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. Hsuan Liu
Research Associate
Hsuan got her PhD degree from Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry Program at Georgia State University in 2014 and MS degree in Epidemiology at National Taiwan University in Taiwan in 2003. Before coming to the US, she worked in Reference Laboratory of Mycobacteriology, Taiwan Center for Disease Control, performing tuberculosis genotyping to identify patient clusters in hospitals, schools or high prevalence areas in Taiwan. Her graduate works were studying host proteins involved in West Nile Virus RNA replication and viral surface protein mutations of Japanese encephalitis virus. She finished her postdoc training in the Pekosz lab to study influenza A virus M1 and M2 proteins in virus assembly. She is now a research associate in the lab participating in influenza virus surveillance to identify seasonal viral mutations and/or reassortments and their potential effects on patients’ clinical outcomes and viral fitness. Her research interests are to integrate molecular techniques and epidemiological tools to understand epidemics. Hsuan enjoys travelling with her husband, friends and families to discover cities, historical sites as well as National Parks in the US.
Dr. Ioannis Sitaras
Research Associate
Ioannis Sitaras holds a Ph.D. in Virology and Epidemiology, a Masters of Research in Biomolecular Science, and a B.Sc. (with Honours) in Biomedical Sciences. He joined the Pekosz lab in January 2021 as a Research Associate, and is currently the lead researcher on SARS-CoV-2 antigenic characterisation and vaccine efficacy through various serological techniques and antigenic cartography. Ioannis is the contact professional for NIAID CEIRS Southern Hemisphere surveillance, serology and antigenic characterisation for SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza. He was also awarded a grant as a WHO external technical consultant on serological assays and vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants, and their implications for vaccine strategy and policy-making decisions. Ioannis has more than 15 years of experience in research, which includes government (CDC, USDA), industry (Novartis) and academia. He has studied and worked in 6 different countries, has been involved in a large number of national and international research projects, and is proficient in a wide range of techniques. For the past 13 years, Ioannis has been working in the field of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 research, with an emphasis on virus evolution, genetic characterisation, antigenic characterisation (wide variety of serology techniques and antigenic cartography), vaccines and epidemiology. He has presented his work in many international conferences and has received awards for his presentations. Ioannis is experienced in establishing and managing national and international collaborations with other institutes and research teams.
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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. Jo Wilson, MD
Clinical Fellow
Jo is originally from Atlanta, GA. She attended Kennesaw State University receiving a B.S. in Biochemistry. She then went on to the Medical College of Georgia focusing on pediatric medicine. After medical school, she completed her pediatric residency training at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. She is now a Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Fellow at Johns Hopkins working with children with atopic conditions and primary immunodeficiency. Her research career began prior to starting medical school where she worked in Graeme Conn’s laboratory at Emory University studying Adenoviral RNAs that inhibit innate immune pathways. Currently in the Pekosz lab, she studies Influenza B Virus and human nasal epithelial cell defense against viral infection. Outside of the lab, she loves spending time with her family, spending time outside in nature and reading.
Dr. Eddy Anaya
Postdocorate Fellow
Eddy received a B.S. degree in Biology from Texas A&M International University where he worked on testing and characterizing anti-microbial activity of plants with Dr. Addo-Mensah. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of New Mexico in biomedical sciences working in the lab of Dr. Neumann. During his graduate work, he used quantitative live cell optical microscopy techniques to investigate host-microbe interactions between innate immune cells and fungal pathogens. Specifically, studied the biophysics and cell biology of the Dectin-1 receptor regarding its dynamics for recognition of fungal pathogen associated molecular patterns. Eddy is currently working under Andy Pekosz where his project examines the localization of SARS-CoV-2 variants in both our human nasal epithelial cells and veroE6 cells via confocal microscopy. Additionally, he is examining the role of Fc neonatal receptor, and Poly Ig receptor proteins in the transcytosis of antibodies for the neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 in human nasal epithelial cells.
Jessica Resnick
PhD Candidate (4th year, Human Genetics and Molecular Biology)
Jessica graduated from Mercer University in 2018 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, summa cum laude and with University Research Honors. While at Mercer, Jessica worked with Dr. Amy Wiles and Dr. Clay Pandorf on a collaborative project investigating novel long non-coding RNAs that regulate muscle atrophy in rats. She also was an Amgen Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, where she worked with Dr. Jacco Boon investigating proteins involved in the host inflammatory response to highly pathogenic avian H5N1 infection. In the Pekosz Lab, Jessica’s thesis work focuses on viral and host determinants of Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 temperature dependent replication. She is also involved in collaborative projects characterizing emerging SARS-CoV2 variants. Outside of the lab, Jessica enjoys hanging with her cats Franklin (Frankie) and Fezzik, growing her indoor jungle, and staying active through boxing classes and hikes.
