People

PI: Alissa Rothchild, PhD

Postdoc –  Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Aderem lab
Ph.D. – Harvard University, Immunology, Behar lab
B.S. – Brown University, Biology

As a graduate student, Alissa studied immune mechanisms of protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and has been hooked on TB and lung immunity ever since! She is interested in characterizing the role of alveolar macrophages in immune responses to airborne microbes and regulation of pulmonary inflammation, using a combination of immunology, microbiology, and systems biology approaches. In her free time, Alissa enjoys hiking and biking through the Pioneer Valley and running after her two kids

Graduate Student (PhD): Pamelia Lim

B.S. – University of Rochester, Cell and Developmental Biology,       Minor in Biomedical Engineering 

Pamelia is interested in studying innate sensing functions of alveolar macrophages in both naive and infected conditions, and characterizing subpopulations of AMs that are differentially targeted by Mtb during infection. She enjoys cooking and baking while binge watching reality cooking shows, and crocheting small things for her cat. 

Graduate Student (PhD): Linh Pham, MS

B.S. – International University-National University in Vietnam, Biotechnology

M.S. – University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), Biotechnology

In her undergraduate research, Linh investigated the effect of androgens on the in vitro growth and maturation of mammalian oocytes in a swine model.  During her master’s training in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Alabama, she studied the role of telomerase in cancer, bone marrow production, and Dyskeratosis Congenita. After receiving her Master’s degree, Linh studied Artenovenous fistula (AVF) and vascular remodeling for chronic kidney disease. Linh now studies the cell-protective Nrf2-dependent transcriptional signature up-regulated by Mtb-infected alveolar macrophage, designing approaches to modify Nrf2 expression in vitro and in vivo. In her free time, she likes swimming, rock climbing, and baking.

Graduate Student (PhD): Divya Dubey

B.S. – Rutgers University New Brunswick NJ, Biotechnology 

Divya Dubey began her research journey as an undergraduate research assistant at a plant virology lab at Rutgers University, NJ. There she learned about the evolutionary biology of Begomoviruses and published a study measuring the protein diversity between two proteins encoded on the secondary genomic segment of bipartite Begomoviruses. As a graduate student at UMass Amherst, Divya made a big jump to immunology and now studies the effect of M. tuberculosis infection on alveolar macrophages (AM) in C3HeB/FeJ mice and characterizes how mouse strain differences generate unique responses to TB vaccination and challenge in AMs. When she is not busy with ELISA data to analyze, Divya is active on her two main forms of social media: Letterboxd for movies and Goodreads for books.

Graduate Student (PhD): Bismark Minnah

B.S. – Biochemistry, University for Development Studies, Ghana

Bismark is interested in using CRISPR-Cas9 screening to identify genes or molecules that negatively regulate alveolar macrophage (AM) innate sensing during Mtb infection, as well as investigating the role of NRF2 in modulating AM cell death during infection. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing soccer, and photographing wildlife.

Graduate Student (MS): Sethe Cloutier

B.S. – Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Commonwealth Honors College

Sethe chose UMass in hopes of gaining microbiology/immunology research experience as an undergraduate. She has fallen in love with the laboratory setting and is excited to learn more about the role of alveolar macrophages in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. In the future, she would like to work with prion diseases or other protein malformation ailments. When not in lab or class, Sethe enjoys working with miniatures, reading, and watching horror movies.

Research Fellow: Clare Mitchell

B.A. – Vassar College, Biochemistry

B.E. – Dartmouth College, Engineering

During her undergraduate degrees, Clare studied the effect of hispolon on Caspase-1 kinetics and, in a separate project, developed imaging techniques to evaluate therapeutic efficacy for head and neck cancers. Now, as the research fellow for the Rothchild lab, Clare is gaining experience in the world of immunology. In the future, she hopes to explore interdisciplinary areas of research that combine her interests in biochemistry, engineering, and immunology. Outside of the lab, Clare enjoys hiking, rowing, and skiing, and has recently joined the local roller derby team. 

Undergraduate research assistant: Lucy Phan

Lucy has been captivated by studying the immune regulation of alveolar macrophages in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with a specific focus on the innate immune response. She is particularly interested in investigating the role of ROS and its intracellular response to Mtb. In the future, she would also like to study Parkinson’s disease and neurodegeneration. She plans to attend medical school after UMass. Outside of school, she enjoys skiing and having movie marathons with her friends, particularly indulging in cheesy rom-coms.

Undergraduate research assistant: Max Steinbok

A.S. – Bunker Hill Community College, Biology

Max has a keen interest in immunoregulation and novel cell culture model development. He is eager to further develop a deeper understanding of existing cellular and molecular laboratory skills. He has a particular interest in exploring three-dimensional culture systems of the lung microenvironment in vitro in hopes of overcoming limitations associated with classical infection models. Max plans to attend medical school and become a Hematopathologist following his time at UMass. Outside of school and work, he enjoys studying protists with his light microscope and brewing beer and wine at home.

Undergraduate research assistant: Emma Dorkin

Emma is an Animal Science major on the pre-veterinary track with a strong interest in immunology and infectious diseases. Her research examines how surfactant lipids influence alveolar macrophage function, with a focus on cytokine production and phagocytosis. Emma plans to attend veterinary school and pursue a career in exotic animal medicine. Outside of the lab, she works as a veterinary technician, and also enjoys rock climbing, solving crossword puzzles, and working with animals both on and off campus.