PhD students

Virology 
Pekosz Laboratory
Elgin is a current PhD student in the Pekosz lab. He currently studies virus-host interactions at the nasal barrier with specific interests in how viral proteins suppress and manipulate innate immune proteins. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, biking and landscape photography. 
eakin1@jhu.edu

Aishwarya grew up in the UAE and earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology from BITS Pilani Dubai Campus in 2021. In 2023, she graduated with a master's in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health under the guidance of Dr. Stephane Lajoie. Her master's thesis was based on understanding the innate immune mechanisms governing airway allergic diseases. Following her graduate studies, Aishwarya worked as a research technologist in the Gour/Dong lab (JHUSoM), where she focused on investigating the role of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in inflammatory conditions. She is passionate about understanding host immunity and its dysregulation in disease. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, singing, playing badminton, reading fantasy fiction, and binge-watching K-dramas!

aatakka1@jhmi.edu 

Immunology
Bream Laboratory
After realizing her deep interest in immunology during her bachelors degree at the University of Illinois, Malika decided to pursue a PhD in MMI at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is greatly interested in studying host-pathogen interactions and their impact on disease pathology. 
mbasu5@jh.edu

Virology 
Persaud Laboratory
Soumia's research focuses on the role of interferon susceptibility in the persistence of perinatally acquired HIV. Outside of the lab, she serves as the volunteer coordinator and sex educator with the JHU Community Adolescent Sex Education program.
sbekka1@jh.edu

Fungal biology
Casadevall Lab
Daniella graduated from Grinnell College in 2020 as a Posse Scholar with a B.A. in Biology. From there, she joined the National Institutes of Health in the lab of Dr. Patrick Duffy and studied malaria vaccinology for two years. In the Casadevall lab at Johns Hopkins, she focuses on cryptococcal encapsulation as well as fungal thermotolerance. Daniella is a voracious reader, writer, and artist.
dbutle46@jhu.edu

Bacteriology 
Davis Laboratory
Kate is a PhD Candidate in the lab of MMI Associate Professor Kim Davis. She completed her undergraduate studies at SUNY Geneseo where she majored in biology. She also played the flute and danced for fun! Kate likes studying microbes and their weird actions in response to different environments/stresses. 
kcotten1@jhu.edu 

Virology
Romerio Laboratory                                                                                                                       Philip was studying biology and entomology as an undergraduate at Cornell University when COVID-19 hit, igniting his interest in infectious disease. He's since graduated and worked as a vector-biology technician (focus on Aedes spp. mosquitoes) before joining MMI, where he plans to shift his research focus to virology and viral immunology. Talk to him about bugs, viruses, music, and horror movies.
pdanzig1@jhmi.edu

Curtis graduated from bioengineering at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. During his degree he pursued research on macromolecular interactions within the Trypanosome editosome, and worked in industry R&D focused on novel protein therapeutics and tissue engineering. Curtis is passionate about promoting STEM education as a leader of the Canadian Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Conference (CUBEC), and writes music for piano when not stressing over science.

cehlert1@jh.edu 

S. aureus Host-pathogen interactions
Davis Laboratory
Parsa is born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He went to undergrad at UW Seattle. He loves being outdoors, particularly snowboarding, biking, and mountaineering and really enjoys playing pick-up sports ... although he considers himself aggressively mediocre at most of them. Big fan of politics/policy podcasts (Pod Save America and Hacks on Tap especially).
pfarhan1@jh.edu

Malaria transmission - Plasmodium sporozoites
Sinnis Laboratory
Stefano is originally from Peru! where he majored in biology. Since he was an undergrad, he worked on different projects focused disease ecology, specifically, in neotropical primates. For the past 3 years, he has been focusing on malaria in the Peruvian Amazon. He enjoys hiking in the Amazon rainforest, his favorite place on earth. He also enjoys playing videogames, reading LGTBQ books and playing volleyball.
sgarci48@jh.edu

Fungal biology
Casadevall Laboratory 
Gracen graduated from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Public Health. During her time there she did research in laboratory of Dr. Tara C. Smith, examining rat microbiomes and screening for antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Now at the Bloomberg School of Public Health for her PhD, she enjoys hanging with her lab and friends, her cat Louis (Pasteur), and exploring Baltimore.
ggerbig1@jhu.edu

Host-pathogen dynamics
Davis Laboratory

Peri graduated from the University of Rochester with a BA in Biology and minors in Health, Behavior, and Society and Computational Biology. Following her Bachelor's, she spent a year in Switzerland through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program developing an intestinal epithelial organoid model to study Salmonella. Now, she is excited to integrate a public health perspective into her research at BSPH. Outside of academia, she enjoys hiking, running, and good coffee.
pgoldbe8@jh.edu

