CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
THE 'VIRAL' PROFESSOR
Arvind Varsani
New Zealand (8 years). I am currently based in the US in the Sonoran desert.
I strongly advocate UBUNTU – an African philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relationships, including those of the local community. I strongly believe that it is extremely important to engage the local community especially in research involving native fauna and flora which often has major cultural significance to indigenous peoples.
ASSISTANT RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Simona Kraberger
under the supervision of Arvind Varsani and then followed on to take a postdoctoral researcher position in the VandeWoude lab at Colorado State University in Colorado (CSU). At CSU, I work on a large interdisciplinary NSF funded project investigating feline retrovirus molecular ecology in large wild felids, namely mountain lions, bobcats and lynx. In 2017, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to join the Varsani lab at Arizona State University. As an Assistant Research Scientist, I work on a range of exciting projects, focusing on the ecology and evolution of single-stranded DNA viruses. My current primary projects include “unearthing the honey bee virome and effects of certain viral infections on honey bee behavior” and “Understanding the evolution and ecology of anelloviruses in large species of carnivore”. Being a nature nerd, I love the outdoors and exploring the Arizona desert which is my latest hobby.
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Elise Paietta
I obtained my PhD in Biology from Duke University in 2025 where my doctoral dissertation focused on building a foundation of DNA viral diversity in captive and natural lemur and rodent populations. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Varsani Lab. My current research focuses on DNA and RNA virus evolutionary and ecological dynamics in non-human primates, rodents, domestic animals, and people in southeastern Madagascar, a landscape experiencing intense anthropogenic pressures, and other global ecosystems.
PhD CANDIDATE
Melanie Regney
Molecular and Cellular Biology. My primary research is focused on viruses infecting animal populations from Antarctica. I am interested in how these viral entities affect these isolated ecosystems. After obtaining my undergraduate degree in Biotechnology Engineering, my passion for science increased. Besides spending time in the lab I enjoy doing outdoor activities under the sun, painting, crocheting, and dancing.
PhD STUDENT
Ayla Zustra
that infect carnivores, and the variations in viral communities between species. When I am not in the lab (or when I am not traveling somewhere), I am likely doing something active, reading, crocheting, or spending some time under the sun ☀️.
PhD CANDIDATE
Diego Olivo
in chemistry and biology in 2020. I started my Ph.D. program in the fall of 2021 and am now in my third year at ASU. My research focuses on the viral ecology and evolution of DNA viruses associated with American waterfowl species, which has given me a new hobby: bird-watching while collecting fecal samples. Outside of my research, I love bouldering, exercising, camping, and cooking in my free time.
PhD STUDENT
Michael Lund
applications and pipelines for the analysis of biological sequencing data. I am in the process of finalizing SDT2: a program written for generation comparisons, analysis and visualizations of sequences similarities through pairwise alignments. I have recently started to study the principles of machine-learning, neural networks and LLMs and hope to one day apply these concepts by developing tools that identify relationships between viral taxa as well as novel virus discovery. In my spare time, I enjoy going to the gym, 3d printing, working with single-board computers, and spending time with my family.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Rilley Bitter
After graduating, I plan to attend graduate school studying virology. At the Varsani lab, I have been researching the viral ecology and evolution of viruses infecting South Polar Skuas - a type of predatory seabird. I plan to do my honors thesis with Barrett studying gyroviruses in different avian host species. When I am not in the lab, I love spending time with nature, traveling, reading, and making bread.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Victoria Huckabee
In the Varsani Lab, my research focuses on investigating the ecology and evolution of viruses, primarily in pinniped species. After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan to pursue a PhD and a career in vaccine development or engineered immunity. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with friends, painting, hiking (or really anything outdoors), and jamming out to all kinds of music!
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Alexander Salywon
In the Varsani Lab, my work has broadly focused on investigating circular viruses in desert carnivore species, including bobcats and snakes. My research explores how these viruses circulate within wildlife populations and the microbiome, offering insights into viral ecology and transmission dynamics. After graduation, I’m considering pursuing a PhD or a career in medicine. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, history, photography, and being pretentious about film!
CURRENT LAB AFFILIATES
PhD STUDENT
Sydney Millerwise
in Sustainability in 2022 and now work in the Global Locust Initiative lab studying how population density affects viral communities and immune function of lab and field insect populations. Outside the lab you can find me hiking and looking for wildlife across Arizona.
PAST LAB MEMBERS
FORMER POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Karla Vargas
My doctoral dissertation focused on the application of genomic approaches to the conservation of Sonoran wildlife. I was a NSF-Postdoctoral Fellow in the Varsani Lab working in collaboration with the Baja Geogenomics Consortium and the University of Arizona Conservation Genetics Lab. My research focused on host-virus dynamics and viral diversity associated with wild populations of vertebrate species across the Baja California peninsula and the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.
