Founder
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Associate Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital
From: Rocky Mountains, USA
Duane worked odd jobs throughout high school, including paper boy, dishwasher, janitor, wallpaperer, mailbox painter, and ring resizer to pay for flying lessons. He was turned on to biology from a young age and received his M.D. and Ph.D. with Tika Benveniste studying cell biology and learned B cell biology from Max Cooper and Fred Alt. He currently sees patients that suffer from problems of the immune system. His favorite thing is doing science with his lab team studying the wonders of adaptive immunity.
Joined 2018
Ph.D. Biotechnology, National Center for Cell Sciences, 2015
M. Sc. Biotechnology, IIT Bombay, 2009
From: Uttar Pradesh, India
Avneesh did his Ph.D. in the field of complement biology by using a viral complement regulator as model protein to understand its regulation. Later he became interested in antibody research which brought him to the Wesemann Lab where he worked on different aspects of antibody biology including antibody response to SARS-cov2 spike. Currently, he is more interested to understand the depth and breadth of antibody somatic hypermutation reach. Outside the lab, he likes to learn different aspects of science and go for walks.
Joined 2022
Ph.D. Life Sciences, Central Drug Research Institute, 2018
M.Sc Biochemistry, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, 2011
From: Dehradun, India
Keerti inclined towards biological science research during her Master's studies. She's felt motivated in solving puzzled mysteries of biological science. Her doctoral thesis focuses on evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of parasite-derived proteins against experimental leishmaniasis. Further she also gained experience in studying the crosstalk between xenophagy and the immune system. Presently, she's unraveling the functional and physiological relevance of perplexed B- cell immune response during viral infection. Outside the lab, she enjoys gathering with friends, hiking and cooking.
Joined 2022
Ph.D. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2021
M.V.Sc. Veterinary Medicine, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2017
From: Qingdao, Shandong, China
Caihong's MVSc studies are related to the structural analysis of epitopes recognized by mAbs against viral proteins. His Ph.D. studies focus on viral regulation on innate immunity. The research experience he possessed makes him addicted to virology and immunology. Currently, he is exploring the immune response to SARS-CoV-2. When he is not thinking about science, he can be found learning new things and listening to music.
Joined 2022
Ph.D. Biological sciences, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, 2019
M.Sc. Toxicology, C C S University, Meerut, India
From: Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sachin was born and raised in the city of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Previously he has worked in the field of food allergy as well as immunotoxicology. Sachin’s doctoral studies were focused on evaluating the allergic potential of Buchanania lanzan. Currently, he has worked in Wesemann’s lab as postdoctoral fellow and is indulged in exploring various aspects of food allergy such as role of gut microbiota in emergence of allergic reactions. He is inquisitive about Alpha Gal allergy that develops on induction or sensitization by tick bite as tick’s saliva have oligosaccharides antigen and after eating meat develop anaphylactic response. Sachin is trying and determined to solve this main problem. When Sachin is not working, he enjoys playing cricket, watches movies, tries good food and loves spending time with family/friends.
Joined 2022
Ph.D. Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
M.Sc. Tissue Engineering, Tehran Polytechnic, 2015
From: Iran
Zahra was born in Iran and moved from city to city because of the requirement of her father’s job as an air force electronics engineer. She is a little bit shy but loves to meet new people and make friends. She loves math, and at the same time, she is fascinated by biology. She chose to pursue biomedical engineering in college to satisfy both of her interests. She obtained her first bachelor's in biomechanics in 2013, and the second one in biomaterials in 2014 both from Tehran Polytechnic. She also acquired her master’s in tissue engineering from the same school in 2015. Zahra joined the microsystems engineering program in Rochester Institute of Technology in 2017, focusing on understanding cell-substrate interactions in microphysiological systems using experimental and computational tools. She completed her Ph.D. in 2022 before joining Wesemann lab as a postdoctoral research fellow. When she is not doing research, she enjoys reading fiction books, watching Sci-Fi movies, and practicing photography.
Joined 2022
Ph.D. Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Lagos, 2022
M.Sc. Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Lagos, 2013
From: Lagos, Nigeria
Rahaman grew up in a water-surrounded city in the west southern part of Nigeria. He has had a passion for biology since when he was in high college, presently developing his career in the field of Cell biology and Genetics, mastering immunogenomics. He is ⁸keen on understanding how the empirical components of the adaptive immune cells are associated with, and how they may contribute better to, the development of efficacious vaccines and therapeutics for human diseases. Rahaman likes to gain new useful ideas from people irrespective of their status, and loves brisk-walking when he intends to do physical exercise.