Fungal biology
Casadevall Laboratory
Frankie's interests include mycology (go fungi!) and metal acquisition during infection as well as vaccine development for arboviruses, especially those endemic in the Caribbean! Some of his favorite things to do include exploring the outdoors, especially rock climbing and biking! He especially enjoys meeting new people and trying new dishes (food!). 
fhernan8@jhu.edu

Fungal biology
Casadevall Laboratory
Ella graduated from Cornell University with a major in entomology and minors in Health Policy and Infectious Disease Biology. During her time there she was a research assistant in the Harrington Lab studying mosquito mating biology. At the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health she joined the Lab of Arturo Casadevall and now researches the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans while continuing interdisciplinary projects on the structural biology of insect cuticle.
ejacob34@jh.edu

Virology, Immunology, HIV
Persaud Laboratory
Kristen studies perinatal HIV infection and latency reversal kinetics. She enjoys bike rides and yearly Miami trips with the PhD cohort. 
kkelly73@jhmi.edu

PhIP-Seq / Phage Display / Malaria parasite invasion of RBCs / Immune response to vaccination & natural infection
Srinivasan Laboratory
elee171@jhu.edu

Immunology, Virology
Cox Laboratory

Jenny is originally from Taipei, Taiwan. She pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in microbiology within Dr. David O'Connor's lab. She earned a master's in molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins under the guidance of MMI Professor Sabra Klein. Jenny's research interest lies in understanding immune responses to viral pathogens and their vaccine-induced immunity. Beyond the lab, she enjoys baking, traveling, and exploring aesthetic restaurants.
mlee300@jhu.edu
 

Host-pathogen interactions 
Persaud Laboratory

Emily studied mathematics and biology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA, where she developed a love for studying microbes during a summer internship at JPL. She then worked in a malaria lab at Brown University before pursuing a PhD at Johns Hopkins in MMI. In her free time, she enjoys baking, ultimate frisbee, and finding new places to eat! 
emilyyueliang31@gmail.com
 

Immunology
Baumgarth Laboratory

Beatriz is a Brazilian who grew up in the UK. She came to the U.S. for University with the initial mindset of pursuing medicine. Little did she know that she was going to fall in love with immunology and vaccinology because of the pandemic, and now she is pursuing her PhD to work in this field.
lopesbeatrizsilva@gmail.com

Immunology
Lajoie Laboratory

Aishwarya grew up in India and studied biotechnology during her undergrad at VIT. She came to the US for her master’s in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins. During her time there, she was a student researcher at the Lajoie Lab studying innate immune mechanisms of allergic asthma. Following graduation, she also worked as a research technician at the Dong lab with a focus on cancer immunology. She is deeply passionate about immunology, with her interests primarily focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of the immune system, and she is now pursuing her PhD in MMI. In her free time, Aishwarya enjoys baking, watching movies and TV shows, and solving escape room puzzles!
amagesh2@jh.edu

Malaria genetics
Prigge Laboratory
Alexis studied molecular biology in Missouri at William Jewell College. In her junior year of undergrad, she worked full-time at a Schistosome lab at the University of Wisconsin - Madison before spending the rest of the year studying at Oxford University. She is now making her way through the MMI PhD program while volunteering at the Maryland Science Center and with the Journal of Emerging Investigators.
amann15@jh.edu

Host-Pathogen Interactions
Pekosz Laboratory
Grant graduated from the University of Georgia in 2018 with a BS in Biology and worked in the field of parasitology as an undergrad. In the Pekosz Lab, he studies mitochondrial dynamics in host cells across the respiratory epithelium and how viruses like Influenza manipulate mitochondria upon invasion. Outside the lab, he enjoys listening to vintage vinyls, baking copious amounts of sourdough, and going for long runs along the Baltimore waterfront.
gbutsch1@jhu.edu

Molecular parasitology
Prigge Laboratory

Sebastian is a first-generation student originally from Peru. During the end of his bachelors studies, he developed an interest in research and decided to pursue a masters degree in Dr. Veronica Jimenez’s molecular parasitology lab where he found his love of trypanosomes.
smesone1@jhu.edu
 

CNS alphavirus infections
Griffin Laboratory
Lisa has a research background in bacteriophage therapy, Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections of the developing brain, PIM/FLT3 inhibition of acute lymphocytic leukemia in primary patient samples, etc., but thoroughly enjoys working with chikungunya virus and investigating its interactions with neural vs. neuronal cells. 
​​​​​​lpieter1@jhu.edu

