Dr. Andrew Pekosz
Professor and Vice Chair
Andy received his BS in Biochemistry from Rutgers University before going on to complete his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania working on bunyaviruses. After postdoctoral work at Northwestern University, he joined the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor. He moved to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2007. Andy has been doing research into respiratory viruses such as influenza, hantavirus, enterovirus D68 and emerging respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and he still finds time to do some experiments in the lab. Andy enjoys watching (and sometimes playing) soccer (go Gunners!), tasting craft beers and working on a native plant garden.
Dr. Jaiprasath Sachithanandham
Research Associate
I earned my PhD in virology (2015) from the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. My research expertise is in virology, molecular biology, high-throughput sequencing and molecular assay development. My primary research interest includes the understanding of the biology of host and viral factors associated with disease progression. During my PhD, I studied the virological and immunological role of opportunistic DNA viruses in HIV-1 infected individuals.
In my postdoctoral training, I developed single-cell laser capture microdissection (scLCM) and single-cell sequencing to characterize the intrahepatic burden, infer a mode of viral propagation and distance-based sequence divergence between the clusters of hepatitis C virus infected cells. My current research is to better understand the association between the transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 by performing the virus isolation, sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and characterization of virus fitness using in vitro model systems.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy long walks, exploring new places, watching movies, spending time with friends and family.
Dr. Sattya Narayan Talukdar
Postdocorate Fellow
Sattya obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of North Dakota in Biomedical Sciences. During his graduate work, he studied the effect of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection on the host actin cytoskeleton in bronchial epithelial cells. As a member of the Pekosz lab, Sattya is working to measure neutralizing antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 variants and characterize the replication and epithelial cell-specific response to infection in primary respiratory epithelial cell cultures. Outside of the lab, Sattya enjoys playing cricket, listening to music, and creating new recipes.
Camille Wouters
PhD Candidate (5th year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Camille graduated from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) in 2020 with a BSc in Biological Sciences (Biochemistry). Previously she has worked in labs which study trypanosome VSG switching and changing Simian-HIV populations within a single host. Her undergraduate dissertation at Edinburgh’s Buck Lab focused on changing viral and host miRNA levels in in vitro MCMV infections. In the Pekosz lab, Camille has characterised SARS-CoV-2 variants appearing in persistently infected immunocompromised patients, and now studies the vesicle trafficking pathways that SARS-CoV-2 requires for replication. Outside of the lab, she enjoys pretty much any outdoor activity, reading, swimming and drinking Earl Grey tea.
Elgin Akin
PhD Candidate (4th year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Elgin graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2019 with a B.S. in Microbiology. He then went on to study at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the Malaria Biologics Branch investigating P. falciparum genetic diversity and vaccine efficacy as an ORISE fellow.
In the Pekosz Lab, Elgin is investigating Influenza B host-pathogen interactions in primary cell lines and contributes to the Hopkins influenza surveillance efforts. His thesis work intersects traditional molecular virology and high throughput sequencing approaches to identify casual links in viral growth kinetics and the innate host response in human nasal epithelial cells. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, biking and exploring Baltimore’s vibrant food scene.
Annie Werner
PhD student (3rd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Annie graduated from Cornell University in 2019 with a B.S. in Microbiology and Infectious Disease Biology. There, she worked in the Aristilde lab focusing on metabolomics and metabolic bypasses in soil bacteria in response to nutrient deprivation. Before joining Hopkins, she worked at the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center under Dr. Barney Graham & Dr. Bob Seder, evaluating humoral responses to MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, and evaluating efficacy of monoclonal antibody prophylactics for malaria in preclinical models. In the Pekosz lab, Annie looks at the function and expression of the IAV neuraminidase and neuraminidase-specific inhibitory antibodies. When not in lab, Annie enjoys searching for & listening to music, going for long walks with her dog, and baking.
Yee Vue
PhD Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Yee graduated from Augsburg University in 2020 with a B.S. in Biological Science. As a Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program Student in Dr. Kareem Mohni’s Lab at the Mayo Clinic, Yee worked on Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1), studying the role of host factors in DNA repair of HSV1. Currently, Yee is studying Influenza A hemagglutinin binding and exploring the role of temperature on binding affinity and avidity. Yee is Hmong American, who was born and raised in Minnesota. Outside of the lab, you can find Yee at the lake fishing for a 10lber largemouth bass.
Abigail Conte
Research Technologist
Abby graduated from Wellesley College in 2020 with a B.A. in Biological Sciences and Studio Art, with honors in Studio Art. While at Wellesley, she worked in the Matthes Ecolab, primarily working on modelling the effects of climate change. In the summer of 2018, she worked in the Lehmann Lab in the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research at NIAID studying the dry-season ecology of Anopheles gambiae. She also previously interned in the Dimopoulous Lab at JHBSPH studying chromobacterium-Anopheles interactions. In the Pekosz Lab, Abby primarily works on projects focusing on Enterovirus D68, as well as assisting on SARS-CoV-19 work. A Maryland native, outside of the lab Abby enjoys following Baltimore sports, printmaking, discovering new music, and reading.
