{"id":1064,"date":"2015-02-20T20:12:13","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T20:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/avada.theme-fusion.com_demos\/law\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2025-12-15T15:16:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T21:16:32","slug":"lab-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vetmed.illinois.edu\/jarosinski-lab\/lab-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAB TEAM<\/h2>\n<\/div>

Jarosinski Lab – Winter 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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KEITH JAROSINSKI, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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PRINCIPAL\u00a0INVESTIGATOR<\/h5>\n

Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Pathobiology<\/p>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Dr. Jarosinski joined the UIUC faculty in August 2016. He grew up in Upstate\/Western NY, raising ornamental avian species and playing many sports. He received his BS in Biotechnology from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 1995 and his PhD in Microbiology from the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center in Syracuse, NY (now Upstate Medical University) in 1999. After completing his PhD, he spent 12 years at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, working in Dr. Karel A. Schat’s laboratory as a USDA-funded postdoctoral fellow (1999-2003) and Research Associate (2003-2008). He was then a Senior Research Associate (2008-2011) in the laboratory of Dr. Nikolaus Osterrieder.\u00a0 Before coming to UIUC, he spent 5 years (2011-2016) at the University of Iowa as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Carver College of Medicine.\u00a0 His research has focused mainly on Marek’s disease (MD) pathogenesis using chickens as a model for understanding how herpesviruses cause disease and transmit from host to host.\u00a0 When not in the lab, Dr. Jarosinski enjoys raising ornamental pheasants and working around the house.<\/p>\n

Email: kj4@illinois.edu
\n<\/a>Phone: (217) 300-4322<\/p>\n<\/div>

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HAFIZ SOHAIB ZAFAR, DVM<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.<\/strong> Sohaib joined Dr. Jarosinski\u2019s lab in August of 2021 to complete his PhD in Pathobiology. He received is BS and DVM in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan in 2015. He then completed his Masters degree in Animal Microbiology at Quaid-I-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2018 before starting as a Veterinary Officer in the Livestock and Dairy Development Department in Punjab. He is partially supported through a scholarship through the Pakistan Higher Education Commission. His research projects focus on the role the conserved alphaherpesvirus glycoprotein C (gC) during host-to-host transmission.<\/p>\n

Email: hszafar2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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KATHRINE VAN ETTEN<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.<\/strong> Katie joined Dr. Jarosinski\u2019s lab in August of 2023 in the PATH PhD program. She completed her BA in Anthropology at UIUC in 2017, then worked as a lab tech in Anthropology before starting graduate school.\u00a0Her research projects focus on the glycoprotein C during cell-free virus infection. Most of her work involves varicella-zoster.<\/p>\n

Email: vanettn2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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ERIC LUNDBERG<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Eric joined the Jarosinski Lab in December of 2023 to complete his PhD in Pathobiology.\u00a0He received his BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn\u00a0State\u00a0in 2023, where he worked in viral capsid structure. His thesis project focuses on studying the mechanism of cell-free MDV production in cell culture.<\/p>\n

Email: ericjl2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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MOHAMMAD SAFI<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Mohammad started in Dr. Jarosinski’s lab in the fall of 2024. He is beginning his senior year for a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology in LAS. He is with Sohaib Zafar on cell-free infectivity in immune cell lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0msafi3@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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SARAH ROSE LICHTENBERG<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Sarah joined the Jarosinski lab in January 2025 as a part of the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). She is starting her second year at UIUC in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the fall of 2025 studying Biochemistry. She is from St. Louis, Missouri where she graduated from high school in 2024, and she is currently working with Kathrine Van Etten on the role of glycoprotein C in varicella zoster virus transmission.<\/p>\n

Email: sarahrl2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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SOFIE NAM VAN TIL<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Sofie joined the Jarosinski lab in January 2025. She is a third-year undergraduate student in the Integrative Biology Honors program with a minor in Chemistry. She is currently working with graduate student Eric Lundberg on the mechanism of cell-free virion production by MDV in cell culture.<\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0svantil2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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PAST LAB TEAM MEMBERS<\/h2>\n<\/div>
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HUAI XU, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.<\/strong> Huai joined Dr. Jarosinski\u2019s lab in January of 2020 to complete her PhD in Pathobiology. She received her BS and MS degree in Yangzhou University, China. Her thesis projects focuses on the role the conserved alphaherpesvirus glycoprotein C (gC) plays during host-to-host transmission.<\/p>\n