FORMER MOLECULAR RESEARCH SPECIALIST
Matthew De Koch
(Los Angeles, CA, USA) in 2023. There, I obtained my degree in biochemistry with a minor in public health. My undergraduate research experiences – in immunology and public health – inspired me to further pursue a career in science. Following graduation, I began my position in the Varsani lab at Arizona State University. My research focused transformed to encompass the ecology and evolution of various wildlife viruses. Looking forward, I plan to pursue graduate programs that emphasize both molecular and bioinformatic methods, with consideration to the “One Health” global health framework. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, hiking, traveling, and shooting film photography.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Jada Onwuta
I got my undergraduate degree at Wellesley College and did lots of research! Some cool projects I've worked on are tracking emerging languages, analyzing ancient DNA, and mathematically modeling viruses and video games. I'm so excited to pull these experiences together at ASU. In my free time, I play video games, go on road trips, and/or hang out with family.
FORMER PhD CANDIDATE
Antonio Bandoo
My research project focused on viruses associated with bees and a few other pollinating insects. In my spare time I like to take bike rides, exercise, fish, and try new restaurants.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Nicholas Sweeney
I have had the opportunity to investigate the DNA virome of Arizona scorpions and birds of prey at the Liberty Wildlife rehabilitation center here in Phoenix. Volunteering at Liberty Wildlife has also allowed me to provide samples for projects on DNA viruses in lagomorphs and waterbirds. I am attending veterinary school and wish to continue researching and treating wildlife.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Shawnpreet Sahnan
lab to investigate novel viruses in avian species. I will be attending medical school and pursue a career as a physician. In addition to my love for science, I enjoy reading and discussing philosophy with my club, The People of the Polis, at ASU. In my free time you can find me hiking, camping, snowboarding, or doing just about anything outdoors.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Magali Gomez
I will be attending PA school. In addition to learning and researching here at ASU, I enjoy my job as a medical assistant for a dermatologist. In my free time I love to read, hike, spend time outdoors, and binge tv shows when I can!
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Julia Neil
viruses in large cat species. I am did my Barrett thesis project on polyomaviruses in scorpions. After graduating, I plan to attend a joint medical/law school program and pursue a career in the medical field. In my free time I like to read, exercise, hike, and travel.
Joy Custer
In the Varsani lab, I isolated ssDNA viruses from a variety of plant, animal, and wastewater samples to expand the known viral diversity. When I'm not working, you can most likely find me at a local vegan restaurant, farmers' market, or music venue with my friends. I also volunteer with the Arizona Sustainability Alliance as their Adopt-A-Park Program Coordinator.
FORMER MOLECULAR RESEARCH SPECIALIST
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Hannah McGraw
I’ve worked in the Varsani lab identifying different papillomaviruses in multiple mammalian and avian species. My honors thesis with Barrett was on studying the viruses associated with the Salt River horses in the Tonto National Forest. I am in veterinary school. In my free time I’m working at a small animal veterinary clinic in Ahwatukee, biking, and traveling.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Sarah Shick
I see myself pursuing a career within the intersection of scientific research and related public policy, especially in terms of global health. I love to travel and have now studied abroad twice, for a semester in Santiago, Chile and over winter break in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica.
FORMER MASTERS STUDENT
Savage Hess
and microbiology intertwine. I want to pursue a career in collection management with an emphasis on field work and molecular analysis. In my personal life, I am a writer and a graphic designer. My greatest passions are hiking and tabletop games.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Jasmine Lopez
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Ciara Harding
My dream is to work as a physician and to work to expand access to healthcare. In my free time I love anything nature related, especially sailing with ASU's sailing team.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Quinn Patterson
to continue on to graduate school and eventually work with wildlife diseases at a wildlife agency. In my free time, I enjoy reading, hiking, and spending time outdoors.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Courtney Collins
enterobacteria in gila monsters, as well as bacilladnaviruses that infect diatoms. I am in medical school and will become a doctor!
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Gabriella Cerna
My ultimate professional goal is to become a virologist. I am incredibly curious, and I enjoy sharing my love of science with others through communication and outreach.
FORMER PhD STUDENT
Rafaela Fontenele
from University of Brasilia. My main project focused on assessing the diversity, ecology and evolution of single-stranded DNA viruses associated with plants from the family Cactaceae, in particular the Opuntia spp. and the saguaros, using high throughput sequencing approaches. The Varsani lab is very collaborative and dynamic and because of that I am part of various other projects looking at the viral diversity in aquatic environments and animals. I was drawn to virology ever since I was an undergrad, and now I am more interested in virus evolution.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Crystal Suazo
I want to go to undertake graduate studies and eventually do research in microbiology as a career. I also like playing violin and doing kung fu.
