Dr. AJ te Velthuis

Aartjan (AJ) te Velthuis received his PhD cum laude for his work on the replication of the SARS coronavirus from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. AJ subsequently joined the University of Oxford as Marie Curie/Rubicon fellow and Henry Welcome fellow to study influenza virus replication in the laboratories of Prof Ervin Fodor and Prof Achilles Kapanidis. He also taught at Lincoln College, Oxford, as Kemp Research fellow. In 2017, AJ started his own research group at the University of Cambridge with a Henry Dale fellowship from the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society. In 2021, AJ moved his lab to Princeton University, where his research focuses on how RNA viruses replicate and induce innate immune responses.

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Michael Oade, PhD

Michael joined us in April 2020 from the University of Glasgow and Pirbright Institute where he studied the avian coronavirus, infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). His research focused on identifying the mechanism of IBV attenuation and characterizing non-canonical gammacoronavirus transcripts. 

At Princeton, he is interested in studying viral polymerases, especially when they go wrong! His current research investigates how aberrant RNA species, namely mvRNAs, can be synthesized by the influenza polymerase and explores the template-switching mechanism which drives the formation of these RNAs. Outside of the lab, Michael is a keen gamer (both video and board), swimmer, and loves eating out at restaurants.

Karishma Bisht, MS, PhD

Karishma joined us in September 2021 after obtaining her PhD from Texas Tech University. Her dissertation focused on studying the impact of environmental stressors on the biofilm formed by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa and identifying potential therapeutic targets. She then switched gears and for her postdoc, decided to explore the virology world.

In the te Velthuis lab she is interested in studying the effect of stress, specifically temperature, on aberrant RNA synthesis and innate immune response in different host-relevant conditions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys watching Sci-Fi movies, hiking, and traveling.

Elizaveta Elshina, MS, PhD

Elizaveta joined the lab in 2018 to investigate the mechanisms behind the immunostimulatory mutations in the viral polymerase. She did her MSc at the University of Zurich, where she studied nuclear entry of the influenza virus ribonucleoproteins. Before that she also worked at the University of Oxford in pre-clinical vaccine development and earned her BSc in Infectious Diseases from the University of Edinburgh.

Narender Kumar, MS, PhD

Narender joined us in July 2023. He received his Master degree in Biotechnology from JNU, New Delhi. He then joined the lab of Dr. S Kumaran at CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh to pursue his doctoral research in the field of quantitative and structural biology. Here he pursued structural studies on the effector, regulator proteins, and multi-enzyme complexes that have become attractive targets for designing new drug molecules using X-ray crystallography and other biophysical techniques.

He joined the lab of Dr. AJ te Velthuis to study the replication complex of the influenza virus using cryo-electron microscopy. Outside the lab he enjoys playing various games like cricket, badminton, volleyball, traveling, and trekking.

Jingru Fang, MS, PhD

Jingru joined us in July 2024 from Scripps Research and La Jolla Institute for Immunology, where she studied the mechanism of Ebola and Lassa virus replication and the fascinating phase behavior of Ebola viral factories. She is now co-mentored by Prof. Cliff Brangwynne (ODBI). At Princeton, she will characterize the material properties of viral condensates from several pathogenic RNA viruses. She will also investigate the functional role of viral phase separation in host-virus interaction in the physiological and genetic context of different host species.

Kimberley Sabsay

Kimberly (Kimmie) joined the lab in January of 2021 from the Quantitative and Computational Biology (QCB) PhD Program and is co-advised with Prof. Ned Wingreen. She completed her bachelors in biochemistry and mathematics at California Polytechnic State University where her research varied from inorganic compound synthesis to molecular modelling of kinase cascades. Her PhD focuses on investigating the architecture and dynamics of RNA virus genomes and how ribonucleoprotein (RNP) structures modulate efficient replication in host cells.

Ben Larsen

Ben is a PhD student in the Molecular Biology program who is co-advised by AJ and Cameron Myhrvold. He joined in April 2022. Prior to coming to Princeton, Ben studied biology and biotechnology at Tufts University where his research focused on the effects of repetitive, structure-forming DNA sequences on chromosomal integrity in yeast. Having drastically shifted his focus, Ben is now interested in expanding the capabilities and utility of CRISPR-Cas13, with a specific focus on perturbing viral RNAs and probing their secondary structure. When he is not in one lab or the other, Ben enjoys solving crosswords, ingesting near-lethal doses of coffee, and arguing about basketball.

