BAGNAT LAB

michel.bagnat@duke.edu
Michel is born in Rio Negro, Northern Patagonia, Argentina. He did his undergrad at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain. For his graduate studies, he went to the EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany. He spent about half of his Ph.D. days at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden Germany. He then crossed the pond and the american continent to do his postdoc at UCSF. He started his lab in 2008, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2016, Professor in 2022, and to “Nanaline Duke Distinguished Professor” in 2023.

daniel.levic@duke.edu
I’m interested in how cell physiology impacts morphogenesis of the GI tract. In Michel’s lab, I study how membrane proteins are sorted and delivered to the apical cell surface in the intestine. I’m also trying to understand how this sorting machinery is regulating during intestinal maturation and lumen expansion. In my free time I like working with my hands, these days on guitars and amplifiers.

indrasen.magre@duke.edu
Inder was born and brought up in Maharashtra, a state in west India. He completed his bachelor’s degree from Modern college - Ganeshkhind and master’s degree from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of biotechnology in Pune, India. He worked in Serum Institute of India, in Pune, India in the bacterial vaccine manufacturing department for a couple of years. From there he moved on to do his PhD at National Centre for Cell Science under the guidance of Dr. Jomon Joseph in Pune, India. After completing his PhD in 2019, he joined as a postdoc in Michel’s lab owing to his interest in learning more about cell biology of the gut epithelia during development. In his free time he loves spending time with friends and family, watching bollywood movies and cooking.

Carina.block@duke.edu
Carina is originally from Napa, California. She received her bachelor’s degree from UCSD and received her PhD in Neuroscience from Duke University. Carina is a joint postdoc with the Eroglu lab, and is investigating how protein transport by LREs regulates neuroimmune development by enabling the gut to brain transport of intact proteins. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing with her pets, preparing for Halloween, and eating tasty food. 

jennifer.bagwell@dm.duke.edu
Jennifer is originally from Topsham, Maine. She moved to North Carolina for college and obtained her graduate degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Marine Science program. Jennifer joined the Bagnat lab as an analyst and lab manager in January of 2010. Currently, she is investigating the notochord's role in spine morphogenesis and scoliosis. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys making jewelry, playing pool, and traveling. She is also the default departmental dog-sitter. She is also an excellent photo bomber.

james.norman@dm.duke.edu
James was born and raised in Durham, NC. Although he is a Durham native, he is a proud fan of the North Carolina Tarheels. He earned his bachelor's degree in Biology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. After being a beach bum for four years, he moved back to Durham and began working in the Bagnat Lab as a technician. Outside of lab life, he enjoys cooking and trying new places to eat in Durham.

laura.childers@duke.edu
Laura grew up in Houston, TX. She studied History and Plan II Honors at the University of Texas at Austin. After getting interested in science, she later earned a BS in Biology from Oregon State University – Cascades. Laura is interested in researching the interaction between gut microbiota and lysosome rich enterocytes. Her hobbies outside the lab include gardening, trail running, and visiting the farmers’ market.

siyao.wang@duke.edu
Siyao is originally from Beijing, China. She first came to the US in 2015 to do her undergrad in Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. Graduating in 2019, she started her PhD life at Duke when summer ended. Siyao is interested in learning how the enterocytes may take in bacterial particles or antigens to help with innate immune system development. In her time outside of lab she enjoys travelling, photography, and playing with her cat.

parsa.zareiesfandabadi@duke.edu
I am a physicist in love with biology. What fuels my interest is the innate interdisciplinary nature of the biophysics field to unify different branches of science in pursuit of untangling fundamental biological problems that will positively impact lives.

preethi.kannan@duke.edu

anna.song@duke.edu

richard.liu@duke.edu

Bagnat Lab Alumni

Graduate Students
Ashley Alvers Lento, Ph.D.
Adam Navis, Ph.D.
Kathryn Ellis, Ph.D.
Jieun Esther Park, Ph.D.
Jamie Garcia, Ph.D.
Susan Wopat, Ph.D.
Brianna Peskin, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellows
Bijoy Daga, Ph.D.
Sean Ryan, Ph.D.
Lindsay Marjoram, Ph.D.
Sunyoung Park, Ph.D.

Research Staffs
Jamie Mankiewicz
Sarah Wienke
Jacob Smoot

Undergraduate Students
Meghana Giri
Arjun Juneja
Adam Lin
Laura Damiani
Kim Arena
Sami Natour
Christine Tsai
Mark Herzog
Shikha Nayar
James Hwang
Mehreen Shafqat