Post-doctoral Associates
Charlie Pyle, PharmD, PhD
I graduated from the Ohio State University with a PharmD, where I then went on to earn a PhD in the lab of Larry Schlesinger investigating the impact of human zinc metabolism on macrophage inflammation and host-resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the Tobin lab my work focuses on investigation of tuberculosis pathogenesis. I use a number of unique model systems to evaluate host genetic factors that govern the immune response within mycobacterial granulomas in an effort to discover novel immunomodulatory mechanisms for host-directed therapy.
I spend most of my time outside of the lab trying to keep up with my two rambunctious daughters on journeys through North Carolina. For leisure I enjoy outdoor recreation, good conversation and discovering the works of talented artists, musicians, authors, chefs and the like.
Gopinath Viswanathan, PhD
I did my Ph.D. in Dr. Raghunand R Tirumalai’s lab at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India. My Ph.D. work was focused on identifying cell envelope associated genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are linked to its oxidative and antibiotic stress survival. In Dr. Tobin’s lab, I will understand the host response to mycobacterial infection using Zebrafish-Mycobacterium marinum infection model.
Brandon Thompson, PhD 
I graduated from the University of Virginia earning a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology in the labs of Stacey Burgess and William Petri Jr investigating the effect of commensal microbial metabolites on myeloid cell development and its impact on intestinal parasitic infections. In the Tobin lab my work focuses on better understanding how bacteria-macrophage interactions induce neovascularization and their role in bacterial dissemination from the initial forming granuloma. Dissemination is among the most severe presentations of tuberculosis infection and results from this project will help inform therapeutic strategies to combat mycobacterial dissemination and lessen disease severity.