FORMER MASTERS STUDENT
Anthony Khalifeh
discovering plant and animal viruses. Other than lab work, I enjoy playing video games and reading.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Kendal Smith
novel viruses of plants and animals. Aside from my love of science, I enjoy skiing and following European soccer.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Prati Lodha
Outside of school, I really love to learn new languages & watching movies.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Grace Levi
and yet so much is unknown about them, which makes the work in this lab fascinating.
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
Nicola Ferguson
After I graduate, I want to go to university and eventually do research in microbiology as a career. I also like playing violin and doing kung fu.
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
Amulya Bhaskara
When I'm not in the lab, I love spending time outdoors hiking, swimming, kayaking, or playing guitar. After I finish my undergrad, I hope to attend medical school and become a doctor.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Joshua Bautista
project. I currently live in Phoenix, but was originally from the Philippines. I am a firm believer that every experience is a positive experience. I love trying new types of foods from every culture around the world.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Josh Schreck
in the area of microbiology. When I'm not busy in the lab, I spend my time studying, watching movies, hiking, and eating food. Some of my favorite movies are Mad Max: Fury Road, Pulp Fiction, The Graduate, and Rear Window.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Vasishta Somayaji
on biology and medicine. My research interests include molecular biology and protein structure modeling. In my free time I love to play the piano, travel, and spend time with family.
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
Ilaria Cobb
Outside of the lab, I try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I am an avid hiker and when I get the chance to go to California a surfer and SCUBA diver as well. I intend to finish out my senior year and attend a four year university, with my ultimate goal getting a PhD.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Kara Waits
The lab has many great collaborators and because of that I am able to work on several projects that investigate viral diversity and evolution across a broad range of samples including birds, reptiles, and environmental samples. My master’s project was on characterizing viruses associated with arachnids, focusing primarily on ticks and scorpions. Growing up in Wyoming fostered a love for nature and science and in my free time I enjoy hiking and photography.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Tayele Kringen
As an undergraduate I participated in many research opportunities including conducting bioarcheology in Peru, interning in the southwest archeology lab, and volunteering in the Varsani lab. After graduating from ASU I moved to New Zealand and earned a graduate certificate in Antarctic studies from the University of Canterbury. This certificate allowed me to travel to Ross Island, Antarctica and complete many different research projects there. Once returning to America, I realized just how passionate I was about the Antarctic and undertook a small project in the Varsani Lab studying environmental viruses from glaciers in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. While research and school does take up much of my time I have many hobbies including teaching tennis, traveling, and hiking. I plan on finishing my masters early in order to start my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in April of 2020.
FORMER FRENCH GRADUATE STUDENT INTERN
Cécile Richet
CIRAD Institute (France), I worked on the detection and characterization of alfalfa leaf curl virus (ALCV) from plant samples endemic in several countries in the Mediterranean basin. After completing my work with the Roumagnac lab, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to work with Arvind Varsani at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. Here, I performed research investigating DNA viruses including adenoviruses, genomoviruses, geminiviruses, parvoviruses, polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses from various plants and animals of the Southwestern United States. I have moved back to my small village in France, where I am from, and I start attending classes in France at different campuses of my university. I enjoy travelling, I’ve been to 15 countries in Europe, and plan to one day see the northern lights.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Zoe Smeele
research. In collaboration with Jen Burns’ research group from the University of Anchorage, my project involved the identification and recovery of seven distinct viral genomes of papillomaviruses in vaginal swabs from an isolated population of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii). In line with the research in McMurdo Sound and the Ross sea, this expanded our understanding of the viral diversity among Antarctic animals. One of my favorite things about being a part of the Varsani Lab is the autonomy to work on a variety of projects and the encouragement to be involved in ones that highly interest us.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Olivia Steel
viral metagenomic approach to explore the diversity of circular Rep-encoding single stranded DNA genomes in animal faecal matter collected in the South Island of New Zealand. Since doing my research, I have been working at Asure Quality's Christchurch laboratory (New Zealand) where I am the supervisor of the Microbiology department. In my work, I manage the testing of food and environmental samples for various microorganisms with a focus on food safety.
FORMER PhD STUDENT
Anisha Dayaram
fact that we still know very little about them. I completed my PhD at the University of Canterbury in the Varsani Lab and my thesis was focused on the discovery of novel circular replication-associated protein encoding single-stranded DNA viruses in ecosystems using viral metagenomic approaches. I am interested in using next-generation sequencing technologies for the discovery of novel viruses in different environmental samples. Over the past couple of years I have been based in Berlin and were investigated the movement of infectious diseases in ground water, such as equine herpes virus. I have had the most amazing time being part of the Varsani lab in New Zealand and hope to have many more collaborations in the future.