Joined 2023
Ph.D. Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, 2023
M.Sc. Biotechnology, University of Glasgow, 2016
B.Sc. Microbiology, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria, 2013
From: Enugu, Nigeria
Abdulrahman was born in Nigeria, where he obtained an undergraduate degree. He then worked as a Lecturer in a university in Nigeria before moving to the United Kingdom where he obtained a master's degree. He returned to Nigeria to continue his career at the university, and was later awarded a scholarship at King's College London, where he completed a P.hD. His P.hD. research was focused on structural and functional characterisation of the interactions between parasite antigens and parasite-specific antibodies using biophysical techniques like surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and cell-based assays. His research interests include studying immune responses to allergy and infectious diseases using biophysical and immunological techniques, and developing therapeutics to tackle allergies and infections. He is also very passionate about biotech innovation. This led to him being selected to attend events such as the GapSummit in Cambridge, UK, and the Novartis International Biotechnology Leadership Camp in Basel, Switzerland. Outside the lab, he spends his time traveling, attending biotech events, visiting museums and art galleries, and is a big football fan.
Joined 2023
Ph.D. Immunology, Harvard University, 2025
B.S. Biochemistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, 2022
From: Santiago, Chile
Gaspar was born in Santiago, Chile. As an undergraduate student, he worked in experimental vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). He later worked as a research assistant in phase III clinical trials evaluating the magnitude and breadth of humoral and cellular responses elicited by an inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Gaspar is broadly interested in B cell function and regulation - how antigen recognition impacts B cell responses, factors shaping affinity maturation, how is germinal center lifespan and affinity maturation potential controlled, and what controls humoral differentiation. When he is not in the lab, Gaspar enjoys baking, playing the piano, watching TV series, and playing video games.
Joined 2024
Ph.D. Molecular and Cell Biology, Materials and Biomaterials Science and Engineering, University of California, Merced, 2024
From: China
Wenyan was born and grew up in China. Her PhD research mainly focuses on studying the interactions of CC chemokines and its inhibitor vCCI (viral CC chemokine inhibitor), SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and silk-based scaffolds for drug delivery. She joined Wesemann’s lab as a postdoc researcher right after graduation. Wenyan is interested in B cell development, such as B cell evolution, maturation, and regulation. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, working out, hiking, etc.
Joined 2024
Ph.D. Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard University, 2021
From: California/Boston
John grew up in southern California but moved to Boston for college and has lived there ever since. His graduate research focused on nanobody engineering for the development of intracellularly active tools, which bred a further interest in antibody structure/function and adaptive immunity. He is fascinated by molecular recognition, structure modeling, and protein evolution, and is determined to leverage structural insights to help develop protein-based tools and therapeutics. In his down time, John loves spending time with his wife and daughter, and playing games of all sorts.
Joined 2025
Ph.D. Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2025
B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Anna grew up in Georgia before moving to Boston for her PhD at MIT, where she engineered virus-like nanoparticles from DNA origami to probe how nanoscale antigen organization shapes immune responses to vaccination. Along the way, she fell in love with the strange and beautiful world of germinal centers, the hubs where B cells evolve and refine antibodies. In her postdoc, she aims to combine bioengineering creativity with deep immunology to uncover the rules of antibody evolution and germinal center biology, and to explore how they can be harnessed in vaccinology and autoimmunity. Outside the lab, Anna enjoys exploring Boston’s art scene, playing violin, baking bread and desserts, and traveling. She believes that good science, like good bread, requires patience, curiosity, and just the right amount of structure.
Joined 2022
M.Sc. Bioinformatics and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Milan, 2021
From: Tehran, Iran
Born and raised in Iran, a passion for technology and biology inspired him to study biology before specializing in bioinformatics. He completed his master’s degree in Bioinformatics and Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Milan, where he developed MetaSHA, a metagenomic pipeline for microbial data analysis. Following his time in Italy, he transitioned into immunology-focused computational biology, where he now applies advanced bioinformatics pipelines to analyze high-throughput sequencing data, including single-cell RNA sequencing and B cell receptor repertoire analysis. He enjoys developing custom workflows, pipelines, and databases that enable him and his team to explore and investigate less-charted areas of biomedical research, turning data analysis into an exciting scientific adventure. Outside of the lab, he finds peace in nature, enjoys cooking, planting flowers, and loves playing soccer with friends.
