Meet The Team

Shankar earned his PhD at Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden and then went on to work as a Post Doc at the University of Pittsburgh. After two years growing his research managerial skills in industry (Innovent Biologics) Shankar found that he missed academic pursuits and we are delighted to welcome Shankar back to the McGeachy lab. Shankar is interested in studying T cell signaling pathways and molecular mechanism with a special emphasis on human Th17 differentiation and development in autoimmune disease. In his spare time, he likes hiking, cooking, and playing with his dog.

Dongwen was brought up in a northern city of China and completed his MD degree in Xiangya medical school, Central South University, located in the south of China. Dongwen joined Dr. McGeachy’s lab at the University of Pittsburgh as part of the Xiangya-Pitt MD-PhD degree in 2018. During two and half year, he spent a great time with Mandy, Saikat, Shankar, Katie, Alex and Qixing. Then, he went back to China and worked in Xiangya Hospital, one of the top hospital in China, as a gastroenterologist and postdoctoral researcher with continued collaboration with Dr McGeachy. Dongwen is interested in the interaction of stromal cells with B cell and how trained immunity effects IBD outcomes. In his personal time, Dongwen likes to cook and read. 

Nnamdi is from Nnokw,  in Anambra State, Nigeria. He Got his DVM degree at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, in 2015 and worked as a Veterinarian afterwards. From 2017-2019 he completed his Masters degree training in Immunology at the University of Manitoba in Canada, afterwards he worked as a Research Associate for a while studying mechanism of HIV latency maintenance in CD4+T cells. Thereafter, He proceeded to Cornell University for his PhD. He is interested in understanding the role T cells play in driving pathologies like autoimmune diseases. He is also interested in Veterinary pathology and processes of disease development. In his spare time, he likes to play and watch soccer, and also have conversations with people.

Haven studies immune training, with a specific focus on IL-17-stromal cell axis. Her research now aims to understand how the location of the immune training response shapes the subsequent immune responses, particularly how training in the skin can shape immunity in the gut. Outside the lab, she enjoys doing absolutely nothing and rotting in bed or discovering good places to eat in Ithaca with her friends.

Nelson grew up in Kalulushi, Zambia and completed his Bachelors in Biology at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis. He is interested in the use of spatial transcriptomics to investigate how immune cells are organized and distributed in different tissues. Outside the lab, he likes to watch and play sports.

I'm Aida, a senior studying Biology & Society, concentrating in Gender Politics, Health, and Society. I enjoy working directly with people and am interested in the intersections between immunology, pediatric health, and translational medicine, particularly how biomedical research informs long-term community health outcomes. I hope to pursue a career in medicine that combines clinical care with wet lab work. Outside of academia, I spend time reading, French beading, and collecting jewelry and vintage clothing.

Ruby is an undergraduate student studying microbiology. In the lab, she has worked alongside Dongwen and Nnamdi to better understand Th17 cell development. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and watching Modern Family

Sunny is a sophomore at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences studying Agricultural Sciences and infectious diseases. His interests lie in the relationship between One Health, immunology, and how food systems integrate into human health and medicine. Sunny was previously an Emerging Markets Research Fellow in Cornell Dyson’s SMART program, conducting field research in expanding apiculture education to markets and beekeepers in Rwanda. He has also been involved with immunology research projects including a vaccine efficacy trial for dairy cattle with clinical mastitis at Cornell Vet School and examining gut immune cell populations in vivo at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. After Cornell, Sunny plans to pursue an M.D/Ph.D, continuing to explore the interconnection between intestinal immune responses of gut microbiota and providing patient care in the fields of oncology and gastroenterology.