FORMER PhD STUDENT
Daisy Stainton
at a US summer camp. I then returned to the University of Canterbury in 2009 to undertake a Masters’ degree which I subsequently upgraded to a PhD thesis. The research for my PhD focused on single stranded DNA viruses which infect banana plants. In particular, banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), a single-stranded DNA virus in the Nanoviridae family. I am interested in the global genetic diversity and the evolution of BBTV. My research also investigated the presence of three banana infecting badnaviruses, double-stranded DNA viruses in the Caulimoviridae family, in worldwide banana samples. Following this, I undertook a postoc at the University of Queensland. Australia and I am moving to the US shortly to take up a plant virology-based postdoc. In my spare time I enjoy volunteering for a youth group for young people with disabilities, reading and spending time with friends.
FORMER PhD STUDENT
Kata Farkas
focused on enteric viruses in groundwater, aiming to mimic their transport and behavior in saturated aquifers using protein- and DNA-labeled nanoparticles. After finishing my studies, I continued working in Arvind’s virus research group. I was involved in various project that uses viral metagenomics approaches to identify viruses (both known and novel) in various ecosystems. In 2015, I stared to work at the Bangor University, Wales, on the Viraqua Project (www.viraqua.uk). I have designed and validated methods for the recovery of enteric viruses in the aquatic environment in order to quantify infectious viruses, describe viral ecology and model viral transport in the environment. I can be found at the Environment Centre Wales (Bangor) or easily spotted at any health-related water microbiology conference, making very poor norovirus jokes.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Laurel Julian
I used molecular techniques to isolate BFDV genome sequences from various countries and compare them to establish their relation to each other and to other known sequences. Currently I am the supervisor of the Pathogens Laboratory at AsureQuality Christchurch, where I oversee the routine testing of food matrices for pathogenic bacteria, a field that is increasingly employing molecular techniques for their accuracy and speed in providing results.
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENT
Maketalena Male
on identifying circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses in Tongan Pacific flying fox guano. I strongly believe that research it is essential towards informed sustainable development in any environment. In my free time I enjoy running, cycling and all sorts of outdoor sports and activities. Being multicultural and sociable, I appreciate a multitude of cultures and having friends from different countries helps broaden my view and understanding of the world which makes life much more interesting and enjoyable. I am currently undertaking my PhD at the University of Newcastle in Australia in plant biology.
FORMER PhD STUDENT
Adérito Monjane
My thesis project involved both fieldwork (sampling plant-infecting viruses) and laboratory work. The key research questions revolved around virus diversity, epidemiology, as well as studying how integral a process virus evolution is to a virus’ ability to infect valuable crops. Building on this experience, I am now working at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, where I exploit the use of synthetic biology to sabotage key properties of a virus’ genome, so as to potentially make attenuated vaccines.
FORMER GERMAN GRADUATE STUDENT INTERN
Anja Jäschke
I primarily worked on plant-infecting geminiviruses. In 2012 I started a PhD at the University of Heidelberg analyzing the human immune response to a malaria vaccine candidate. Currently, I am working as a Postdoc at the University clinic Heidelberg where I am supervising the immunological analysis of a clinical phase I trial with the malaria vaccine candidate SumayaVac-1. I love travelling around the world.
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
James Hadfield
modern scientific research, running the gamut from molecular cloning work, sequencing, and phylogenomic analysis. It set me up for my PhD (University of Cambridge), where I worked on bacterial genomics, microbial resistance and interactive data visualisation. During my PhD I built phandango, a web-based visualization tool for interpreting the genomics of bacterial populations. I'm now in the Bedford lab at the Fred Hutch in Seattle, USA. There I work on nextstrain.org, which aims to provide real-time phylodynamics analysis and visualisation of pathogen evolution, especially where applicable to outbreaks and epidemics.
FORMER HONOURS STUDENT
Oliver Windram
human papillomavirus virus capsid proteins to generate structurally ordered epitopes for potential vaccine development. Also during this time, I was part of a larger team that sampled and mapped the distribution of various geminivirus in plant hosts throughout Africa. Part of this work helped reveal how viral recombination could be used to map the emergence of maize streak virus as a major agricultural pathogen in Africa. After leaving Arvind’s lab in Cape Town, I took on a PhD in Plant Systems Biology at the University of Warwick (England) and later a Post-Doc in yeast Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London (England). Now as a NERC Omics Fellow at Imperial College London, I am seeking to build and reconstruct large scale transcriptome defence networks in plants using my background in Systems Biology. I am combining this with my experience in Synthetic Biology to develop new ways of identifying key regulators in these networks via genetic rewiring of predicted regulators. Additionally, driven by my observations of the broad diversity of crop stress phenotypes throughout Africa, and the rest of the world, my group is also seeking to define more quantitative ways of defining plant stress phenotypes using deep learning image analysis. The ultimate aim of this is to relate quantitative plant metrics to underlying transcriptomic and metabolomic responses to help generate more realistic in-field defe
