Anukul T. Shenoy (he/him/his)
Principal Investigator,
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology,
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Anukul starts the Shenoy Lab of Barrier Immunobiology (SLOBI) at the University of Michigan Medical School at Ann Arbor in April 2023. He completed his BS and MS in Biotechnology from Ruia College (University of Mumbai, India) before moving to USA and starting his doctoral training with Dr. Carlos Orihuela at Univ. of Texas Health Center at San Antonio in 2014. In 2015, he moved with Dr. Orihuela to the Dept. of Microbiology at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where he went on to complete his PhD in 2017. His doctoral work was focused on understanding host-pathogen interactions involved in pneumococcal infection of the heart. In 2018, he joined Dr. Jay Mizgerd’s lab at the Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine where his work focused on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying lung epithelial and resident CD4+ TRM cell communication in context of pulmonary immunity during health, infections and allergy.
Email: anukuls@med.umich.edu
Vijay Raaj Ravi
Lab Manager
Vijay Raaj Ravi was born in India, raised in Singapore, and currently resides in the U.S. He did his undergraduate at the PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore majoring in Biotechnology. Becoming fascinated by host-pathogen interactions, he did his master’s at the University at Buffalo working in the laboratory of Dr. Elsa Bou Ghanem. There he looked at how extracellular adenosine regulates cardiomyocyte toxicity following Streptococcus pneumoniae infection along with Dr. Manmeet Bhalla. Vijay joins the SLOBI as its lab manager and he will also be studying how T cell cytokines modulate lung epithelial responses. Outside the lab, Vijay loves to play games on his PS5, watch anime, and listen to lo-fi songs!
Email: ravivi@umich.edu
Olivia Harlow
PhD Student
Olivia completed her B.S. in Biology and Biochemistry from Calvin University in 2020, where she worked with Dr. Erica Boldenow studying host interactions with Group B Streptococcus. She then went on to work at Mayo Clinic in the lab of Dr. Kathryn Knoop studying neonatal sepsis, before joining PIBS in 2022. Olivia is excited to learn about lung mucosal immunology, as her project looks at instruction of T cell residence in the lung. In her spare time, Olivia likes to run, go to concerts, and spend time with her family.
Email: oharlow@umich.edu
Andrea Chupina Estrada
PhD Student
Andrea previously attended the University of California, Los Angeles where she worked with Dr. Hon Wai Koon investigating new treatment options for Clostridium difficile infections and inflammatory bowel disease. She completed her B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics in June 2023 and joined PIBS in the fall of the same year. Andrea is now shifting her research sights from the guts to the lungs, and is excited to investigate immune memory in lung epithelial cells. Outside of the lab, Andrea can be found either baking or trying to regain the ability to photosynthesize.
Email: achupina@umich.edu
Emma Niszczak
Undergraduate Research Student
Emma is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan studying microbiology, and she plans to pursue a career in medicine or research. She grew up in Michigan, not too far from Ann Arbor. Emma is also a member of the University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team and in her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and pets!
Email: emmanisz@umich.edu
HONORARY MEMBERS OF THE SLOBI
Meet Sully.
Sully is Olivia's cat. She has approximately two brain cells and they rarely form a cohesive thought. What she lacks in smarts, though, she more than makes up for in fluff. She loves to play fetch and her favorite foods are tuna and shredded cheese. Sully's greatest talent is making Olivia laugh at her wild antics. All-in-all, she's a great companion to have during grad school!
Meet Stella.
Stella is Emma’s dog. She enjoys watching University of Michigan football games and gnawing on chew toys. While she may be a big dog, she is most definitely a gentle giant and is afraid of the dark and smaller dogs.