Caitlin Lamb

Caitlin joined the lab in April 2022 from the Molecular biology PhD program. She is co-advised by Prof. Cameron Mhyrvold. Prior to coming to Princeton, Caitlin earned her bachelors in chemistry from Duke University and worked with Prof. Peter Klopfer to discover the factors linked to hibernation in the fat-tailed dwarf lemurs and with Prof. Michael Boyce to explore how Coat Protein Complex II is regulated.Here, her project focuses on using Cas13-based mvRNA detection to learn about the dynamics of influenza and other viral infections.

Yimei Li

Yimei Li became a lab member in May 2023, from Quantitative and Computational Biology (QCB) PhD Program. Yimei is co-advised by Prof. AJ te Velthuis, Prof. Simon Levin, and Prof. Bryan Grenfell. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where her research focused on single-cell analysis and machine learning. Throughout her doctoral studies, she aims to delve into the investigation of disease dynamics, encompassing both within-host and between-host perspectives.

Kaleigh Remick

Kaleigh joined the lab in April 2023 from the Molecular Biology PhD program. Prior to coming to Princeton, she studied biology at Cornell University, where her research with Dr. John Helmann focused on metal ion homeostasis of Bacillus subtilis. In the te Velthuis Lab, she is interested in studying how RNA secondary structures affect influenza virus infection. Outside of lab, you can find her reading lots of books, walking to one of Princeton’s many ice cream shops, or bartending at the graduate student bar. 

Sean Ajufo

Sean is a senior in the molecular biology department. His research explores utilizing Cas13 to study mitochondrial localization and trafficking of mvRNA. Outside of the lab, he enjoys listening to TED talks, watching and playing basketball, and spending time outdoors.

Kiara Marie Wassoodew

Kiara is a senior in the molecular biology department. Her current research focuses on mini viral RNA trafficking between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Through this research, her hope is to successfully block the nuclear export of mvRNA, and lower the risk of cytokine storms. Outside of the lab, she loves dancing, playing soccer, and trying out new restaurants in Princeton! 

Eric Zheung

Eric is currently a junior in the molecular biology department. He is interested in applying organic pharmaceutical synthesis from a biochemical perspective in microbiology and virology. His current possible research interest involves capturing influenza polymerase using the N40 protein from the N-terminus side of PB1 to uncover more about its functionality as an RNA polymerase.  Outside of the lab, his hobbies include: Being obsessed with games like FPS and RPGs, including Final Fantasy, as well as MMORPGs. He loves to read novels, comics, and manga, and enjoys watching television and anime. He is also addicted to drinking boiling hot tea.

Ethan Mandojana

Ethan is a sophomore majoring in molecular biology. He is currently researching optogenetic control of influenza A protein expression. Outside of lab, you can find him playing violin with friends, in symphony and pit orchestras, and with his indie alternative band. He also enjoys hiking, watching soccer, reading philosophy, and taking long walks around Princeton with his friends. 

• Shirley Yang - Undergraduate student at Princeton University.
• Jiyoun Roh -  Undergraduate student at Princeton University.
• David Song - Undergraduate student at Princeton University.
• Mary Elizabeth Adler - Undergraduate student at Princeton University.
• Charlotte Rigby - Graduate student at University of Cambridge.
• Emmanuelle Pitre - Graduate student at University of Cambridge. 
• Weston Carpenter - Undergraduate student at Princeton University.
• Thomas Vial - Postdoc at University of Cambridge/Amsterdam University Medical Center.
• Ingrida Olendraite - Postdoc at University of Cambridge.
• Hollie French - Research assistant at University of Cambridge.
• Esther de Boer - University of Amsterdam and funded by Erasmus+. 
• Annika Ranta - Karolinska Institute and funded by Biochemical Society.
• Margarita Lazaridis - University of Tulin and funded by Erasmus+. 
• Alannah King - University of Cambridge part II student. 
• Sofia Weiss - University of Cambridge and funded by Microbiology Society. 
• Alexandra Moderc - University of Lyon
• Sabrina Weis - University of Heidelberg and funded by Erasmus+
• Judith Oymans - University of Utrecht and funded by Erasmus+. 
• Thomas Stubbs - University of Oxford Biochemistry part II student.