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.
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
Cary Brandolino
Research Technician
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
Neha Joshi
Bioinformatician
Alumni
Joaquín Sanz Remón
Post. Doc. – Bioinformatics, Université de Montréal
Genelle Harrison
Ph.D Candidate – Human Genetics, McGill University
Olivier Tastet
Bioinformatician
Jean-Christophe Grenier
Research Assistant – Bioinformatics
Anik St-Denis
Research Assistant – Biochemistry
Alain Pacis
Ph.D Candidate – Bioinformatics, Université de Montréal
Yohann Nédélec
Ph.D Candidate – Bioinformatics, Université de Montréal
Tiago Carvalho
Post. Doc. – Bioinformatics, Université de Montréal
Golshid Baharian – Post. Doc. – Bioinformatics
Jessica Brinkworth – Currently Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign