Alumni – The Leung Lab

In Alphabetical Order By Last Name

Taliman Afroz, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Taliman received her B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), and completed her PhD in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. While working as a scientist in a molecular diagnostic company in SLC, UT she helped to develop and optimize a PCR free assay to detect fungal species in blood. She recently joined the Leung lab where she will be examining the role of MAIT cells in the defense against various infectious diseases. Taliman is a proud mom of a toddler, Nevin. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking and spending time with her little family. She is currently pursuing her postdoctoral studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Sharia Ahmed, PhD, MPH

Research Associate | Microbial Pathogenesis T32 Training Grant Recipient

Sharia received her BA in Global Studies and BA in Biology from the University of Minnesota, MPH in Global Epidemiology from Emory University, and PhD in Public Health Epidemiology from Oregon State University. In 2010 she lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh working at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), and has also served as an ORISE Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, USA. She worked with the Leung Lab to develop clinical prediction rules to target molecular testing and interventions for pediatric diarrhea in low and middle-income countries. She is now faculty at Emory University in Atlanta as a CDC-funded scholar on the InsightNet project. When she’s not working, you can find Sharia running, biking, skate skiing, backpacking, or training future Guide Dogs.

Capt. Cole Anderson, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Cole received his B.Sc. (2010) in Biology at Sam Houston State University, and completed his Ph.D. (2016) in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah. During his graduate tenure, Cole studied the mechanisms of iron homeostasis and its impact on diabetes and innate immunity. Cole joined the Leung lab in 2017, where he examined the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate MAIT cell function. Outside the lab, Cole became an avid backcountry skier and mountain biker, and was often found in the mountains or desert photographing stuff. Cole has accepted a commission with the US Army as a Captain, where he will continue his research career.

Kendal Angell
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kendal Angell is a pre-med student from Salt Lake City, Utah. He received his B.S. from the University of Utah in Health Promotion and Education with an emphasis in Nuclear Medicine. He currently works in the Radiology Dept. at the University of Utah Hospital. He enjoys spending time with his wife, and mountain biking in his free time. He is currently applying to medical school.

Amanda Barrett
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Research Assistant

Amanda worked in our lab during her fourth year of college at the University of Utah where she majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. She is currently attending medical school at the University of Utah.

Fabio Barros, Jr.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Fabio is currently a sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. His extracurricular activities consist of acting as a member of the Association of Pharmacology and Toxicology Students and of the Pi Kappa Alpha international fraternity. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and spending time with his family and friends.

Michael Bennett, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Michael received his BS in Microbiology from Brigham Young University (2003), and his PhD in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA (2009). As a graduate student at UCLA, he did research on HIV escape from CD8 T cell immune responses. Following his graduate studies, he has done potdoctoral studies on the effects of aging on T cell phenotype and function, age-related susceptibility to West Nile Virus, and the development of T cell clonal expansions. He has also worked with a humanized mouse model to study drug efficacy for HIV in an in vivo model. He is currently working as a research scientist at ARUP laboratories.

Saruar Bhuiyan (Opu), Phd, MS

Postdoctoral Fellow

Opu received his BSc and MS from University of Dhaka in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and his PhD (2017) in Microbiology from Monash University, Australia. He completed an NIH-sponsored fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/icddr,b (Dhaka, Bangladesh), working on immunology of diarrhoeal disease and typhoid fever. During his time in our lab, he worked on sero-epidemiological investigations for enteric infections, in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Azman’s group at Johns Hopkins. He likes hiking, travelling, watching movies and spending time with friends and family.

Jesse C. Bliss, MPH

Public Health PhD Student

Jesse graduated from La Sierra University with B.A. in Psychology (2003) and received his MPH in International Health along with two graduate certificates (Humanitarian Assistance and Health Geoinformatics (GIS)) from Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLU SPH) in 2005. For 10 years, he served as faculty in both Global Health and Environmental/Occupational Health and as Assistant Dean for LLU SPH. Jesse is experienced in emergency public health and humanitarian disaster response and has worked extensively in Central and South America, East and West Africa, and in Guam and the Republic of Palau. Jesse loves spending time with his family, mountain biking, snowboarding, fishing and photography.

