Dr. James Weger-Lucarelli

Principle Investigator | Assistant Professor

I am originally from Madison, Wisconsin. I obtained both my Bachelors in Medical Microbiology and Immunology and my PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin. I then did a postdoc in Greg Ebel's lab at Colorado State University followed by a second postdoc in Marco Vignuzzi's lab at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. My training has mostly been in virology, vaccinology, and virus evolution with a focus on mosquito borne viruses. I am interested in using molecular and evolution-based approaches to generate new viruses that can be used as vaccines, therapeutics, or cancer treatments. I'm also interested in gaining a better understanding of virus-host interactions towards developing new antivirals or therapeutics that can be used to target a wide array of viral diseases. I'm also highly passionate and motivated about properly training the next generation of young scientists. Finally, I'm passionate about maintaining physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Pallavi Rai

PHD Candidate

Pallavi earned her Bachelors in Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry and Post-graduate diploma in Management from India. She worked as a Bank Manager in India for 10 years before joining the VG-HI lab in the Fall of 2019 as an M.S. student and switching to a PhD in Fall 2020. Her major projects involve studying the effect of obesity on alphavirus transmission by mosquitoes and the impact of obesity on the severity of coronavirus (mouse hepatitis virus-1) disease in mice. During her spare time, she loves to reading, cooking and spending time with her kids.

Muddassar Hameed

Postdoctoral Associate

Muddassar Hameed obtained his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) (2009-14) and Masters in Microbiology (2014-16) from University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan. Then he decided to develop his scientific career with a PhD from Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute under supervision of Professor Zhiyong Ma in “Vector and Vector Borne Diseases” lab. His PhD research was focused on metagenomic analysis of viruses in mosquitoes and pathogen-mosquito-host interaction on different arboviruses like Japanese encephalitis virus. During his PhD, he was awarded the GSCAAS outstanding graduate student award in 2020. He joined the “Virus genetics and host interactions” (VG-HI) lab during the spring of 2022 and is working to explore the obesity impact on alphavirus pathogenesis and immunity. In addition, he is working to develop immunocompetent mouse model of dengue virus infection using molecular techniques. Muddassar Hameed is an ambitious person and in his free time, he likes to think/watch/read about how to achieve life goals.

Chelsea Cereghino

PHD CANDIDATE

Chelsea is a PhD student in the VG-HI lab interested in viral evolution and cellular entry mechanisms. She joined the lab in 2020 where she first served as a research technician and lab manager for two years before beginning her graduate studies. Her work thus far has explored the adaptation of the alphavirus Mayaro virus to urban mosquito vectors and SARS-CoV-2 to humans and animal reservoirs. Chelsea received her B.S. in Microbiology from Virginia Tech in 2019, and during her time as an undergraduate she spent 3 years conducting research in a soil microbial ecology laboratory. After she completed her bachelor degree, she worked for a year as a post-bachelor research associate in the Plant Systems Biology group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In her free time she loves to play piano, cook and bake, and take care of her many plants.

ALEX SOLOMON

Undergraduate Student

Alex is a 4th-year Animal and Poultry Sciences student who joined the lab in the Fall 2023 semester. He is currently investigating how obesity affects Dengue Virus proliferation using a mouse model. Some of his previous research experience includes an NSF REU internship at the University of California Berkeley where he investigated viral load in western honeybees. Additionally, he worked on the Campbell-Buckzyncki experiment at Virginia Tech to see if vaping increased seizure susceptibility in mice. Outside of the lab, Alex likes to do gymnastics, indoor color guard, and participate in community outreach.

JEREMY THOMAS

Masters Candidate

Jeremy is a second year graduate student in the Master of Public Health program with a focus on Infectious Diseases and Community Health Promotion. He was born in Northern Virginia and did both his undergrad and grad at Virginia Tech. Jeremy joined the VG-HI lab in fall of 2023 and his research involves quantifying the seroprevalence of neutralizing antibodies of the Delta and Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2  in wildlife to establish if there are any potential relations or spillovers between human and animal populations. Before he started in the lab, he was an intern for the Virginia Department of Health focusing on data analysis of Hepatitis C rates in the New River Valley District. Outside of the lab, Jeremy loves playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and distracting Pallavi from her work.

Katie Tiller

PHD CANDIDATE

Katie joined the VG-HI lab in the fall of 2022, and is a local of Southwest Virginia. She worked as a Biology and Anatomy teacher at Bland County High School for 5 years. During that time, she obtained her M.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida. She previously obtained her B.S. in Biology from Radford University, where she was a 4 year member of the Radford University Dance Team. Katie is also an instructor/choreographer at Bluefield Dance Theatre where she has taught dance for over 14 years. She also serves as a board member, performer, choreographer, and instructor for Adaire Theatre in Pulaski, VA.

IAN TAYLOR

PHD CANDIDATE

Ian grew up in a Navy family and has lived in many places, from California to Utah to southern Spain. However, if you ask him, North Carolina is home. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he spent his time studying avian flight dynamics and sea turtle nesting patterns or as a Marching Tar Heel. He stayed there after graduating in 2021 for another two years as a research technician in the UNC Children’s Research Institute studying pediatric viruses before coming to Virginia Tech in 2023. In the lab, Ian is studying oncolytic viruses, and outside the lab, he enjoys reading, going to the movies, snowboarding, and Tae Kwon Do.

TYLER WILLIAMS

RESEARCH LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Before joining the Weger-Lucarelli lab, Tyler earned his bachelor’s degree at Virginia Tech and worked in the natural resources field as a technician for various wildlife projects including endangered species conservation, genetic diversity assessments, and long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Tyler went on to receive his master’s degree at Louisiana State University and then worked as a research technician at the USDA Honeybee Breeding and Genomic Facility studying the role nutrition plays in disease outcomes for honeybees. In this current position, Tyler is working to develop Sindbis virus replicons to facilitate gene knockout in cell culture, establish protocols using pseudoviruses to measure neutralizing antibody levels in wildlife samples, and to support various laboratory needs. Outside of research Tyler spends time cooking or baking and enjoys outdoor activities like fishing, bird watching, and bee keeping.

Weger Lab alumni

• Charlie Amoia PhD

• Christina Chuong PhD

• Jefferey Marano PhD

• Emily Webb PhD

• Blake Flinchum MS

• Sam Rodgers MPH

• Laura Albentosa

• Tyler Bates

• Julie Nguyen

• Shamima Akter

  Thank you to our previous lab members who are off doing amazing things. We miss you!