People

Kinjal Majumder, PhD - Principal Investigator

Kinjal majored in biology, chemistry, and mathematics at Drury University. He then went to graduate school in immunology at Washington University in St Louis and completed his post-doctoral training in virology at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Sara Maloney

Sara graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from UC Riverside in 2018. In 2025, she completed her PhD in CMP at UW–Madison in Dr. Adam Bailey’s lab, where she defined the receptor proteins required by multiple arterivirus species for cellular entry.

Allison Spillane

Ally earned her B.S. in Biology from UCCS in 2018 and her PhD in ERP from UW–Madison in 2025. Some of her graduate work focused on testing therapeutics, including a pre‑clinical gene therapy, to treat LCA16, a genetic disorder that leads to blindness

Rhiannon Abrahams

Rhiannon graduated from La Sierra University with a B.S in Biomedical Sciences. Her undergrad research focused on viral replication and host interactions. In her free time, Rhiannon enjoys reading, crafts, and baking. Her hometown is Chandler, AZ.

• Microbiology Doctoral Training Program

Clairine Larsen

Claire graduated from Denison University in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology where she researched epigenetics of UV hyper-resistance in Yeast. Claire enjoys climbing, collecting houseplants and spending time outside. Her hometown is Cross Plains, WI.

• Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

Monnette Summers-Villarreal

Monnette graduated from Texas State University with a B.S. in Biochemistry. Her undergrad research focused on protein-RNA interactions in Arabidopsis. Monnette enjoys playing with her dogs, good food and seeing new sights. Her hometown is Pharr, TX.

• Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

Gavin Marcoe, M.S

Gavin graduated from UW-Green Bay in 2018 with a Bachelor's in Cellular and Molecular Biology. He earned his Master's degree in Bacteriology in 2024 from the UW-Madison. He enjoys playing video games, working out, and seeing new places.

• Cancer Biology Graduate Program

Ian Stukes

Ian earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UW–Madison in 2022. His postbac research examined resistance mechanisms in bladder cancer in response to targeted therapies. He enjoys video games, cooking, and watching football in his free time.

Raymond Ha

Raymond is a Senior at UW-Madison and is currently studying Biochemistry. His hometown is St. Louis, Missouri. He enjoys bouldering, golfing, and playing video games.

Ellie Hart

Ellie is a Senior in the Pharmacology and Toxicology program at UW-Madison. Her hometown is Patchogue, New York. She loves reading, bookbinding, and winning in Mario Kart.

Diya Patel

Diya is a Junior at the UW-Madison studying biology on the pre-medicine path. She is from West Bend, Wisconsin. She enjoys working out, playing pickleball, and going on walks during the summer.