Esterházy Lab

People

Daria Esterhazy

Daria Esterhazy

Assistant Professor, Pathology

Committee on Immunology, Committee on Cancer Biology, Committee on Microbiology, Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition.

Hometown: Vienna, Austria

Education and Training:

  • The Rockefeller University – Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2013-2018
  • UT Southwestern-2012-2013 Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • ETH Zurich Switzerland – Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2011-2012
  • ETH Zurich Switzerland – PhD, 2010
  • University of Cambridge UK – MSci, 2006
  • University of Cambridge UK – B.A., 2005

 

Dean Zhou

Dean Zhou

Immunology PhD Candidate

B.S. Biochemistry/Cell Biology and Economics, UC San Diego

Hometown: Hangzhou, China/Seattle, WA

Dean is interested in how different forms (cytosolic, secreted and surface) of tissue-specific antigens are being handled and presented under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions and whether hepatic and duodenal perturbations can influence the adaptive immunity of the pancreas via their shared lymph node drainage.

Macy Komnick

Macy Komnick

Immunology PhD Candidate

B.S. Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Tulane University

Hometown: Bloomington, IL

Macy is investigating how shared lymph node drainage in the upper small intestine shapes tissue-specific immunity.

Asha Bozicevich

Asha Bozicevich

Immunology PhD Candidate

B.A. Biology, Carleton College

Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

Asha is studying the impact of IL-22, IL-6, and REG proteins on the progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Her project also explores how these proteins influence the intestine, aiming to better understand how tissue-specific immune responses contribute to both disease prevention and development.

Peter Wang

Peter Wang

MD/PhD Candidate

B.S. Biological Sciences, University of Chicago

Hometown: Bellevue, WA

Peter is interested in the mechanisms of induction and maintenance of immune tolerance in peripheral tissues.

Elida Nieves-Ortiz

Elida Nieves-Ortiz

Research Support Assistant

B.S. Marine Science and B.A. Animal Studies, Eckerd College

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Elida assists with lab procedures and maintenance. She is interested in studying implications of gut microbiota.

Ornella Ndatabaye

Ornella Ndatabaye

University of Chicago Undergraduate Student

Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda 

Ornella will be investigating how gut infections change how our immune system perceives gut-derived self-antigens. This will help in understanding how diseases that are considered autoimmune may be triggered.

Zeran Fei

Zeran Fei

University of Chicago Undergraduate Student

Hometown: New York, NY

Zeran is investigating how gut infections impact liver innate immunity via IL-22.

Sebastian Lopez

Sebastian Lopez

University of Chicago Undergraduate Student

Hometown: Greenwich, CT

Sebastian is studying how different subcellular localizations of antigens, this being cytosolic, secreted and transmembrane, affect their availability to the immune system.

Alumni

Jorden Lane

Immunology PhD Candidate 2019-2024

B.S. Biology, Towson University. Postdoctoral Scholar at New York University

 

Aliia Fatkhullina

Postdoctoral Scholar 2020-2023

PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center. Postdoctoral Scholar at University of Pennsylvania

Fabiola Sepulveda

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2022-2024

B.S. Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago. Clinical Research Coordinator at Northwestern University

Emily Schaffer

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2022-2024

B.S. Biological Sciences, University of Chicago. Postbaccalaureate Fellow at National Institute of Health 

Grace Liu

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2021-2023

B.S. Biological Sciences, University of Chicago. Medical Student at the University of Illinois at Chicago

 

Hailey Brown

Immunology PhD Candidate 2019-2021

B.S. Biological Science, Carnegie Mellon. Postdoctoral Scholar at Yale University

Julia Yescas

PREP Scholar 2020-2021

B.S. Biology, New Mexico State University. PhD Student at Northwestern University

Tess Joosse

Research Specialist 2018-2020

B.A. Biology, Oberlin College. UC Santa Cruz Graduate School