies. |
| Marienela Heredia Profile heredia3@wisc.edu Laura Knoll Lab |
Education: John Jay College of Criminal Justice NYC Research: Our lab’s research is focused on understanding the complex host/pathogen interactions of human enteric parasites. My project centers around the parasitic amoebozoan, Entamoeba histolytica, which infects 10% of the global population and is the causative agent of amebiasis and amebic dysentery. My research entails developing and characterizing novel murine models of both commensal and pathogenic Entamoeba infection via oral challenge, with the goal of making possible the study of the entire Entamoeba life cycle in vivo. |
| Margo Heston Profile mheston@wisc.edu Barbara Bendlin Lab |
Education: BS, 2015, Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Research: Margo Heston studies how modifiable factors such as diet and living environment may impact the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. She uses computational tools to understand patterns among data sets including intestinal microbiota profiles (16S rRNA sequencing), metabolomics (mass spectroscopy) and sociodemographic data, and to identify their relationships with pathological biomarkers measured in and around the brain. |
| Anna Hoefges Profile hoefges@wisc.edu Paul Sondel Lab |
Education: BS, Biology, University of Bonn, Germany Master of Science in Molecular Medicine, Uppsala University, awarded in 2016 Research: Our lab focuses on cancer immunotherapy in childhood cancers and melanoma. One of my projects focuses on investigating KIR and KIR-ligand interactions and how the KIR genotype can affect the outcome of the administered cancer immunotherapy. |
| Rebecca Hutcheson Profile rhutcheson@wisc.edu William Sugden lab |
Education: BS, 2015, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Mercer Universtiy, Macon, GA Research: Our lab studies Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) to understand its molecular contributions to certain cancers. My work involves identifying cellular mutations within EBV positive Burkitt Lymphoma cells that provide growth advantages to tumor cells. |
| Michelle Koenig Profile mkoenig5@wisc.edu Thaddeus Golos Lab |
Education: BS, 2013, Environmental Biology, Beloit College Research: I study the immune environment of the uterus during pregnancy. I focus on the role that the uterine immune system plays in Zika Virus infection and how it contributes to congenital pathologies. |
| Christopher Lee cclee8@wisc.edu David Evans Lab |
Education: BS, University of California, Los Angeles Research: “The Evans Lab is investigating lentiviral mechanisms for counteracting tetherin-mediated eradication of infected cells. My work centers on how neutrophils use antibody-mediated effector functions like ADCC and ADCP to eliminate HIV-infected cells, as well as on the role tetherin plays in upregulating these antibody-dependent immune functions.” |
| Andrew Lynch Profile arlynch2@wisc.edu Mark Burkard Lab |
Education: UW Eau Claire Research: Chromosomal instability (CIN), or gains and losses of chromosomes through missegregation, is a hallmark of human cancer and generates significant intratumoral genomic heterogeneity. However, the relevant rates of chromosome missegregation and the mechanisms by which cancer cells respond to these massive shifts in gene dosage are not well defined. My research focuses on answering these fundamental questions about the role of CIN in cancer progression using a combination of computational, cell biological, and single cell genomics approaches. |
| Sara Maloney smmaloney4@wisc.edu Adam Bailey Lab |
Education: BS, University of California, Riverside Research: Some of the research in the Bailey lab focuses on factors that lead to coagulopathy during viral hemorrhagic fever. My project aims to understand the mechanisms that upregulate and/or activate Tissue Factor during Ebolavirus infection and how that can result in coagulation abnormalities. |
| Morgan Mann Profile mwmann@wisc.edu Allan Brasier Lab |
Education: BS, University of Oklahoma Research: My graduate research in Dr. Allan Brasier’s Laboratory focuses on the role of Bromodomain-containing Protein 4 (BRD4) in the transcriptional activation of airway inflammation and the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) observed in Airway Remodeling. In the course of this research, I use a variety of methods – including Cell Culture Immunofluorescence and Mass Spectrometry – to probe for alterations in signaling pathways induced by BRD4 activation and to study the role of BRD4 Protein Interaction Partners. |