Markus Brauer

Lab Aide

Markus is currently a freshman at the University of Utah pursuing a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and German. His extra circular activities include being a member of RHA, Residence Hall Association working on two boards which help to spread awareness and acceptance across campus, and volunteering at various community efforts to help give back to the community that helped to raise him. In Markus’ free time he enjoys playing soccer and running as a member of the University of Utah Co-ed Track Club.

Garrett Brown, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow | Genomic Medicine T32 Training Grant Recipient

Garrett received a BS in biology from the University of Louisville in 2012. He completed his PhD in 2020 at the University of Utah in the laboratory of Dr. June Round. His work focused on understanding how gastrointestinal health and the microbiota alters colitis susceptibility, and how gut health affects the central nervous system. In 2021, he joined the Leung lab to utilize clinical prediction tools to identify factors that can predict the acquisition of antimicrobial resistant organisms in international travelers. He also worked to utilize next-generation sequencing techniques to determine how perturbation of the gastrointestinal microbiota impacts the “resistome” and host health. In his free time, Garrett enjoys playing a variety of stringed instruments, fishing, and skiing. He is currently a CPEP fellow at NIH pursuing clinical microbiology.

Olivia Cheng, PhD

Molecular Biology PhD Student

Olivia went to the University of California, Los Angeles and received a B.S. in Microbioloy, Immunology and Molecular Genetics. She worked as a research assistant at biotech companies for three years and was involved in projects on biofuel production and cancer vaccine development. She joined the Leung lab and did her thesis studying the regulation of MAIT cell STAT regulation and MAIT cells in cancer. She defended in 2024 and took a postdoc at the U. Outside of the lab, she has a passion for good food and jiujitsu.

Leticia Clemente
Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program Student Researcher

Leticia is a medical student at Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil who took part in the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP), an exchange program sponsored by Brazil’s government supporting science and research. As part of the exchange program, she studied Biomedical Science at Auburn University, Alabama for one year and worked with the Leung Lab during the summer of 2015 studying multi-drug resistant bacteria in travelers. Her future goal is to attend a residency program in the U.S and work in Public Health and Infectious Disease.

Jessica Davidson

Lab Manager

Jessica received her BS in biotechnology from Utah Valley University with dreams of being a research lab rat. She worked in a microbiology. lab in the medical device industry before taking a position with the Leung Lab where she is thrilled to assist with the fascinating research they are conducting. Jessica hopes to glean expertise and knowledge from the brilliant fellows and students associated with the Leung Lab to expand her understanding of the human body, science, and the world.

Valerie Fernandez

Undergraduate Researcher | Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Valerie is currently a sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a B.S. in health, society & policy with a minors in sociology, pediatric clinical research, chemistry, and health. Her extracurricular activities include being a club officer for the Association of Future Female Physicians as a Campus Outreach Director, and being a member of the organization TRIO. In Valerie’s spare time she enjoys hiking, swimming, and naps.

Joe Fuell
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Research Assistant

Joe is currently a senior at the University of Utah pursuing a B.A. in History with a minor in Chemistry. His research focuses on using historical literature to identify and evaluate antidiarrheal drugs used by local Native American tribes. His extracurricular activities consist of acting as a member of the American Chemical Society and Vice President of Tomorrow’s Scholars. In Joe’s free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, skiing, and hiking.

Deeraj Goyal, MD MPH
Infectious Diseases Fellow

Dheeraj Goyal, MD, MPH is a board certified internist, who is a clinical fellow in infectious diseases at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He earned his MD from Dayanand Medical College in India. During that time, he earned a short term research studentship award in pharmaco-epidemology from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and worked on epidemiology of contraceptive use in an underserved area in Punjab, India. He earned his M.P.H. in health management and policy from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2011, where he was a Dean’s scholar and was inducted in Delta Omega Honorary Society. Thereafter, he completed three year residency in Internal Medicine in Toledo, OH, and worked as attending physician in Mercy Hospital, Springfield, MO before moving to Utah in July, 2015 to start his fellowship. He is currently working on multiple projects including studying risk factors for community acquired ESBL infections, and developing a smartphone application for health-related counseling of international travelers. He enjoys spending his free time with his family, watching Bollywood movies, traveling, gardening and listening to Hindi and Punjabi music.