Grant Butschek
PhD Candidate (3rd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Grant graduated from the University of Georgia in 2018 with a BS in Biology and Psychology. As an undergrad, Grant worked in the field of parasitology studying how parasite proteins manipulate host cells upon invasion and screening antiparasitic compounds for novel drug discovery. In the Pekosz Lab, Grant studies how viruses like Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 manipulate host cell mitochondria upon invasion and the impacts these viruses have on cell death and inflammation signaling. Outside of the lab Grant enjoys listening to vintage vinyls, baking copious amounts of sourdough, and going for long runs along the Baltimore waterfront.
Nico Swanson
PhD Student (2nd year, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology)
Nico graduated from Florida State University in 2018 with degrees in Biochemistry and French. While at FSU, he worked in the lab of Dr. Akash Gunjan in the College of Medicine studying the relationship between histone expression and metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. After graduation he spent two years at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the Division of Food Safety, where he analyzed foods and cannabis for pesticides, antibiotics, and cannabinoids using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. As a member of the Pekosz Lab he works on influenza surveillance, characterizing clinical isolates of influenza A and B and identifying phenotypically important mutations. Outside of the lab Nico’s interests include rock climbing, playing piano, and shopping for obscure used books.
Camille Wouters
PhD Student (2nd 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. Now, Camille is mostly working on how SARS-CoV-19 spike protein activity differs between emerging virus variants. Outside of the lab, she enjoys pretty much any outdoor activity, reading, swimming and drinking Earl Grey tea.
William Zhong
MHS Student, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
William graduated from the University of Washington in 2019 with a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. His undergraduate research focused on investigating bacterial longevity using a model bacteria system-Rhodopseudomonas palustris. After graduating college, he worked in the Department of Genomic Science at the University of Washington with the Seattle Flu Study. William and his team initially discovered the first case of COVID-19 community transmission in the United States. William participated in the design of a fast, low-cost CLIA approved SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis assay during the early COVID-19 pandemic. He also aided the Washington State Department of Health in surveilling SARS-CoV-2 variants using next-generation sequencing technology. In the Pekosz Lab, William is currently working on rescuing recombinant SARS-CoV-2 using a bacterial artificial chromosome and investigating the molecular mechanism of syncytia formation by SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Outside of regular work, William enjoys skiing and attending jazz concerts.
Allison Chen
Research Technologist
Allison graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2021 with degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and History of Science, Medicine, and Technology. She was previously a summer intern in the Clapper Lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center, studying colorectal cancer prevention, and an undergraduate researcher in the Pekosz Lab. As a research technologist in the Pekosz lab, she is currently working on identifying the impacts of recent changes in influenza A neuraminidase. Originally from New Jersey, outside of the lab Allison enjoys watching movies, visiting the local farmers market, and participating in reader’s theater groups.
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 watching Orioles games, printmaking, discovering new music, and watching cult TV shows.
Maggie Li
Research Technologist
Maggie has a BS in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Public Health from the University of Washington and earned an ScM in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University in 2020. She previously worked in the Jordan lab, where she studied the roles of SMC5/6 during neurogenesis. In the Pekosz lab, Maggie is currently working on characterizing SARS-CoV-2 and EV-D68 in clinical samples. Maggie enjoys still-life sketching and finding the best boba in town.
Ruifeng Zhou
Research Technologist
Ruifeng graduated from UC Irvine in 2017 with a B.S. in Biological Science. He worked in a private biotech company after graduation and later joined the Genomics Core at Scripps Research in San Diego. During his 2 years living near the beautiful sunny coast, Ruifeng worked on rare tumor mutation detection and assay kits development and optimization, using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), digital PCR, and microarray techniques. Ruifeng joined the Pekosz Lab in 2019 as a Master student in MMI and worked on characterization of Influenza B virus for his thesis. Now he has switched to working on SARS-CoV-2 on virus isolation from patient samples and variant characterization. He is also involved in multiple collaborative animal studies of SCV2 infection in hamsters. Ruifeng is also a photographer, a soccer player, and a vocalist outside of lab, amateur of course. Recently he has been getting into Formula 1 and racing.
The Pekosz Lab 