Parasitology; Host-pathogen interactions
Thompson Laboratory

Karli was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. She attended Case Western Reserve University where she obtained a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's of public health with a concentration in global health. During her time at CWRU, she worked under Christopher King studying invasion mechanisms of P. vivax malaria. Broadly, she is interested in host-pathogen interactions and vaccine and drug development against infectious agents. 
​​​​​​kreding2@jh.edu

Biochemical pathways of the Plasmodium apicoplast and mitochondria
Prigge Laboratory
Luciana is originally from Mozambique but grew up in 5 different countries! She completed her undergrad studies in biomedical sciences at Maastricht University, in the Netherlands, and after took a gap year where she spent 6 months in Costa Rica and 6 months in Mozambique, working on Malaria research. She then went on to pursue her ScM degree in MMI and remained in the department for her PhD studies. Beyond science, she is an advocate for well-being and promoting a work-life balance in academia. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, going on walks or reading. 
ldinis1@jh.edu
 

Immunology
Cox Laboratory
Kat did her undergrad at the University of Manitoba in Canada. In Andrea Cox's lab, she studies vaccine-induced immune responses in populations underrepresented in clinical trials, including pediatric solid organ transplant recipients and people who inject drugs. Outside of the lab she enjoys hiking, biking and reading. 
kroznik1@jhu.edu

Malaria
Sullivan Laboratory
Abeer is working on antimalarial mechanisms of action and drug resistance mechanisms in P. falciparum. Prior to this she did her ScM in the same lab working on hemozoin kinetics. She did her undergrad at Northeastern after which she worked in Cambridge, MA for a few years in the cancer space before coming to Hopkins. Abeer is originally from Massachusetts which means she is a wicked crazy Boston sports fan!
asayeed1@jh.edu

 

Lulu is interested in host-parasite interactions, parasite genomics, and anything else sufficiently weird or wiggly. She completed her master's thesis in the Mugnier Lab at BSPH, where she studies the antibody response to the variant surface glycoprotein in African trypanosomes. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, going to concerts, and spending lots of time in Patterson Park.

lsinger9@jhu.edu 

Bacterial pathogenesis
Davis Laboratory
Jamie grew up in Seattle, Washington and then attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon for undergrad. She majored in biology and minored in chemistry and anthropology. She was also on the cross country and track teams in college and continues to enjoy running. 
jsmit554@jhmi.edu

 

Vector Biology 

Sinnis Laboratory/ McMeniman Laboratory

Hannah grew up in rural Pennsylvania and has always harbored an interest in entomology and infectious disease research. She received both her Bachelors in Molecular Biology and MPH in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases from Yale University. Her research has focused on vector-borne disease and parasitology, and she has a particular passion for mosquito-borne pathogens. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, board games, video games, and reading fiction.

hsproch1@jh.edu 

T cell immunology
Cox Laboratory
Georgia graduated from McGill University (Montreal) with a major in microbiology and immunology and a minor in philosophy. As an undergraduate, she studied oral vaccines to enteric pathogens. As a PhD student at Johns Hopkins, she studies T cell responses to viral infections. Her thesis work focuses on understanding CD8+ T cells in the context of Hepatitis C Virus clearance and reinfection. 
gstavra@jhmi.edu

Immunology
Sabrina completed her undergraduate degree in pathobiology and immunology at the University of Toronto. In her spare time, she enjoys reading mystery novels (big fan of Agatha Christie!) and watching horror movies.
 

Microbiology

Pekosz Laboratory
Yee was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When he does have free time he enjoys taking naps and eating pastries. 
Yvue1@jh.edu

Viral immunology 
Pekosz Laboratory 
Annie is originally from New York and did her undergraduate degree there as well, in microbiology and infectious disease biology at Cornell University. She then went to NIAID's Vaccine Research Center (VRC) where she worked on coronavirus vaccine development for two years. And now she is here in the MMI PhD program! In her free time, she really enjoys listening to & finding new music! Please call her Annie, not Anne!
awerner9@jhmi.edu

Virology
Pekosz Laboratory
Camille grew up in London and did her undergraduate degree at the University of Edinburgh. Camille is now working to characterize SARS-CoV-2 variants appearing in persistently infected immunocompromised patients. When not pipetting, she enjoys pretty much any outdoor activity, reading, swimming and drinking Earl Grey tea.
cwouter1@jhmi.edu
 

Virology, Immunology
Griffin Laboratory
Having lived in Vietnam for most of his life, Steve is highly interested in studying viral immunolgy. He graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a B.S and also completed his ScM in the MMI department in 2022 where he conducted his thesis work with Professor Andrew Pekosz assessing early SARS-CoV-2 evolution. Currently he studies measles virus pathogensis and immunology in the Griffin lab. Outside of research, he enjoys watching and playing soccer and golf.
syoon33@jh.edu