| Steven Mayerl Profile mayerl@wisc.edu David Gamm lab |
Education: BS, Biology, 2014 Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA Research: Work in our lab focuses on using stem cell technology to explore the cellular and molecular events that occur during human retinal differentiation and development as well as the generation of cells for human retinal disease modeling. |
| Ivy McDermott imcdermott@wisc.edu Nate Sandbo Lab |
Education: BS, Molecular/Cellular/Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder Research: I study the role of macrophages in the development of pulmonary fibrosis in mice treated with bleomycin and mice treated with a novel potential therapeutic. Our therapeutic targets fibronectin specifically, but some preliminary data demonstrates that there may be unintended consequences in immune cell numbers. I propose to investigate if macrophage numbers remain untrained following treatment and if the phenotype of these macrophages changes in treated mice compared to untreated mice. |
| Jenna Nagy Profile jnagy2@wisc.edu Raunak Sinha Lab |
Education: Ohio State University Research: First, I propose to characterize the influence of synaptic and circuit mechanisms, such as presynaptic inhibition, on retinal circuit function. Second, I propose to characterize the influence of molecular factors, such as Synaptotagmin 17, on retinal circuit function and formation. |
| Trent Prall prall@wisc.edu David O’Connor Lab |
Education: BS Genetics, UW Madison Research: Our research centers around the investigation of immune receptor gene families such as the Major Histocompatibility Complex and Leukocyte Receptor Complex. Immunogenetic regions exhibit high amounts of interhost and intrahost genetic diversity. Furthermore, the copy number variation within a single individual can vary substantially. This complex genomic architecture suffers from the challenges of short read assembly. Therefore, our understanding of the large-scale genetics of these regions is limited despite their importance in pathology. |
| Hunter Ries hries@wisc.edu Thomas Friedrich Lab |
Education: BS, University of Wisconsin – Madison Research: Work in the Friedrich Laboratory leverages deep sequencing to elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms shaping RNA virus emergence. I study viral genetic changes within and between hosts, and how these changes impact pathogenicity and transmissibility. We work closely with clinicians and public health officials to translate our findings and investigate real-world cases. |
| Anna Marie Rowell Profile arowell2@wisc.edu Ted Golos Lab |
Education: University of Oklahoma Research: Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) causes a mild infection in healthy adults but is associated with serious pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, neonatal sepsis and meningitis. However, the effect and mechanism of Lm pathogenesis during pregnancy at the maternal-fetal interface and impact on the host microbiome are not understood. Emerging studies have found connections between overall health and patient microbial diversity, which may link causation for susceptibility to disease and inflammation. To adapt this concept to a non-human primate model, current 16S bacterial rRNA sequencing techniques will be utilized to define the changes in microbial diversity in response to listeriosis in pregnancy. |
| Kaetlyn Ryan ktryan2@wisc.edu Mostafa Zamanian Lab |
Education: BS, Biochemistry/Chemical Engineering/Human Biolgy, North Carolina State University Research: Our lab studies neglected tropical diseases caused by parasitic worms. My project focuses on developing assays and measuring specific phenotypes such as motility and protein secretion as proxies for drug response. This work involves a combination or wet lab and computational approaches that we hope will result in discoveries that improve diagnostics through the identification of specific protein markers of infection and that will further drug screening methods for anti-parasitic compounds. |
| Kjell Sandstorm ksandstrom2@wisc.edu David Evans Lab |
Education: BS, Biochemistry, University of Minnestoa-Twin Cities Research: David Evans’ lab studies host-pathogen interactions in HIV and SIV infections. Specifically, I study the natural killer cell receptors KIR and NKG2/CD94, their engagement with MHC class-I ligands, and the effect of presented HIV/SIV peptides on receptor/ligand interactions. |
| Lauren Sarko sarko@wisc.edu Kris Saha Lab |