Michael Graves
Lab Technician/Research Assistant

Michael completed both a B.S. in Criminal Justice at Weber State Univ. (2008), and a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry at the Univ. of Utah (2014). He’s worked as a TA in Microbiology at the U of U, as well as for a special exchange program in August 2015 which brought students from Jazan University, Saudi Arabia to Utah for a chance to learn about biological lab techniques and practices. He also tutored biology and chemistry students at Salt Lake Community College for over 4 years. His previous research experience includes working with the Dept. of Neurology at the U as a Research Assistant for clinical studies exploring such disorders as Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington’s chorea. An avid reader, he can frequently be found perusing the aisles or settled into the cafe of local bookstores with a stack of books and a large coffee (probably his 2nd for the day; his caffeine tolerance is the stuff of legends). He also loves watching movies, hockey, and listening to music. He is now in Medical School in Iowa.

Gisiane Grouber
Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program Student Researcher

Gisiane is a student at Federal University of Parana, Brazil, where she studies Biomedical Science. She came to the U.S as an exchange student under the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP). She studied Biomedical Science at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse for one year, and also with the Leung Lab during the 2015 summer studying multi-drug resistant bacteria in travelers. After her undergraduate studies, she hopes to be part of an Infectious Disease graduate program.

Randon Gruninger
Lab Technician

Randon received his B.S. in Microbiology from Weber State University, and worked as a laboratory technician in our laboratory. During that time, he completed a Masters of Public Health from Westminster College. His research background includes developing an enumeration method for the testing of probiotics and studies on the additive effects of antibiotics to multi-drug resistant Enterococcus spp. He is currently an epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health.

Olivia Hanson

Research Analyist

Olivia received her BS in Biology (2022) from the University of Utah. She joined the Leung lab as a research analyst and works on projects focused on qualitative research and clinical decision-support tools for pediatric diarrheal diseases. She is now attending medical school at the University of Utah and is interested in pursuing a career in global health. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, road biking, and camping.

Alexandra Heitkamp

Lab manager/technician

Alexandra has a background in Bacteriophage research under Sherwood Casjens at the University of Utah. This research was presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium and is included in a journal article currently under review. Alex graduated in 2018 with Bachelors in Biology which included an Undergraduate Scholar Designation and she plans on applying to the Molecular Biology Ph.D. program at the University of Utah. Alex also enjoys traveling, reading, baking, and spending with her family. Alex is currently working at ARUP.

Darrell Henderson
Lab Aide

Darrell has a B.S. from the University of Utah in Applied Physics with a minor in Chemistry. His experience includes working in design and public policy as well as the biotech industry. Darrell was a lab aide in the Leung Lab, and worked on a project looking at immunologic markers of gut inflammation in Gulf War Veterans with post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. He is currently attending law school at Lewis and Clark.

Joel Howard, MD

Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow

Joel received his B.S. in biomedical engineering from Mississippi State University in 2009 and an MD from University of Mississippi in 2014, going on to do residency at Emory University in Atlanta. He was a Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellow at the University of Utah. Joel is interested in global health, and his work in the Leung Lab involved developing predictors for pediatric infectious diarrhea in LMICs. In his free time, Joel enjoys snow skiing, hiking, ultimate frisbee, and board games.

Emily Innis, PhD, MSCI

Postdoctoral Fellow

Emily received her BS (2014) in Biology from the University of New Mexico. She received her MS (2023) in Clinical Investigation and PhD (2023) in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Utah. Her graduate research identified a new pharmaceutical therapeutic to target HIV-infected cells in people living with HIV. During grad school she completed a certificate in Global Health that allowed her to contribute to research on the mental health of women in rural India. In 2023, Emily joined the Leung Lab as a postdoctoral fellow to study the role of gastrointestinal microbiota on respiratory health and autoimmune diseases utilizing next-generation sequencing techniques and bioinformatic tools. In her free time, Emily enjoys doing all things active outdoors, yoga, spending time with her partner, and traveling. Emily is currently at the U supporting graduate students in STEM who come from historically disadvantaged groups.

Anita Iyer, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Anita received her B.Sc. (2006) and M.Sc. (2008) degree in Microbiology from the University of Mumbai, India. She joined University of Toledo (UT), Ohio as a Ph.D. Biomedical Sciences doctoral student in the Infection, Immunity and Transplantation track. As a graduate student at UT, she studied the response to pneumococcal vaccines in HIV-positive individuals on highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). Following completion of her doctoral studies, Anita joined Dr. Leung’s lab as a postdoctoral research fellow. Her projects involved studying the effectiveness of cholera vaccines in epidemic regions and evaluating the impact of gut inflammation on vaccine response. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, going for concerts and travelling with family and friends. Anita is currently working in a fellowship program at Massachusetts General Hospital with Harvard University.

