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 pathogens and bacteria of the microbiome.
Personal interests: Food, playing tennis, video games, concerts.
Andy Zhang, BMSc

GRADUATE STUDENT
Research interests: Cell biology, neurobiology, and microbiology. Exploring the structure and function of the fundamental unit of life while extending that knowledge to a neurological basis alongside exploring the diversity of microbes and the interactions they may have with humans and their environments.
Personal interests: Staying active: playing basketball, volleyball, ball hockey, paddleboarding, and hiking. Staying in: reading novels, playing board games, and spending time with friends and family.
Daya Brar

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Research interests: the effect of pathogens and their propagation on the human immune system
Personal interests: Hiking and baking
Ahad Asghar

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Research interests: Understanding host-pathogen interactions and immune responses in immunodeficient individuals to uncover mechanisms contributing to disease progression.
Personal interests: Board games, video games, finding new places to eat, technology
Audrey Widjaja

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Research interests: Bacterial pathogenesis and pharmacology. Exploring the prevalence of Listeria in wildlife by strain identification to develop innovative strategies for preventing spread and transmission.
Personal interests: Reading, badminton, piano, watching TV, painting