Faculty
Juan Manuel Carreno Quiroz, PhD – Research Assistant Professor
Research Staff
Ilaria Ceglia, Ph.D. – Senior Program Manager
Originally from Foggia, a city in the southern-eastern region of Puglia in Italy, Ilaria is an enthusiastic and passionate neuroscientist and neurobiologist. She earned her BSc and MSc in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies at La Sapienza University of Rome and PhD in Pharmacology at the Mario Negri Institute in Milan, Italy. She conducted her post-doctoral and research associate training in the laboratory of the late Dr. Paul Greengard, at the Rockefeller University where she studied novel molecular pathways that affect the progression of neurodegenerative processes. As a Research Assistant Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, Ilaria’s interest was focused on a more clinical translational oriented research by investigating hematological malignancies mechanisms. She returned to Rockefeller University to join the role of Science Informationist, a more project management oriented career pathway position, where she managed multiple databases and projects in the early and late stages of the drug development process. Recently, Ilaria joined the Krammer laboratory as Senior Project Manager where she manages and oversees the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program and serves as Quality Control Analyst of Krammer’s Nucleic Acid Production Service (NAPS) facility. She is eager to learn more about viruses and universal vaccines development processes. Away from work, Ilaria enjoys tasting international cuisines and finding the most authentic Italian places in the city, barbeques and happy hours with friends and family, dancing, biking, running in Central Park, cooking, playing and watching soccer – regardless Italy’s qualification to the Word Cup 2022!
Bindu Chadaga, MA – Grants Manager and CIVIC Coordinator
Frans Cuevas, MSBME – Data Manager
Frans grew up in Queens, New York and earned her B.S. in Math and Statistics at Stony Brook University. After graduating, she attended Drexel University where she received her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. She was involved in multiple academic projects, some of which included biosimulations of HIV dynamics and bioengineered neural networks used as potential interventions for patients with NDD. Since graduate school, her research interests lie in clinical and epidemiological data. In the future, she hopes to apply her data analysis expertise to public health interventions for underserved communities here in NYC. In her free time, Frans enjoys finding all the best foods in Queens with friends, playing competitive sports and hanging with her family.
Daniel Caughey – Administrative Coordinator
Daniel accomplished his BS in Health Policy and Management from Providence College, including a program in Copenhagen, Denmark studying Healthcare Delivery and Prioritization. Prior to his time in the Simon Lab, Daniel worked as a Medical Team Associate in the Boston Children’s Hospital NICU. His research interests include Epidemiology and Global Health, which he hopes to study further in Graduate School in the near future. Outside of the lab, Daniel enjoys running, hiking, and dogs!
Gagandeep Singh- Assistant Scientist
Gagandeep Singh grew up in Punjab, India where he completed his studies in Forensic Science and Human Genetics from Panjab University, Chandigarh. In his path as a human geneticist, he studied genetic diversity and structure of different population groups of India. Before joining the Krammer lab, he was working as a Forensic Biologist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) where he gained experience in Wildlife Forensics and Conservation. Outside of work, Gagandeep is very passionate about cooking and enjoys the company of nature.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Eduard Puente Massaguer, PhD
Eduard received his bachelor’s degree from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, where he majored in Biotechnology. He went on to pursue his PhD in Biotechnology working in the development of new generation vaccines based on virus-like particles (VLPs). During his PhD, he visited the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, studying different strategies to produce VLPs at bioreactor scale. Eduard joined the Krammer laboratory to work in the development of universal influenza virus vaccines based on chimeric hemagglutinins in the frame of the CIVICs initiative. Outside of the lab, Eduard enjoys playing tennis, hiking, and exploring the city.
Philip Meade, PhD
Philip joined the lab in 2015, defecting from GGS. He has never looked back. Now, he plans to use influenza protein microarrays to answer questions about the antibody response to infection with influenza virus.
Irene Hoxie, PhD
Irene earned her B.S from the University of Maryland, studying biology and geology, and did her PhD in biology in Dr. John Dennehy’s lab at the City University of New York, where she focused on Rotaviruses, RNA, and bioinformatics. Her current focuses in the Krammer lab are primarily on neuraminidase-based Influenza vaccines and next-generation sequencing. Outside of the lab, Irene enjoys hiking, painting, bar crawling, and caring for her various pets (pictured above).
Jordan Clark, PhD
Jordan Clark graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc (Hons) in Genetics in 2014. Following this, he undertook a BBSRC funded collaborative PhD studentship between the Moredun Research Institute and the University of Glasgow. This lasted from 2014 until 2018 and was supervised by Professor Alain Kohl and Dr Roman Biek at the University of Glasgow, and by Dr Colin McInnes at the Moredun Research Institute. This PhD focussed on the characterisation of louping ill virus (LIV), an important but poorly studied animal pathogen in the UK. In 2018 Jordan joined the Molecular Virology Research Group at the University of Liverpool under the supervision of Professor James Stewart. Here, Jordan studied the innate immune protein BPIFA1/SPLUNC1, specifically the mechanism through which this protein inhibits influenza A virus infection in the respiratory tract. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan switched focus to work on elucidating the phenotypic differences between SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in addition to testing antiviral drugs, vaccines, and other therapeutics using animal models. Within the Krammer lab Jordan researches the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and hantaviruses. Outside of science Jordan enjoys films, TV, botany, Buckfast, and watching Scotland be repeatedly humiliated at sports.
Nisreen Okba, PhD
Nisreen Okba graduated from the faculty of pharmacy, Tanta University with with a BSc (Hons) in pharmaceutical sciences. Following that, she worked as a pharmacist at the Ministry of health Egypt and then as a teaching assistant at the Microbiology Dept., Faculty of pharmacy, Al-Azhar University. Meanwhile, she obtained a MSc. in pharmaceutical microbiology from faculty of pharmacy, Tanta university. Her interest in virology started when she met her former supervisor Dr. Ali Zaki, who had first discovered MERS-CoV. She then joined the Viroscience dept., Erasmus Medical Center as a visiting researcher and later as a phD and postdoc. to work with on coronaviruses. Her phD project (ZAPI), under the supervision on Dr. Bart Haagmans and Prof. Marion Koopmans, focused on the development of platforms for rapid responses against zoonotic infections, where her focus was on MERS-CoV. Her work involved understanding immune responses to MERS-CoV, development of immunological assays, antibodies/nanobodies and protein-based vaccines. In Jan. 2020, with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she started as a postdoc at the same department. She was heavily involved in SARS-CoV-2 related work including assay set up, understanding immune responses, development and characterization of antibodies and vaccines. In the Krammer lab, Nisreen will focus on broadly reactive vaccines and antibodies for Influenza and Coronaviruses. Outside work, Nisreen enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and hiking.
Anass Abbad, PhD
Anass is from Rabat, Morocco. He graduated from Abdelmalik Essaadi University majored his Bachelor degree in Bioengineering and his Master degree in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology. Afterwards, he decided to pursue a PhD program in Virology at Hassan II University and Pasteur Institute Morocco. His PhD work focused on serological characterization of the emerging MERS-CoV in high-risk areas of Morocco and the impact of the human receptor DPP4 genetic variability in binding to MERS-CoV Spike protein. Anass recently joined the Krammer lab serology core to participate in the characterization of the immune response of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza virus, in addition to study the cross-reaction antibody response of the Sarbecovirus. During leisure time, Anass enjoys spending time with family and friends around tasty meals, roam in NYC to discover new cultures and go for a run in Central park.
Kirill Vasilev, PhD
Michael J Scherm, PhD
Born and bred in Frankfurt am Main, Michael moved to the north of Germany and graduated from Jacobs University Bremen with a BSc in Biochemistry and Cell Biology working on biomolecule micropatterning to investigate MHC Class I at the cell surface. During his BSc he visited abroad and spent several months in the laboratory of Sir Prof Tom Blundell at the University of Cambridge working on the tumour suppressor BRCA1 and associated protein complexes. Following this, he decided to honor his heritage as a German-Brit and move there for his further education at the University of Cambridge. At the Department of Biochemistry in the group of Prof Nicholas J Gay he conducted a research MPhil in the field of structural innate immunity and investigated how ligands such as the architectural transcription factor HMGB1 can activate Toll-like receptors leading to sterile inflammation. Following his MPhil, he continued with his PhD under Prof Gay to study the interaction between the Ebola virus spike glycoprotein and Toll-like receptor 4, the main driving force of haemorrhagic fever during Ebola virus infection and cause of death in severe cases. During the pandemic induced by SARS-CoV-2, his fascination with viruses and vaccines grew infinitely and he decided to move across the pond in order to work in the laboratory of Prof. Florian Krammer. Within the Krammer lab, Michael works on the SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza vaccines and perhaps even snake venom. When not wearing a lab coat, Michael enjoys culinary experimentation with fermentation among other things, adventurous mixing of alcoholic solutions and the odd cultural thing such as concerts, festivals, and comedy.
Research Associates
Disha Bhavsar, MS
Disha completed her undergraduate degree in India in 2015 and decided to continue with her scientific studies by attending graduate school in the USA. She earned her master’s degree in Biotechnology from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2018. During her master’s degree, she worked on the properties and cross-linking in the proteins found in Alzheimer’s plaques. In her time outside the lab, she likes to explore new places and undertake different activities, like hiking.
Madhumathi Loganathan
Madhu earned her Bachelor of Technology degree in Biotechnology in India and did her Master’s in cellular and molecular biology at Long Island University. Later, she worked in infection control at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In the Krammer Lab, she is working on cloning and recombinant viral proteins production in insect cell lines. In her spare time, Madhu enjoys exploring new places.
Benjamin Francis
Kaitlyn Bushfield
Kaitlyn recently completed her Bachelor’s Degree at the New School where she majored in Interdisciplinary Science and minored in Psychology. She is thrilled to continue her research career at Krammer Laboratory where her primary focus is next-generation sequencing. Kaitlyn’s research interests lie at the intersection of communicable disease and novel therapeutics as well as achieving equity in their production and distribution. Outside of the lab, Kaitlyn enjoys drawing, collaging, reading, spending time with friends, and enjoying the outdoors on the West and East coast.
Pooja Bandawane
Pooja completed her bachelor’s in Microbiology in India and moved to the US for her Master’s in Biotechnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her masters, she worked at the Dillard lab to understand the pathogenesis of gonorrheal infection. Post-graduation, she moved to New York to work with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for developing therapeutics and vaccines for respiratory viruses. At the Krammer lab, she will work on developing universal vaccines and therapeutics for SARS CoV2 and Influenza. When not in the lab, Pooja enjoys dancing, sketching, listening to metal music, and traveling.
Temima Yellin
Temima Yellin recently graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva University where she studied molecular and cellular biology. Previously, she worked at NYU researching ancient genomic adaptations. She is currently a member of the Krammer lab’s serology core where she is researching the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Outside of the lab, Temima enjoys cooking, photography, and attempting the New York Time’s crossword.
Brian Monahan, MS
Brian grew up on Long Island and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Maine in microbiology working with influenza and innate immunity. Continuing his education he just recently graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Masters of science in Public Health: Epidemiology. During his time at UMass he conducted research within the subject of Autoimmune Diseases, and Thyroid Conditions. Brian has general research interests in statistics and modeling within the public health sphere as well as mechanisms of action of pathogens with a special love for viral pathogens. When not working he can be found, volunteering as an EMT, Taking pictures, or playing games.
Leeba Sullivan
Leeba recently graduated from Yeshiva University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Previously she has worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine researching longevity. Leeba has an interest in the intersection between research and medicine and is very excited to be a member of the Krammer lab serology core team where she will be studying the immune response to the Sars-CoV-2 virus. Outside the lab, you can find Leeba exploring NYC or spending time with family and friends.
Sara Morris
Sara Morris recently graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She completed her senior thesis on the history of vaccines as well the rapid development, mechanism, and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. Sara is very excited to continue her research on vaccines in the Krammer Laboratory where she will be studying the immune response to the Sars-CoV-2 virus. Outside the lab, you can find Sara playing sports, hanging out with friends, and studying for the MCAT.
Miriam Fried
Miriam graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Yeshiva University in NYC and is currently pursuing her MS in Biotechnology at The Katz School of Science and Health. She recently joined the Krammer Lab in the serology core where she is studying the immune response to the Sars-CoV-2 virus. She is interested in protein expression and is excited to learn more about its application in the biotech field. In her free time, you can find Miriam traveling, reading, or hanging out with her friends.
Jeremy Yong
Born in Mount Sinai and raised in NYC, Jeremy would continue his tour of New York by earning his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at Cornell University in 2020. From an early age, he has been passionate about science and the natural world; his experiences, most notably as an Organic Chemistry Tutor at Cornell, allowed him to realize an additional passion for helping others. This led Jeremy to pursue a career in academia, where he spent two years attaining a Master’s in Teaching while teaching eighth-grade science. Now, returning to Mount Sinai, Jeremy is seeking to help others by working as a research associate at the Krammer Lab. Outside of the lab, Jeremy can be found getting buckets, playing video games, painting, or enjoying movies.
Visiting PhD Students
Robert Hoezl, MS
Robert grew up in Upper Austria surrounded by cats, chickens and avian influenza. At the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, he began his bachelor’s program in biotechnology and food science with a focus on brewing beer and improving yeast promoters. His Masters started out with trying to bake sourdough bread during the pandemic and then shifted to working in the lab of Gordana Wozniak-Knopp and Florian Rueker on the affinity improvement of an antibody binding the major apple allergen. He is now looking forward to start working on a universal influenza vaccine in the Krammer lab.
Leticia Guzman Ruiz, MSc
Leticia earned a bachelor’s degree in experimental biology from the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. She then completed her master’s degree in the Arias-Lopez group at the Institute of Biotechnology (UNAM). She got engaged in the investigation into how cells and viruses interact. Currently, she is a 3rd year PhD student at the Vienna University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU). She developed VLPs with the neuraminidase from the influenza virus expressed at the surface using the baculovirus insect cell system expression approach and certain purification techniques. She will carry out the immunological tests to evaluate her VLPs as potential vaccinations at Mount Sinai Hospital in Krammer laboratory. As a scientist, she has a huge hunger for knowledge. One of her goals is to empower other girls from all the continents to pursue scientific careers and together build a network full of talented women.