Nice to meet you!

Veronica Guariglia, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Guariglia completed her PhD at Cornell University in the Department of Microbiology under the supervision of John Helmann studying cell wall stress response in Bacillus subtilis. She then completed a post doctoral fellowship at Cornell University in the Department of Food Science under the supervision of Martin Wiedmann studying cell wall stress response in Listeria monocytogenes. Dr. Guariglia then moved to Canada and completed a second post doctoral fellowship at Western University in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology under the mentorship of David Heinrichs, before starting her own lab as faculty in the same department in 2023.

Research Interests:
Pathogenesis, transmission, and control of Listeria monocytogenes.

Personal Interests:
Spending time with her family, watching soccer, drinking coffee, and making cheese.

Publications

Our Team

Denise Cao, BMSc

GRADUATE STUDENT
Research interests: The interactions between human pathogens and bacteria of the microbiome and their environment.
Personal interests: Making food, hiking, going to concerts, playing tennis, reading.
Serena Lam, BSc

GRADUATE STUDENT
Research Interests: Investigating innovative therapeutics to prevent the spread of bacterial infectious diseases, with a particular focus on bacteriophages as alternatives in combating antimicrobial resistance. This extends to the study of foodborne pathogens as significant determinants of public health, with an emphasis on identifying and developing novel therapeutic interventions to reduce their transmission and mitigate their impact.
Personal Interest: Playing volleyball, paddleboarding, kayaking, cooking, and baking.
Saahi Chirumamilla

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Research interests: Bacteriology and microbial pathogenesis, with specific focus on foodborne bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes. Exploring mechanisms of bacteriocins and novel antibacterial strategies. Bringing awareness to the prevalence and danger of food borne bacteria in day to day life.
Personal interests: Dance, playing guitar, volunteer work, spending time with friends/family
Cameron Terpstra

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Research Interests:
Personal Interest:
Jiajun Chen

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Research Interests: Still figuring it out
Personal Interest: Photography, Rock climbing, Travelling