Email: huaixu2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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HAJI AKBR, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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VETERINARY RESEARCH SUPPORT SPECIALIST<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.<\/strong>\u00a0 Dr. Akbar joined the Jarosinski lab in May 2019.\u00a0 His focus is to carry out research with real life implications that could help human and agricultural communities. He has more than 8 years of research experience in the field of -omics. He completed his BS in Biotechnology (2007) from University of Malakand, Pakistan and his Master\u2019s degree in Molecular Virology (2010) from the Center of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB), Pakistan. He completed his PhD (2013) under the supervision of Prof. Juan J. Loor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) where he worked on five different projects dealing with transition in dairy cows. Most of the projects used RNA-based microarrays, qPCR, fatty acid profiles, and bioinformatics analysis. After completion of his PhD research, Dr. Akbar joined Prof. Nakamura’s Research Group (FSHN-UIUC) as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2013-2015) and further developed his research skills by leading a research project funded by the Center of Nutrition, Learning and Memory (CNLM).\u00a0 He then served for two years (2015 to 2017) as an Assistant Professor at COMSATS University, Pakistan. Before joining the Jarosinski lab, he served in Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) as a NIH-funded Postdoctoral Researcher (2018 -2019) to uncover the interaction (via NMR) between different proteins involved in Alzheimer disease. Currently he is expanding his research career studying Marek\u2019s disease pathogenesis under the supervision of Dr. Jarosinski.<\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0akbar3@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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HYOJEONG (MEGAN) YUN<\/h4>\n<\/div>
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Megan joined Dr. Jarosinski\u2019s lab as an undergraduate at UIUC and will completer her BS in Molecular & Cellular Biology (minor in Chemistry) in August 2025. Her thesis focuses on how Marek\u2019s disease virus establishes latency in MDCC cells.<\/p>\n

Email: hy56@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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NAGENDRAPRABHU PONNURAJ, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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VETERINARY RESEARCH SUPPORT SPECIALIST<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Dr. Ponnuraj began in Dr. Jarosinski's lab in June of 2017.\u00a0 He received his BS and MS degrees in Biochemistry in Tamil Nadu, India at Madurai Kamaraj University and Bharathidasan University, respectively.\u00a0 He then completed his PhD in 2011 studying the effect of astaxanthin on the early stages of neoplastic transformation in rats at the University of Madras. He then came to the USA as a Post-doctoral Research Associate in Dr. Rex Gaskins lab, followed by Dr. Daniel Rock's lab. He studied NQ01-mediated anti-cancer strategies in Dr. Gaskin's laboratory for 2 years, followed by Poxviruses in Dr. Rock's laboratory.\u00a0 Currently, he is working on multiple aspects of Marek's disease virus, including proteomic studies in vitro and in vivo.<\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0naguponu@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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JULIA JOY FASICK<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT HOURLY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Julia joined the Jarosinski lab in May 2021. She is in her second year at UIUC in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences seeking a BS in Integrative Biology. Julia is a native of Mount Prospect, IL, where she graduated from Prospect High School in May 2020. She is currently working with Dr. Haji Akbar on cell signaling responses during MDV infection in chickens.<\/p>\n

Email: jfasick2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"YVETTE<\/span><\/div><\/div>

YVETTE (YUNG-TIEN) TIEN, DVM, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.<\/strong> Dr. Tien\u00a0began in Dr. Jarosinski's lab in August of 2017.\u00a0 She is originally from Taiwan.\u00a0 She received her DVM in 2010 from National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan where she also completed a Masters of Veterinary Medicine in 2012.\u00a0 Yvette then came the USA to complete a Master of Veterinary and Biomedical Science from the University of Georgia-Athens.\u00a0 Her research projects in Dr. Jarosinski's lab focuses on the improvement of Marek's disease vaccines by understanding the complex replication of Marek's disease virus in vitro and vivo. She is also participating in the UIUC Pathology Program and is independently funded through a fellowship from the Taiwanese Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n

Email: yttien2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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ANDREA LYNN KRIETER, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.\u00a0<\/strong>Andrea began in Dr. Jarosinski's lab in August of 2017. She is a native of the Chicago suburbs. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northern Michigan University\u00a0 and completed her B.S. in Biochemistry with an English minor. Her research focuses on the role conserved herpesviral protein kinases play during replication and host-to-host transmission. Andrea defended her PhD thesis in February 2023.<\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0krieter2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"WIDALIZ<\/span><\/div><\/div>