Joined 2022
Ph.D. student, Harvard Virology
B.S. Molecular Cell Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 2018
B.A. Studio Art, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 2018
From: From Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Jessica was born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and spent most her life in the summery state. Her first experience with snow was when she moved to Bethesda, Maryland to become a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Jessica has prior experiences in marine biology research from her undergraduate and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine development from the NIH. Her hobbies include pottery, baking, spending time with her cat, and playing video games.
Joined 2024
Ph.D. student, Harvard Virology
B.S. Biology, College of William and Mary, 2021
B.S. Psychology, College of William and Mary, 2021
From: Centreville, VA
Natalie was born in Virginia, grew up in Virginia, and went to college in Virginia. As an undergraduate student, she investigated the effects of low-level, chronic methylmercury exposure on zebra finch embryonic development. After graduation, she finally left Virginia to spend two years as a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland studying viral pathogenesis. While there, she helped develop high-throughput approaches for characterizing antibody repertoires generated against flaviviruses and bunyaviruses. Natalie is broadly interested in B cell immunology, specifically how viral pathogens trigger germinal cell formation and subsequent plasma cell and memory cell differentiation. When she is not at the bench, Natalie enjoys exploring her new Boston home, playing with her cat, reading sci-fi novels, testing out new baking recipes, and attending cycling classes!
Joined 2025
Ph.D. student, Harvard Biological and Biomedical Sciences
B.S. Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, 2022
From: Hampton Bays, NY
Sydney grew up on the eastern end of Long Island before going to college in the mountains of Vermont. During her undergraduate studies, she studied the protein coding potential of a previously classified long non-coding RNA and its function in macrophages during sepsis. After graduation, she worked as a Research Assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital studying early life B cell development in the meninges and separately the circadian regulation of border associated macrophages in the brain during Alzheimers. Sydney is broadly interested in the development of the immune system after birth and the evolutionary origins of these systems. When not in the lab, Sydney loves doing pilates, cooking, and exploring the small towns of New England.
Joined 2025
Ph.D. student, Harvard Immunology
B.S. Microbiology, University of Michigan, 2024
From: Kalamazoo, MI
Halle grew up in southwest Michigan and went to college in southeast Michigan. As an undergraduate, she studied how to differentiate NK cells from ILC1s based on surface marker profiles. The plasticity between these two cell types led to her interest in cell fate decisions and how function informs phenotype. Halle is broadly interested in understanding how B cell fate decisions are made, and how this impacts longevity of antibody responses. Outside of the lab, she enjoys weightlifting, running (slowly), playing guitar, and watching bad reality TV.
Joined 2023
Lab Manager, Senior Research Lab Technician
M.Sc. in Biotechnology
From: Mumbai, India
Sweta completed her M.Sc. in Biotechnology, where she developed a fascination for the vast scientific world out there. As a research fellow at NCCS, Pune, India, she studied the apoptotic (cell death) pathway in the Leishmania parasite, which causes leishmaniasis. She also collaborated on proteogenomic studies of Leishmania. Her interest in the immunological aspect of infection biology led her to research the Complement biology (innate arm) of the immune system, using the viral complement regulator Kaposica of the KSHV virus. To further explore the adaptive arm of immunology, she then joined the Wesemann lab. Where she is currently studying B cell evolution for de novo recognitions also investigating the HIV-1 Env protein for immunogen design. Sweta also manages the lab’s inventory, mice facility, and general maintenance. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring new places, cooking, eating food from different cultures, gardening, and spending time with friends and family.
Joined 2024
Research Technician
M.S. in Biotechnology
From: Sudbury, MA
Mey recently completed her M.S degree in Applied Molecular Biotechnology at UMass Amherst. She also holds a B.S in Dietetics, and her research interests are epigenetic influences of the gut microbiome and diet on human disease. She worked as a research assistant for 3 years with the New Mom’s Wellness study at UMass Amherst, as well as interned at the Biomedical lab of Dr. Soumita Das at UMass Lowell during the summer of 2023. Outside of work, Mey enjoys any sort of visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpting, clothing modifications/sewing, you name it, she is probably game!), as well as getting outside for a hike, run, swim, or a skiing or boating adventure :)
We have amazing members from all around the world and are always looking to recruit enthusiastic individuals to join us! Please send an email to dwesemann@bwh.harvard.edu.