Caitlin Williams
I graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. After graduation, I commissioned into the US Army Veterinary Corps and have practiced veterinary medicine at US military bases in the US, South Korea, and Europe. Along the way, I became board certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine. […]
Grace Vick
Grace received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Western Carolina University in 2017. After graduation, she interned at the Defense Forensic Science Center in Atlanta, GA, and then spent the next two years as an ORISE Fellow in the Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control […]
Victoria Mendiola
I am a PhD candidate with an interest in tropical parasitic diseases and a passion for integrative biology. Broadly, my goal is to adapt and apply integrative approaches to the development of phenotypic and behavioral assays that examine the disruption of basal homeostasis in parasitic organisms. Currently, I am a […]
Wendy Cuevas-Espelid
Wendy worked in private veterinary practice in England, Florida and Georgia for over 10 years before her role as the Associate State Veterinarian for the GA Dept of Agriculture where she was responsible for the Animal Health Section. She is currently the Director of Veterinary Services for the Georgia Veterinary […]
Nick Foster
After receiving a Bachelors in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Michigan State University in 2022, I subsequently joined University of Georgia and the IDIS program to further my studies; focusing on microbial engineering to treat and prevent diseases.
Kayla Adcock
I received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a minor in Spanish from UGA in 2015. I then obtained my Master of Science in Preclinical Sciences from Mercer University in 2018. I have since been working as a research technician in Dr. Daniel Mead’s lab at the Southeastern Cooperative […]
Jacob Fairholm
I’m originally from Northern Virginia. I earned my BS in microbiology and my MS in microbiology and molecular biology from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. During my masters, I studied how mutations to an HIV protein affect the virus’s ability to causes disease.
Joseph Dainis
Joe Dainis obtained two B.S. degrees (Biology/Biotechnology and Biochemistry) from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. He participated in undergraduate research focusing on the RNase E-mediated regulation of RNA degradation in Mycobacterium smegmatis in Dr. Scarlet Shell’s lab at WPI. He then researched Candida albicans gut fitness in the presence of […]
Marshah Menos
Hi, my name is Marshah Menos and I am a PhD student in Dr. Frederick Quinn’s lab. I completed my undergraduate at the University of Florida, but am now proudly a Georgia Bulldog. I am studying how to prevent the entry and replication of Mycobacterium in human host cells at […]
Jillian Masters
Jillian Masters earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, where she completed research on mosquito immunology, Buruli ulcer, and the interactions between insects and Mycobacterium ulcerans. After entering UGA through the ILS program, she joined the labs of Dr. Fred Quinn and […]
Sarah Hosking
I graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2020 with a BS in Biomedical Sciences and a BA in Psychology before moving to Athens. I am a part of the DVM-PhD program, and am working on characterizing a virulence factor shared by Tier 1 Select Agents Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia […]
Maiya Callender
Maiya Callender is a graduate student in Eric Harvill’s Lab. Her research focus is on how maternal vaccination against pertussis protects the newborn from infection.
Kwadwo Oworae
Kwadwo Oworae gained his BSc in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana where he researched on detection and characterization of tick-borne infections in cattle. He then perused an MPhil in Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Ghana. During that time, he researched […]
Daniel Wychrij
Daniel Wychrij completed his MSci in Biochemistry at the University of Manchester, during which time he performed research in the laboratory of Dr Ilaria Russo, identifying and profiling inhibitors against Plasmepsin V, a Plasmodium falciparum aspartic protease which is responsible for protein export. After graduation, Daniel moved to Washington University […]
Rose Miller
Rose Miller is a doctoral student in Jarrod Mousa’s lab at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine at the Center for Vaccines and Immunology. She works with several respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and parainfluenza virus. Her thesis work includes developing monoclonal antibody therapies and […]
Sean Ray
I’m a CBS PhD student in the lab of Mark Tompkins studying the viral immunology and vaccinology of influenza virus. My research focuses on novel vaccine platforms and adjuvants in the context of influenza. Specifically, the immunogenicity of influenza peptides and proteins conjugated to TLR agonists is of keen interest. […]
Laiba Uroog
I am a Graduate student in the Department of Infectious diseases. My research interests include the development of viral diagnostics and determining immune responses against highly pathogenic strains of Influenza viruses in different animal models.
Taylor Chapman
Taylor completed her B.S. in Biology and Chemistry at Georgia Southern University. She then acquired a M.S. in Biology at Georgia College and State University under the direction of Dr. Dave Bachoon surveying the molecular detection of pathogenic Leptospira and microbial source tracking of fecal pollution in San Juan, Puerto […]
Caroline Page
My name is Caroline Page and I am from San Diego, California. I worked for a biotechnology company for 2 years before starting my Ph.D. at UGA in Infectious Diseases. I study influenza B and utilize mouse and ferret animal models to better understand host-immune response to contemporary viruses.
