Lab Members

John completed his B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UMass Amherst and M.S. in Nutritional Biology at UC Davis. Currently, John is pursuing his Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences and has a strong passion for both basic and applied sciences. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, playing recreational sports, weightlifting, and watching competition cooking shows.

My research interests are in ‘personalized nutrition’, omics technologies, and understanding the interactions between a host’s genetics, diet, microbiomes, and immune system during reproductive and early life stages.

Dylan earned his B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross while majoring in Biology. He was involved in HIV research as an undergraduate at the college. He is interested in how microbiome differences affect processes in the body, especially in those with IBD. In the lab, he processes samples from various studies as well as manages inventory to make sure all samples are sorted correctly. As a part of the DAIN study, Dylan helps to organize participant data and assure all timepoints are collected in the study. Outside of work, Dylan loves going on his boat in Rhode Island, binging TV shows, and walking his dog.

Mayra earned her B.S. in Biology from the National School of Biological Sciences at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico. She currently serves as the Clinical Research Coordinator for the Dieta Anti-Inflamatoria or DAIN study in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico. 

Mayra is passionate about understanding the needs of minorities and understudied populations living with chronic diseases. She envisions implementing culturally sensitive approaches in health research projects to ensure that the research accurately reflects the experiences of diverse populations, with the ultimate goal of obtaining reliable findings that can be used to improve health outcomes.

Camilla received both her B.S. in Nutrition and MPH from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Camilla is interested in the effect of dietary interventions on the gut microbiota and disease outcomes, especially inflammatory bowel disease. Camilla is also curious about understanding the factors that influence food choices, such as social, psychological, cultural, and economic factors.  As an RD, she is passionate about nutrition education and food literacy. Camilla is a part of the nutrition team on the Dieta Anti-Inflamatoria or (DAIN) study.

Daniela completed her B.S. in Biology at the Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela, and her Ph.D y Microbiology at the University of Puerto Rico. Daniela is interested in understanding the balanced relationship between a host and its microbiomes and studying what happens when this equilibrium is disrupted by practices of our lifestyle. In the lab, she works with the data that just came out from a particular experiment or project. She first does the data cleaning and has it ready to process it. Then, she analyzes it and generates plots and tables that help interpret biological phenomena. Daniela discusses and proposes different approaches to how to process and treat the data to extract the most relevant information. In her free time, she loves dancing, climbing, and doing outdoor activities.

Lymarie received her bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. At same institution, she completed her PhD in Biology where she described the microbial community associated with sea cucumbers (Holothuria glaberrima) undergoing intestinal regeneration and evaluated the impact of the microbiota during intestinal regeneration of this holothuroid. Meanwhile, she acted as a consultant to the DAIN project, where her roles ranged from informative material editor to social media content creator. Currently, she is integrated into our group as the Postdoctoral Associate and will oversee the effects of DAIN on microbial and molecular profiles of CD patients. 

“Since I was a child, my grandmother taught me about the medicinal properties of food and herbs. I grew up thinking that I could cure people with the crops I plant. Indubitably, she inspired me to become a biomedical researcher, which I would plan to continue as post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Ana Maldonado-Contreras lab. In addition to planting, I am a passionate teacher/mentor, and I have multiple hobbies such as singing, salsa dancing, watching musicals and comedies, jewelry crafting, and traveling, among others.”