Luis Bruno Barreiro

Principal Investigator

I received my undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Biotechnology at Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal. In 2008, I obtained my PhD in Human Population Genetics from the University of Paris VII. My research focuses on a better understanding how natural selection has contributed to the evolution of our species and the extent to which past selection events impact present-day susceptibility to disease. Specifically, my lab studies the evolution of immune responses both at the inter-species level as well as among different individuals and human populations.

Anne Dumaine

Research Assistant - Biochemistry

My primary research interests lie at the intersection of immunology and evolutionary genetics. Previously, I have conducted research involving the evolution of natural Drosophila populations as well as the role that innate immune cells play in tumor immunotherapy. In the Barreiro lab, I am currently investigating the metaboloepigenetic mechanisms that regulate trained immunity and immune tolerance in human macrophages. In addition, I am interested in determining to what extent mitochondrial haplotypes contribute to differential immune responses to pathogens among human populations.

João Barroso Batista

Post. Doc. – Biological Sciences, University of Chicago

In my previous research I studied how commensal bacteria (Escherichia coli) adapt to a natural environment (the mammalian gut) and the hosts factors modulating this process.

I am interested in using experimental evolution approaches to study host-pathogen interactions, for example in the context of infectious diseases. While pathogen pressure is considered a major selective force shaping the evolution of higher-order organisms, the mechanisms underlying host adaptation to pathogen infection remain unknown. My project aims to identify genetic and gene expression changes in populations of innate immune cells adapted to the pressure imposed by bacterial pathogens.

Paul L. Maurizio

Post. Doc. - University of Chicago

The environment affects our health in a variety of ways. In some cases, these effects become biologically embedded, causing persistent disturbances to pathways and dysregulation of networks that are necessary for normal function. As a postdoc in the lab, I am working on understanding the effects of the social environment on gene regulation in the immune system. I use statistical modeling of (single-cell) RNA-seq data to understand how social stress affects immune cellular composition, robustness of gene expression, and molecular circuitry.  In addition, I have an ongoing interest in modeling heritability and the genetic architecture of complex traits, including the host response to pathogens and vaccines, using quantitative and computational approaches. I obtained my PhD in the department of Genetics at UNC-Chapel Hill, and my ScM in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Yen-Lung "Onta" Lin

Post. Doc. - University of Chicago

Raúl Aguirre-Gamboa

Post. Doc. - University of Chicago

Tauras Vilgalys

Post. Doc. - University of Chicago

Mohamed B. F. Hawash

Ph.D Candidate – Biochemistry, Université de Montréal

Haley Randolph

Ph.D Candidate – University of Chicago

Sarah Sun

Ph.D Candidate - University of Chicago

Katie Aracena

Ph.D Candidate - University of Chicago

Bridget Chak

Ph.D Candidate - University of Chicago

Saideep Gona

Bioinformatician

Mari Cobb

Lab Technician

Vania Yotova

Research Associate – Ph.D – Biochemistry

Florence Mailhot-Léonard

Ph.D Candidate – Biochemistry, Université de Montréal

Renata Sindeaux

Research Associate – Ph. D.