Meet The Team

Wenjuan was born and grew up in China. In 2014, she earned her bachelor degree in biological engineering in Xingtan College, Qufu Normal University in China. After that she went to Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Science for my master and completed a study on polysaccharide drug improving Alzheimer's disease in Prof. Gang Pei’s lab. In 2017, Wenjuan relocated to Germany to pursue her PhD at Saarland University where she worked on the impact of high glucose on functions of immune cells (e.g., CD8+ T cells). Additionally, she is also interested in how environmental cues (e.g., lactate) regulate T cell immunity in autoimmune and inflammatory disease. In her personal time, Wenjuan loves running, photographing beautiful landscapes and spending time with family.

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. 

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Alex is from the Metro-Detroit area of Michigan and attended the University of Michigan studying Microbiology. After undergrad, he worked as a research technician for two years, at which time he gained his interest in immunology. Alex joined the McGeachy lab at the University of Pittsburgh and transferred with the lab to Cornell. His research focuses on CD28 co-stimulation in Th17 and Tfh models of inflammation and autoimmunity. Outside of the lab he enjoys running, kayaking, video games, and attending music festivals.

AdePeju is from Indianapolis, Indiana and did her undergraduate studies at Indiana University-Bloomington and Master’s work at Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis. AdePeju joined the McGeachy lab because of the lab’s interest in mucosal immunology and autoimmunity. Her research will focus on the role regulatory B cells have in the lab’s immune training model. Outside of research she enjoys testing her already high spice tolerance and karaoke. 

Natasha is a Bengali-American born and raised in NYC. She is an aspiring physician studying human biology, health and society at Cornell University. Her passion for immunology research started in high school, where she worked in the Worgall Lab at Weill Cornell and studied the impact of sphingolipid deficiency on immune signaling in pediatric asthma. During her undergraduate career, she worked on multiple projects under Dr. Gorelik and Dr. Milner at the Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, including fibroblast-immune cell interactions in AD-HIES, and murine podocyte signaling in the context of Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome. As a part of the McGeachy Lab, Natasha looks forward to learning about the role of FRC networks in adaptive immunity and T-cell signaling. In her free time, she loves to sing South Asian classical and folk music, or make digital art. 

Hannah is a current sophomore, majoring in Nutritional Sciences. Growing up with food allergies, the immune system was of great interest to her. She hopes to gain a greater understanding of immunology and immunology research. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, crocheting, hiking, and paddle boarding.