Watowich Lab Members

Stephanie S. Watowich, Ph.D.
Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology
Professor and Deputy Chair
Department of Immunology
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Bhakti Patel, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
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My research interests lie in understanding the anti-inflammatory role of STAT3 in bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDM) and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. I am further interested in determining transcriptional targets of STAT3 in HSCs and myeloid cells, to elucidate the mechanism by which STAT3 protects HSCs and BMDMs from inflammation-induced DNA damage.

Laura Kahn Serrudo
Ph.D. Student
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Colitis is a major immune related adverse event (irAE) that occurs upon checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. I am interested in elucidating the role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and IL-6 family cytokines in checkpoint blockade-associated colitis. 

Josué Pineda
Ph.D. Student (co-mentored with Dr. Matt Gubin)
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My research interests are in dendritic cells and cancer vaccines. For my doctoral project, I am elucidating the role of MHC class I and MHC class II antigen presentation by tumor-specific CD103+ dendritic cell vaccines.

Elizabeth Park, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (co-mentored with Dr. Jen Wargo)
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My research project focuses on identifying how the gut microbiome affects response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy and ICB-induced toxicity. I am investigating the links between the specific composition of the microbiome, activation of the innate and adaptive immune systems and tumor response in mouse models to identify gut microbiome manipulations capable of improving ICB responses in both pre-clinical and clinical settings.

Morgan Riba
M.D./Ph.D. Student (co-mentored with Dr. Cassian Yee)
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My research interests include dendritic cell biology, cancer vaccines and cell-based immunotherapies. My project involves exploring and manipulating the diversity of T cell responses to cDC1-based vaccination strategies. I’m working  to understand how changes in the T cell landscape drive a clinically  relevant immune response to murine tumor models in vivo.

Sarah Schneider
Ph.D. Student
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Immune related toxicities occur in the majority of patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. My research focuses on understanding the role of the innate immune system and the gut microbiome in ICB-associated colitis.

Ariel Nash, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
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I am a pediatric clinical fellow interested in solid tumor pathology and the immunological response to the tumor microenvironment. My research work involves cDC1 vaccines, specifically investigating their role in the tumor microenvironment and in the recruitment of T cells. 

Khaoula Ouchen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Throughout my academic journey, I have gained valuable work experience in cancer immunotherapy and gene engineering strategies through various research positions. During my doctoral studies at the Ludwig Cancer Research Institute in Lausanne, Switzerland, under the mentorship of Prof. George Coukos, my focus was on unraveling the intricate mechanisms that shape the systems biology of engineered T cells. Currently, as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Stephanie Watowich's lab, my primary focus is delving into the potential of cDC1 cell vaccines within the context of tumors, alongside exploring innovative gene-editing approaches to optimize their efficacy.

Sara Meril, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
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 My research endeavors revolve around deepening our comprehension of dendritic cell biology within the context of tumor development, as well as enhancing dendritic cell-based cancer therapy. Additionally, I am passionate about leveraging advancements in cell engineering to manipulate the tumor microenvironment, thereby bolstering dendritic cell infiltration and potency in combating cancer.