Owen Jensen

Molecular Biology PhD Student | Immunology T32 Training Grant recipient

Owen received his B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Vermont in 2014. He then worked for 3 years as a research technician at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Colorado-Denver where he studied bacterial pathogenesis and autoimmunity. He joined the Leung lab as a PhD student where he investigated the influence of MAIT cells on B cell activation and antibody production. In his free time Owen enjoys Telemark skiing, mountain biking, climbing and hiking. Owen earned his PhD in 2023 and has pursued a postdoc at University of Colorado Denver.

Daniel Labuz

Molecular Biology PhD Student | CCTS STARS TL1 Training Grant recipient

Dan received his B.S. in Biochemistry from SUNY Oswego in 2014. After a brief stint at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Dan went back to school and received an M.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Stony Brook University in 2016. His master’s thesis focused on understanding how the transcription pre-initiation complex affects nucleosome dynamics at gene promoters in yeast. Hoping to continue working in chromatin biology, Dan joined the Leung lab to tackle questions regarding epigenetics and gene regulation in MAIT cells. In addition to epigenetic MAIT regulation, he also pursued the role of MAIT cells in sepsis, which became a central part of his thesis. He earned his PhD in 2023. Outside of the lab Dan enjoys cooking good food for good people, magnets, and living in continual misery as an A.C. Milan fan.

Johanna Mora
Summer Program Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Research Assistant

Johanna is an undergraduate at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and currently working on her Bachelors degree in Biomedical Sciences. She worked in the lab as an intern for the summer of 2017, and her future plan is to go to medical school.

Carmen Nieznanski

Lab Aide | Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Scholar

Carmen was a student lab assistant for the Leung Lab. She studied biology as a pre-med student and graduated in 2024. She’s greatly enjoyed working alongside such brilliant scientists and students and has already learned so much. The knowledge she’s gained here will set her up to participate in research projects in the future which will prepare her to be accepted to medical school. She has an interest in someday becoming a surgeon.

Melissa Pender, MD

Infectious Disease Fellow

Melissa received her BS in Biology from Andrews University (2012) and her MD from Loma Linda University (2017). She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Utah (2020) where she is continuing her training as an Infectious Diseases fellow. Her interests within ID include global health and travel medicine. Melissa is working with the Leung lab to identify predictors of clinically actionable diarrheal pathogens. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, playing the ukulele, and learning new languages.

Megan S. Pierce, MD, PhD

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellow | Pulmonary T32 Training Grant Recipient

Megan received her BA (’04) in Biology from Cornell University and her PhD (’11) from Johns Hopkins University in Human Genetics studying the genetic and molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease. She received her MD (’16) from Tulane University School of Medicine. She then completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia and worked as a hospitalist before moving to Utah. She is currently pursuing her fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Utah. She is supported by a Pulmonary T32 training grant to pursue research into the role of the immune system in the pulmonary microbiome. She is the proud mom of two boys and has been introducing them to outdoor activities including hiking, biking, camping, skiing and snowboarding.

Ioana Pop

Lab manager

Ioana earned her bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from Babes Bolyai University, Romania where she studyed the impact of inorganic compounds on environment, followed by a Master of Science degree, trying to understand HIV-1 subtypes transmission and pathogenesis. At university of Utah, she continued working on drug development studies on HIV and HPV16 as part of the Bioengineering Dept, and most recently, cancer research projects involving Ewing’s sarcoma tumor development at Huntsman Cancer Institute. In the Leung lab, in addition to lab management, she worked on identifying the role of MAIT cells in various infectious diseases. Outside of the lab, Ioana enjoys time with her family, reading, fashion and experimenting with old and new baking recipes.

Melanie Prettyman

Lab Aide

Melanie is currently a sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Her extracurricular activities include being a STEM Ambassador for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development STEM Action Center, working to encourage younger students to pursue their passion for STEM, and being a member of the volunteer organization Connect2Health, which empowers individuals of vulnerable populations to utilize community resources in order to cultivate multidimensional health. She is also a part of a group of women who run a specialized prenatal clinic called SUPeRAD, which is a substance abuse pregnancy clinic that adopts an integrated healthcare approach to treating addiction. In Melanie’s spare time she enjoys swimming, hiking, acting, dancing, and attending social events.

