Lab Members

Elizabeth Egan, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and Microbiology & Immunology. She obtained her B.A. at Barnard College in NYC and her MD/PhD from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Prior to medical school she worked in Will Talbot's lab studying early pattern formation in zebrafish. Her PhD in Matthew Waldor's lab focused on defining essential replication factors for the two Vibrio cholerae chromosomes. As a postdoc in Manoj Duraisingh's lab at Harvard School of Public Health she performed a genetic screen to identify critical host factors for Plasmodium falciparum malaria using red blood cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells. Clinically, she completed training in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Boston Children's Hospital and now treats patients on the Pediatric Infectious Diseases service at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. The research in her laboratory focuses on host-pathogen interactions in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, with the goal of discovering critical host and parasite factors that may inform new therapeutic targets and approaches.

Marilou’s research interest has always been in host-pathogen interactions, working first in Bunyaviruses’s interactions with host cells in Ari Helenius lab (Zurich, Switzerland), and in Pierre-Yves Lozach’s lab (Montreal, Canada), then joining the fascinating field of malaria in Benoit Gamain’s lab (Paris, France) where she completed her Ph.D. degree in 2018. Her work focused on the relationship between hemoglobinopathies and pregnancy-associated malaria. In the Egan lab, Marilou is working on the development of a genetic screen in progenitor cells to identify new host factors important for Plasmodium falciparum. Outside the lab, she’s enjoying a lot exploring the wonderful nature of California through cycling, surfing, hiking and especially climbing.

Chhaminder completed her PhD in Prof. Swati Patankar’s Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where she worked towards understanding the intricacies of the protein synthesis process amidst multiple upstream open reading frames in Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. As a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Egan's laboratory, Chhaminder is interested in exploring the host cell responses to P. falciparum infection of erythroid progenitor cells, including the role played by the parasite effector proteins. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring new places and tending to her garden.

Amara earned her Ph.D. under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Bradley at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focused on identifying and characterizing secreted dense granule proteins in the bradyzoite and tachyzoite stages of the opportunistic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. Her work included understanding the impact these parasite effectors have on modulating the host response. As a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Egan’s laboratory, Amara aims to further investigate host-pathogen interactions, with a particular interest in those between Plasmodium falciparum and human erythrocytes. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, relaxing at the beach, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Sinjini received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Boll. During her doctoral research, she studied the Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii to understand how bacterial cell envelope layers coordinate to maintain envelope homeostasis. In 2026, she joined the Egan lab as a postdoctoral scholar, where she is interested in investigating how host cell surface receptors contribute to Plasmodium falciparum invasion of red blood cells, with a broader interest in host–pathogen interactions and infectious disease biology. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with her family.

Sarah has always found parasites fascinating—her introduction began with African trypanosomes in Jayne Raper’s lab and continued during her doctorate, which she completed in Susan Perkins’ lab at the City University of New York. During her doctoral research, she utilized transcriptomics to characterize the host-parasite interactions of three lizard-infective Plasmodium species in Saban anoles. These lizard-infective species exhibit unique traits for malaria parasites (including a new intracellular niche), which sparked Sarah’s interest in Plasmodium host-cell invasion. She hopes to explore this interest in the Egan lab by characterizing parasite invasion mechanisms from a comparative evolutionary perspective. In her free time, Sarah loves to explore new places, go to museums, and read.

Rowan is a Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Immunology department. They earned their bachelor’s degree in Biology at Northeastern University in 2019. Rowan’s curiosity about microbes and pathogenesis led them to conduct research in Dr. Cammie Lesser’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, where they studied the role of Shigella flexneri effector proteins in suppressing host cell death. This sparked Rowan’s interest in host-pathogen interactions, and they aim to investigate the mechanisms of Plasmodium falciparum protein trafficking within the red blood cell host. In their free time, Rowan enjoys playing classical piano, hanging out with their cat, and gaming.

Tim earned his bachelor's degree in Microbial Biology with Highest Distinction from UC Berkeley in 2023. During his undergraduate, he joined Prof. Fenyong Liu’s lab through the URAP program, where he investigated the relationship between the latent infection of Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) and circRNAs. This research experience sparked his deep interest in host-pathogen interactions. In September 2023, Tim joined the Egan lab as a life science research professional. Here, he works closely with Marilou to validate the CRISPR screen through shRNA knockdowns and focuses on exploring the erythropoiesis process and malaria host factors.

Fumi is a Ph.D. student in the Immunology program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Computational Biology from Harvey Mudd College in 2025. Driven by a curiosity about host-pathogen interactions in infectious diseases, particularly those affecting underserved populations, Fumi’s undergraduate studies focused on African Trypanosoma at Harvey Mudd and Johns Hopkins. His past research extended to the behavior and metabolism of Drosophila, and the neuroscience aspects of C. elegans. Beyond the lab, Fumi enjoys various activities such as working out, biking, running, photography, scuba diving, and backpacking.