Education: BS, Biological Sciences, Pennsylvania State University Research: The Saha Lab focuses on a wide variety of research topics with the goal to advance stem cell and gene therapies. My project specifically focuses on using novel non-viral Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells (CAR T) for the development of a senescence associated therapy to reduce Brain tissue dysfunction. |
| Phoenix Shepherd pshepherd@wisc.edu Robert Kirchdoerfer Lab |
Education: BS, Biology, UW Madison Research: Coronavirus entry into host cells relies heavily on the structural spike protein (S). The structural biology of S plays important roles in pathogenesis and immune-system recognition during infection. My work investigates the dynamic, structural, and immunoevasive functions of feline coronavirus S proteins to better understand viral disease. |
| Mason Shipley mashipley@wisc.edu Donna Neuman Lab(Twitter) |
Education: BS, University of Idaho Research: Our lab studies the epigenetic mechanisms regarding chromatin remodeling and insulator protein functions/interactions that regulate HSV-1’s latency and reactivation in neuronal cells. My work focuses on investigating the roles of the enhancer element located in the 5′ exon of the Latency Associated Transcript (LAT) during HSV-1 reactivation, and the effects this enhancer has on the non-canonical reactivation gene cascade with the intent of identifying new therapeutic targets that specifically treat viral reservoirs. |
| Soniya Tamhankar soniya.tamhankar@wisc.edu Eric Shusta Lab |
Education: MS, Pennsylvania State University Research: Our lab is interested in developing in vitro models of the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) that accurately mimic the in vivo characteristics of the BBB. An in vitro BBB model would enable the combinatorial screening of drug candidates and drug-targeting strategies, a process that is not amenable to an in vivo system. |
| Vaibhav Vemuganti vvemuganti@wisc.edu Federico Rey Lab |
Education: MS Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru Tech. University, India Research: My work revolves around using interdisciplinary techniques in unraveling nuanced features of complex biological systems involving the gut. Specific flora in gut communities was shown to posses varied propensity to alter alzheimer’s pathology for the better or worse, hence studying metabolic profiles of these gut communities might help in learning pathology through the lens of microbiology and identifying novel disease mitigating systems for therapeutic targets. |
| Benjamin Wancewicz Profile wancewicz@wisc.edu Ying Ge Lab |
Education: BS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Davis, 2014 Research: My research focuses on understanding the metabolic dysfunction present in diabetic cardiomyopathy using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and proteomics. |
| Szu-Tsen Yeh syeh8@wisc.edu Dhanansayan(Dhanu) Shanmuganayagam Lab |
Education: UC San Diego Research: I am currently working on the characterization of genome engineered Wisconsin Miniature Swines (WMS) that are developed for human compatible tissue or organs. We use novel strategies to achieve the classic triple knockouts in swine and are currently exploring knockin of different genes for better humanization of the tissues. I am helping the development of screening and monitoring protocol for pig-to-primate xenotransplantation as well as screening for previously unknown targets to prolong xenotransplantation-graft survival. |
| Katie Zarbock Profile kzarbock@wisc.edu Federico Rey Lab Tyler Ulland Lab |
Education: St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN Research: My research centers on the intersections between diet, the gut microbiota, and microbial metabolites in the context of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). As certain risk factors for AD (e.g. obesity, insulin resistance) are causally impacted by the gut microbiota, and as there are significant differences between the diversity and taxa of the gut microbiota of individuals with AD as compared to cognitively normal age- and sex-matched controls, I strive to elucidate roles that specific microbial taxa, genes, or metabolites play in the pathogenesis, exacerbation, and amelioration of AD pathology. |
| Qijun Zhang Profile qzhang333@wisc.edu Federico Rey Lab |
Education: University of Science and Technology of China Research: My research focuses on integrating genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics by systems genetics approaches to understand complex traits and identify host genetic elements that control gut microbial functions and metabolism in genetically diverse mouse populations. |