Boris Rangelov
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Research Assistant

Boris is a senior at the University of Utah pursuing a B.S.
in Materials Science and Engineering. He is currently researching the effects of HIV on MAIT cell plasticity, and designing hydrogels that improve the biocatalytic interface. His interests include Biomaterial Design and Engineering, Polymer Engineering, and Immunology. In his free time, Boris enjoys camping, playing sports, attending social events, and hanging out with family and friends.

Nadine Sbaih
Medical Student

Nadine Sbaih worked with us while a medical student at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology and Human Development at the University of Utah. She aspires to specialize in an area of medicine that encompasses her passion for humanitarian work, research, and medical education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, hiking, cooking, and going to RSL soccer games. She will soon begin her residency in Internal Medicine at Indiana University.

Timothy Smith, DO

Infectious Diseases Fellow

Tim received his B.Sc. (2009) from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario and a D.O. (2013) from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, going on to do residency at Stroger (Cook County) Hospital in Chicago, and is now an Infectious Diseases fellow at the University of Utah. He is interested in global health and plans to attend the Gorgas tropical medicine course in Lima, Peru in Winter 2018. In his free time, Tim enjoys activities that are generally outdoors and hazardous to his health, including mountain biking, backpacking, and camping. Tim is currently working with Doctors Without Borders.

A. Michal Stevens, MD, MPH

Infectious Disease Fellow

Michal received her BS in biology and chemistry from George Fox University in 2003. She did an epidemiology fellowship at the CDC’s Arctic Investigations Program in Anchorage, Alaska. She earned an MPH in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory. She earned her MD from University of Washington in 2011, followed by residency in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed her fellowship in Infectious Disease at University of Utah, and has now moved to Great Falls, Montana where she is in infectious disease practice.

Ben Tasevac
Undergraduate Research Volunteer

Ben received his BS from the University of Utah in Exercise and Sports Science. In the Leung lab, Ben worked on a study looking at the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of students participating in short-term international service missions. He will be attending medical school at the University of Utah.

Miles Thomas

Lab Aide

Miles is an undergraduate at the University of Utah studying Biomedical Engineering. His career interests are largely focused around interfacing electronics with human nerves to build better prosthetic, cybernetic, and other varieties of devices. He hopes to learn from the rest of the researchers in Dr. Leung’s lab, so that he can pursue a research based career following his education. He is from Springville, Utah and enjoys running, cycling, and mountaineering with his friends.

Taylor Wahlig, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow – Pulmonary and Critical Care T32 Training Grant recipient

Taylor received his BS in Biology (2010) from Indiana University. After graduating, he worked for 2 years as a technician at Duke University where he studied tissue regeneration in zebrafish. He completed his PhD in Microbiology (2019) at the University of Wisconsin where he studied the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms on population heterogeneity in Salmonella. In the Leung lab, he focused on improving serosurveillance methods and investigating the role of microbiota in disease susceptibility. Outside of lab, Taylor enjoys playing music, being outside, and spending time with his wife.

Hemantha Walaliyadda
Research Assistant

Graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Biology. He is working as a Bone Densitometrist at the Arthritis Specialty Center and is applying to medical school this year. He enjoys prancing in the woods with friends, adrenaline inducing activities, and dancing enthusiastically.

RJ Williams

Internal Medicine Resident | Utah StARR Scholar

RJ received his B.S. in Biology and Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame in 2013 and his MD from Central Michigan University in 2020. In medical school, he spent his pre-clinical years working in a flavivirus lab studying the interaction between Zika Virus infection and neural stem cell development. He spent his clinical years analyzing the efficacy of a novel diagnostic for bacteremia. He was an Internal Medicine resident at the University of Utah where he was a member of Utah Starr, an NIH-funded R38 grant which provides protected research time during residency. His research involved employing seroprevalence and climate variables to develop a clinical prediction model for Dengue Virus. He plans to pursue a career in Infectious Disease working within the realm of global health and neglected tropical diseases. In his free time, RJ enjoys ski touring, fly-fishing, gardening, and spending time with his two children.

Maitland Wiren
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Research Assistant

Maitland is an undergraduate in Biology at the University of Utah. He received the UROP award for Summer and Fall of 2015, for a project detailing the microbial activation of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. Maitland hopes to become a doctor someday.