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.
Postdocs
Allison Spillane, PhD
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
Graduate Students
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.
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.
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.
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.
Masters Students
Raymond Ha
Raymond graduated from at UW–Madison and is currently in the Bacteriology Masters program. His hometown is St. Louis, Missouri. He enjoys bouldering, golfing, and playing video games.
Undergraduate Students
Diya Patel
Diya is a Senior 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.
Lab Pets
Nebula (Human: Monnette)
Nebula better know as Nebbi. Loves treats, toilet paper and cardboard boxes. Loves to cuddle on her own terms.
Nova (Human: Monnette)
Nova better known as mamacita baby girl, chikibaby, or princess loves to look out the window, eat blueberries, and watch movies.
Aries (Human: Kinjal)
She is a woman in STEM. She loves chasing rabbits, hunting for treats, and begs like a champ.
Felicette (Human: Ellie)
Felicette also known as Lacey. Loves all the finer things in life (beans, toothpaste, and socks).
Little Man (Human: Gavin)
The true embodiment of an orange cat: sweet, lovely, and cuddly one moment and a complete monster the next.
Roxy (Human: Rhiannon)
Roxy is the definition of a lap dog. She loves pup cups, cuddles, and to be in your personal space.
Lab Alumni
Jessica Pita Aquino (Graduate student, CMB graduate program)
Ephraim Liegl (Undergraduate hourly)
Edward Pham (Summer intern)
Lauren Bunke (Research Specialist)
Sarah Rubin (Undergraduate Researcher)
Isabella Jones (Undergraduate Researcher)
Elizabeth Hofer (Undergraduate Researcher)
Ava Bartz (Undergraduate Researcher)
Ellie Hart (Undergraduate Researcher)