Previous T32 Trainees

2025/2026 Trainees

Predoctoral Fellows:

Carter Dwyer – Project Title/Focus: Define the genetic and functional basis of siderophore production and import/export in Hc to provide fundamental insight into how this pathogen overcomes host-imposed iron restriction

Miranda Hilt – Project Title/Focus: Role of glucocorticoids in stress-induced microbial dysbiosis and antimicrobial defense during infectious gastroenteritis

Michael Parthun – Project Title/Focus: Delineate the unique roles of RIG-I and MDA5 in antiviral immunity throughout IAV infection to identify RIG-I- and MDA5-mediated spatial alterations in IAV distribution and antiviral responses

Emily Rego – Project Title/Focus: Identify MtD inhibitors through high throughput screening (HTS) of small molecule libraries with Salmonella to validate small molecule inhibition of MtlD in vitro

Postdoctoral Fellows:

Dr. Jana Cable –Project Title/Focus: Decipher the mechanisms by which prior viral infections impact disease severity, pathology, and lung/heart tissue damage in sequential respiratory virus infections

Dr. Sophie Hopkins –Project Title/Focus: Decoding the immune modulatory effects of Staphylococcus aureus on innate lymphoid cells and S. aureus impact on immune mediated disease

2024/2025 Trainees

Predoctoral Fellows:

Erin Fowler – Project Title/Focus: Hypoxic microenvironment in Leishmania-infected lesions plays a dual role in pathology by promoting cytoxicity and decreasing IFN-y production in CD8 T cells

Bella Lee – Project Title/Focus: Determine the cell-intrinsic role of VC in lung TRM and associated lung immune outcomes

Matthew McFadden – Project Title/Focus: Determining a role for MeCP2 in the development, maturation, and effector functions of cytotoxic lymphocytes

Abbey Saadey – Project Title/Focus: Understand mechanisms that regulate T cell exhaustion to identify therapeutic targets to improve durable responses to T cell-based immunotherapies

Postdoctoral Fellows:

Alyssa Cole – Project Title/Focus: Determine whether biofilm formation on gallstones is required for chronic infection of S. Typhi in mice

Sophie Hopkins – Project Title/Focus: IL-22 prodcued by ILC3s is necessary to mount an effective early immune response against S. aureus

Melissa Leonard – Project Title/Focus: Progress report on Aiolos research

2023/2024 Trainees

Predoctoral Fellows:

Michelle Chamblee – Project Title/Focus: Development of a novel quadrivalent MMSR vaccine for infants and children

Parker Denz – Project Title/Focus: Determine if IFITM3 deficiency promotes adaptation of respiratory viruses to a new species in vivo & Determine whether IFITM3 deficiency lowers the minimum infectious dose of zoonotic influenza virus in vivo

Erin Fowler – Project Title/Focus: Determine if HIF is required for CD8 T cell-mediated pathology & Determine if hypoxia suppresses the protective phenotype of CD8 T cells

Charlton Lam – Project Title/Focus: Develop phage-AMP combinations against P. aeruginosa and Candida spp. Biofilms & Development of engineered phages against P. aeruginosa and Candida spp. Biofilms

Abbey Saadey – Project Title/Focus: Determine the role of KLF3 as a regulator of cytotoxic programs in CD8+ T cells & Investigate whether BMP-Smad1/5 signaling promotes durability of CD8+ T cell responses to ICB

Postdoctoral Fellows:

Jesse Hall – Project Title/Focus: Host and pathogen factors that support Bordetella pertussis nasal colonization

Melissa Leonard – Project Title/Focus: The Ikaros zinc finger transcription factor Aiolos as a novel regulator of T cell migration

2022/2023 Trainees

Predoctoral Fellows:

Erin Boulanger – Project Title/Focus: Exploring an innovative approach to inhibit both bacterial and fungal pathogens by leveraging sugar-phosphate toxicity

Michelle Chamblee – Project Title/Focus: Development of a novel quadrivalent MMSR vaccine for infants and children

Audra Crouch – Project Title/Focus: Identification of microbiome taxa associated with RA in American Indians

Jasmine Tuazon – Project Title/Focus: Eos as a novel candidate regulator of TH1 and TFH differentiation and function during immune responses to influenza infection

Postdoctoral Fellows:

Jesse Hall – Project Title/Focus: Host and pathogen factors that support Bordetella pertussis nasal colonization

Adam Kenney – Project Title/Focus: Influenza-associated cardiac dysfunction

Srijana Pokhrel – Project Title/Focus: Determine the role of Aiolos in regulating CD8+ TCM and TRM differentiation and function