Diana Appiagyei
ScM Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Diana graduated from The Ohio State University in 2023 with a degree in Microbiology. During her undergraduate studies, she had the privilege of working alongside Dr. Rosa Lapalombella in her laboratory. Her research primarily focused on Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and the pivotal roles of TP53 and TET2 in its development. Within this lab, they utilized dKO mice models and conducted various experiments including survival curves and RNA sequencing to deepen our understanding of AML.
Transitioning into the field of Virology, she is currently part of Dr. Andrew Pekosz’s Lab, where her main focus revolves around Enterovirus D-68 (EVD-68) and the characterization of the 2022 isolate. Beyond her academic pursuits, she finds joy in playing tennis and embarking on new adventures and experiences.
Yunyi Ru
ScM Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Yunyi earned her B.S. degree in Cell & Molecular Biology at Duke Kunshan University in May 2023. At Duke Kunshan, she worked in Dr. Yajuan Lin’s lab on an environmental microbiology project, where she monitored seasonal variations in surface water antibiotic resistance gene abundance around Yangcheng Lake, a shallow water lake near the Duke Kunshan campus.
In the Pekosz Lab, Yunyi is currently working on RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) characterization and surveillance. Outside of the lab, Yunyi enjoys digital painting, reading, and playing guitar.
Juliet Trautman
ScM Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Juliet graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Bioengineering in 2022 and continued to complete her MS in Bioengineering in 2023. During her time at NEU she worked in the Lee-Parsons Lab on metabolic engineering of the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus to increase production of chemotherapy drugs vinblastine and vincristine. Her master’s thesis worked to characterize the C. roseus transcription factor MYC2a. In the Pekosz Lab, Juliet is looking at the impact of Influenza infection on host cell polarity. Outside of lab, Juliet enjoys reading (she just tracked her reading for the first time and is very excited that she finished 75 books in 2023!), baking, and going camping.
Juanyu Zhang
ScM Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Juanyu graduated from University of California, San Diego in 2023 with degrees in Human Biology and Public Health. While at UCSD, she worked in the lab of Dr. Tony Yaksh, studying the immunological mechanisms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. In the Pekosz Lab, Juanyu is currently working on influenza surveillance. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing cello.
Tianle Zhang
ScM Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Tianle graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Immunology and Infectious Disease and a minor in Biology. While at Penn State, Tianle worked in Dr. Sandeep Prabhu’s lab, where he mainly focused on evaluating the antileukemic effects of combinations of several novel selenium containing drugs in a transgenic mouse model of acute myeloid leukemia. In the Pekosz Lab, Tianle is currently working on SARS-CoV-2 infectious cloning. Outside of the lab, Tianle enjoys playing basketball, listening to music, and watching animations and sports games.
Chenyue Zhao
ScM Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Chenyue graduated from Rutgers University in 2023 with a B.S in biochemistry. While at Rutgers, he worked in the Barber Lab, discovering the synaptic neuronal activity in Drosophila’s brain. In the autumn of 2023, he rotated in the Culotta lab, focusing on the relationship between copper chaperone ATX1 and copper pump CRP in Candida Albicans. In the Pekosz lab, Chenyue works on the vaccination efficacy of influenza A virus H3N2 (A/Darwin/9/2021). Currently, he is working on the comparison between H1 & H3 using a hNEC model. In Chenyue’s leisure time, he enjoys watching soccer games and has been a huge fan of Man City since 2016. He also loves playing basketball, and taking photos!
Haley Heine
ScM Student (1st year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Haley graduated from Macalester College in 2023 with honors in Biology and a minor in Geology. Her undergrad thesis focused on delimiting cryptic species of tiny arachnids in New Zealand using novel machine learning methods in Dr. Sarah Boyer’s lab. In the Pekosz lab, Haley is currently studying how different SARS-Cov-2 variants use vesicle trafficking pathways to replicate in cells. Outside of lab, she enjoys going to the movies, looking for fossils, and finding cool bugs.
Matthew Pinsley
ScM Student (1st year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Matt graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2024 with a B.S. in Microbiology. During his undergraduate studies, he studied effector proteins secreted by Coxiella burnetii which promote intracellular growth within parasitophorous vacuoles. In the Pekosz lab, he is studying the growth and isolation of influenza viruses on different cell lines, and works with the influenza surveillance team in monitoring and characterizing circulating strains of influenza in Baltimore. Outside of the lab, he enjoys listening to and playing music, hanging with his cat, and rock climbing!
Khaleel Plunkett
ScM Student (1st year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Khaleel graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology. He previously worked under the Markham Lab at JHBSPH in data analysis and miRNA. In the Pekosz Lab, Khaleel is currently working on researching EVD68 (enterovirus D68) fitness. Outside of the lab, Khaleel enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing piano.
The Pekosz Lab 