The Desai Lab

Melinda keeps the lab running. You can find her at HUH 403, x68062.

Thomas joined the lab in 2020. He earned his Ph.D. at UPMC in Paris in theoretical physics then worked on computational immunology with Aleksandra Walczak and Thierry Mora. In the Desai Lab, Thomas is working on mapping the affinity landscape of in-vivo antibodies against various antigens and on understanding the theoretical basis for B-cells evolution.

Caroline joined the lab in 2023. She earned her Ph.D. in theoretical biophysics at Princeton, working with Bill Bialek. In the Desai Lab, Caroline is using a combination of experimental, theoretical, and computational methods to analyze the structure of high-dimensional genotype-phenotype maps.

Tatiana joined in 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto, working with David Guttman and Darrell Desveaux. In the Desai Lab, she's mapping the coevolutionary dynamics between naturally evolved viral antigens and the human immune response.

Joao earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley, advised by Oskar Hallatschek. He joined the lab in 2024 and is working on how affinity landscapes shape the coevolutionary dynamics of pathogens and the host immune system.

Alief earned a BA in math and biology from Carleton College where they studied microbial evolution in the deep-sea hydrothermal vents before joining the lab in 2019. He is currently studying the co-evolution between viruses and immune cells, especially within the context of ever-changing molecular recognition landscapes.

Eliot received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018 and joined the lab in 2019. He uses a mix of experimental and computational techniques to study how factors such as sexual reproduction and gene networks impact the speed and trajectory of evolution.

Misha joined the lab in 2020. She is developing quantitative genetics methods for trait mapping in budding yeast, and conducting experimental evolution to understand the role of spatial structure in promoting adaptation in inhomogeneous environments

Jack joined the lab in 2021. He is working on molecular barcoding methods in the E. coli long-term evolution experiment, and is also broadly interested in evolutionary theory.

Berk earned his degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Connecticut, joining the lab in 2022. He investigates directed evolution's traversal of genotype-phenotype maps, theoretically and using in vitro assays of antibody binding affinities.

Alex joined the lab in 2023 after earning her B.Sc. in Biological Engineering from MIT. She is using computational and synthetic biology approaches to model the evolution of antibodies within the germinal center; her research aims to uncover the extent to which B cell trajectories are constrained during affinity maturation.

Jenya received her specialist degree in bioengineering and bioinformatics from Moscow State University in 2023 and then joined the lab. She is interested in fundamental evolutionary mechanisms and is studying them using artificial evolutionary experiments on yeast.

Shreyas earned his BA in Natural Sciences (Zoology) at the University of Cambridge in 2022, and joined the lab in 2023. He is working on long term experimental evolution in yeast and E. coli, with a focus on evolutionary dynamics, coexistence, and diversification.

Caelan graduated from Kutztown University with a BS in Physics in 2021 and joined the lab in 2023. She develops theoretical models to understand underlying epistatic structure in genotype-phenotype maps and is interested in the dynamics of that structure under different environmental conditions.