WIDALIZ VEGA-RODRIGUEZ, PHD<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT IN PATHOBIOLOGY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography. <\/strong>Widaliz came from Puerto Rico where she finished her B.S. in Biological Sciences (2017) at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla. She joined the lab in May of 2017. Her thesis projects focuses on the role glycoprotein C (gC) plays during Marek\u2019s disease virus (MDV) replication and host-to-host transmission. Widaliz successfully defended her thesis entitled \"The regulation and role of glycoprotein C during herpesvirus pathogenesis\" on Feb. 11, 2022. She will be moving to the University of Minnesota for a P0st-doc with Dr. Hinh Ly.<\/p>\n

Email: widaliz2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Zeidy Garcia<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT HOURLY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Zeidy was an undergraduate student majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She grew up in the Chicago suburbs, where she attended boarding school before choosing UIUC. As an undergraduate student, she has developed an interest in the molecular biology of pathogens worked with graduate student, Andrea Krieter, to learn more about the roles of the UL 13 protein kinase in Marek\u2019s disease virus. She worked as a Research Technician II at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA studying viral entry mechanisms and viral inhibitors. She will be entering the University of Washinton's Microbiology PhD program starting the fall of 2023.<\/p>\n

Email: zgarci3@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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VALERIA CAMPOS, DVM<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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SUMMER RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.\u00a0<\/strong>Valeria is a DVM student in the College of Veterinary Medicine at UIUC and is going into her second year of vet school. She worked in Dr. Jarosinski's laboratory in the NIH funded 2020 Summer Research Training Program. She completed a BS in Biological Sciences at the University of Florida in 2016.\u00a0 She worked on the avian herpesvirus glycoprotein C\u00a0 during host-to-host transmission project with the help of Widaliz Vega Rodriguez.\u00a0 Her goal during the short time was to generate epitope tagged viral proteins in the context of the viral genome in order to identify expression in vivo which she completed with ease.<\/p>\n

Email: vcampos3@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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KATHERINE ANJALI FLECK<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT HOURLY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.\u00a0<\/strong>Katherine began in Dr. Jarosinski\u2019s lab in May 2018.\u00a0 She is a native of Memphis, TN, and was an undergraduate student pursuing a BS in Biochemistry at the UIUC. Her senior thesis project focused on the identifying cellular targets of RLORF4 protein in Marek\u2019s disease virus (MDV). She graduated UIUC and spent two years at the NIH to participate in the PostBac Intramural Research Traineeship Award (IRTA) Program in Dr. Christine Kozak's laboratory. Dr. Kozak's laboratory is in the Viral Biology Section in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) focusing on the genetics of resistance to retroviruses, specifically genes that inhibit the early stages of viral replication. She will be attending the University of Connecticut in the Fall of 2021 in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology in their PhD program.<\/p>\n

Email: kfleck2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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MICHAEL R.\u00a0 BROOKS, DVM<\/h4>\n<\/div>
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SUMMER RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.\u00a0<\/strong>Michael was a DVM student in the College of Veterinary Medicine at UIUC and worked in Dr. Jarosinski's laboratory in the 2018 Summer Research Training Program. He is originally from Central Florida, where he completed a BS in Molecular Biology at the University of Central Florida. He worked on a latency\/reactivation model for herpesviruses. His goal is to pursue specialty training, possibly in internal medicine.\u00a0 He will be attending Virginia Tech Graduate School in the Fall 2021 on an NIH T32 post-DVM training grant.<\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0mbrooks4@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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SNEHA CHERUKURI<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT HOURLY<\/h5>\n

Brief biography.<\/strong> Sneha began in Dr. Jarosinski\u2019s lab during the summer of 2017.\u00a0 She completed her BS in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program at the UIUC in the spring of 2018.\u00a0 \u00a0She recently received her MS in Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and is beginning a fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the influenza division this fall.<\/p>\n

Email: spcheru2@illinois.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Jarosinski Lab - Fall 2021<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Summer 2021<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Summer 2020<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Spring 2020<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Summer 2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Fall 2018 and Spring 2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Summer 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Jarosinski Lab - Spring 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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JOIN OUR LAB<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/div>
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