Amr Abbadi
I’m a PhD student in the Quinn/Karls lab studying the molecular biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the department of infectious diseases. Previous degrees: MSc in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology BSc in Clinical Pharmacy
Lucy Ubaka
Lucy Ubaka is from Nigeria and completed her bachelor’s degree in microbiology. Upon graduation, she volunteered for Family Health International 360, a non-profit organization with a worldwide response to HIV/AIDS especially in the area of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), malaria, and tuberculosis. During her master’s […]
Saniya Sabnis
Saniya Sabnis completed her BS in Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, during which time she performed research in medicinal chemistry and organic synthesis investigating the methodology of several reactions. She continued her education by earning an MPH in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh. While there, […]
Naveen Gokanapudi
I have a pharmaceutical sciences background with a masters in Chemistry. I joined ILS program in 2020 and in currently Rada lab of IDIS department studying opportunistic pathogens that effect cystic fibrosis patients.
Colleen Sedney
Colleen is a graduate student in the lab of Dr. Eric Harvill. Her research is based on understanding how the causative agent of whooping cough, Bordetella pertussis, is able to specifically modulate and override the neonatal immune system. Colleen’s research has identified a specific requirement for pertussis toxin in severe […]
James Oristian
My research interests revolve around the study of vector-transmitted diseases and parasitology. Previously, I studied Trypanosoma brucei flagellar beating at Clemson University as an undergraduate student, before continuing on to an IRTA post-baccalaureate fellowship at NIAID/NIH to study Leishmania spp. and their sandfly vectors. My current research revolves around the […]
Hua Shi
Hua Shi is a third-year doctoral candidate in the infectious disease department with a major in comparative biomedical science. She was born and raised in China and got her Bachelor of Science degree at the Central South University in China, majoring in pharmacy. Her laboratory experience as an undergraduate triggered […]
Ana Lorton
The focus on my research is to identify the mechanism of increased disease severity associated with influenza B and pneumococcus coinfection. This is done by identifying different components of the innate immune response; in addition, to the effect of the microbiome on disease severity.
Thomas Rowe
Thomas Rowe received his Master’s in Applied Biology from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1999 and has a broad experience of over 25 years in developing animal models for emerging infectious disease research. He has worked with mouse (both lab adapted and wild), rat, cotton rat, rabbit, nonhuman primate and […]
Wayne Cheng
My name is Wayne Cheng, and I am a PhD student in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences program under the mentorship of Dr. Chester Joyner. My current research focus is to understand Plasmodium vivax liver-stage biology using comparative genomic approaches with third generation sequencing platforms.
Judith Reyes Ballista
Judith M. Reyes Ballista completed a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras. During that time, she obtained diverse research experience in virology and disease ecology by studying protein interactions of Zika, Ebola, and HIV and the dynamics of Anole lizard malaria […]
Nada Abbadi
I graduated in 2019 with a B.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Misr International University in Cairo, Egypt. I came to UGA in 2020 to start my PhD in Infectious Diseases under the supervision of Dr Jarrod Mousa. I’m currently researching the antibody response to Influenza vaccination, isolating monoclonal antibodies […]
Leonor Sicalo
Dr. Leonor Sicalo Gianechini is a PhD candidate in the Department of Infectious. Dr. Sicalo earned her DVM at the University of the Republic in Uruguay, in 2017. She then pursued a residency on animal health at the National Institute of Agriculture Technology in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to engaging […]
Kaito Nagashima
I attended UGA as an undergraduate, earning a B.S. in Microbiology with a minor in Music. As an undergraduate, I worked under Dr. Biao He to study RNA editing and F-HN protein interactions in mumps virus. I stayed at UGA for its Infectious Diseases PhD program, where I am researching […]
Nuha Ashtiwi
PhD candidate. I completed my medical degree (MD) at the University of Tripoli, in Tripoli, Libya. I acquired a Master’s degree in Health Sciences in Medical Laboratory / Biomedical Sciences MLS at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, US. My previous research work focused on the phenotypic analysis of mutant strains […]
Subhan Ullah
Driven by my passion for virology, my current research revolves around Fowl Adenoviruses (FAdVs) detection and characterization. I am dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of these avian pathogens. I am focused on developing robust detection methods for all five FAdV serotypes (A to E). Leveraging my knowledge of viral genomics […]
