People

Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He received both his M.D. and Ph.D. from New York University and completed his residency in internal medicine at Bellevue Hospital. Author of more than 1,000 scientific publications, his major research interests include fungal pathogenesis and mechanisms of antibody action. He played a leading role in the deployment of convalescent plasma during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Casadevall also has a deep interest in the scientific enterprise, and his collaborative work has demonstrated that research misconduct accounts for the majority of retracted publications. He is Editor-in-Chief of mBio, Deputy Editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and serves on multiple other editorial boards. He has served on numerous NIH and national committees, including the NIAID Strategic Plan, the Blue-Ribbon Panel on Biodefense Research, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel reviewing the FBI anthrax investigation, the NAS Committee on Federal Regulations and Reporting, and the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. He was a Commissioner on the National Commission on Forensic Science and previously served as President of the Medical Mycology Society of the Americas. He also chaired the Board of Governors for the American Academy of Microbiology.

Dr. Casadevall has been recognized with election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), Association of American Physicians (AAP), American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association of Immunologists and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In addition, he has authored two books addressing scientific issues. What If Fungi Win? introduces readers to the fungal world, highlighting both its benefits and potential threats. Thinking About Science: Good Science, Bad Science, and How to Make It Better, co-written with Dr. Ferric Fang, examines the current scientific landscape and outlines challenges facing the discipline.

acasade1@jhu.edu

Rosanna grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada and earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology degree at Dalhousie University and her Master of Science in Genetics degree at the University of Alberta. Her scientific career has spanned such diverse experiences as studying structural biology of nuclear transport factors at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, cellular stress and aging at Harvard Medical School, and intramembrane proteolysis at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Rosanna joined the Casadevall lab in the summer of 2020 and her work in the lab has focused on the interplay between multiple Cryptococcal virulence mechanisms. In her spare time, she enjoys going to concerts, skiing, ice skating, and walking around the garden with her cat, Sylvester.

rosanna@jhmi.edu

Emma is native from Venezuela where she earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology at the at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC). She joined the Casadevall Lab in September of 2015 to conduct a second postdoctoral training on the melanization process of Cryptococcus neoformans. Leveraged on her knowledge in fungal melanins, Emma has taken new directions and developed a new research line in the Casadevall lab: investigating the impact of environmental agents on the melanin-based immune response in the malaria-transmitting mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. Her focus is to tackle vector-borne diseases using ecologically safe and sustainable solutions. As a two-times survivor of two distinct life-threatening conditions, Emma lives with the conviction that everyone is free to choose the course of their own life. Her approach in life is centered on embracing challenges with a focus on personal growth. Outside of work, Emma loves playing tennis and hanging out with her family.

ecamach2@jhmi.edu

Radamés is the Gilbert Otto Endowed Professor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University. He leads a research subgroup within the Casadevall Lab, focusing on how fungi regulate temperature and adapt to extreme environments, including space. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Radamés earned a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Puerto Rico. He later completed an M.S. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Biophysics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he conducted his dissertation research under the mentorship of Prof. Arturo Casadevall. After earning his Ph.D., Radamés pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro with Prof. Marcio Rodrigues before rejoining the Casadevall Lab at Johns Hopkins. Radamés is deeply passionate about technology commercialization and is the co-founder of MelaTech LLC, a biotech company focused on developing melanin-based radioprotective products. Beyond his innovative research, he is dedicated to mentoring future scientists and advancing public awareness of fungi. He also introduced the first graduate-level mycology course at Johns Hopkins University. Outside the lab, Radamés enjoys playing classical guitar, swimming, and traveling.

rcorder4@jhu.edu

Isabel earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, during which time she completed the USDA APHIS Smith-Kilborne foreign animal disease training program and several research projects in wildlife medicine and One Health. She completed her Internship in General Medicine and Surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City and Residency in Laboratory Animal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Isabel earned her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine in the Casadevall Laboratory, studying emerging fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii, which cause neurologic and pulmonary disease in humans and animals. 

As a veterinarian-scientist, Isabel approaches her research from a One Health perspective – acknowledging that human and animal health are inextricably intertwined and underpinned by environmental stewardship. Isabel is interested in infectious diseases that cross wildlife-human-domestic animal interfaces, and also seeks to understand host-pathogen-environmental interactions, particularly how environmental interactions can influence the survival, transport, and virulence of fungal cells once they encounter mammalian hosts. In her free time, she enjoys reading, video games, and swing dancing.

isabeljimenez@jhmi.edu

Maggie graduated with a BA in Biology from St. Mary's college of Maryland, a MS in Biomedical Sciences from City of Hope in Los Angeles, and PhD in Biochemistry from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda Maryland. In her graduate work Maggie began working with yeast as a model system for DNA repair pathways, then in her doctorate used yeast to model protein aggregation in Huntington's disease. Her research career has focused on yeast ever since! She has studied through the lens of model system, pathogen, and food production.  Maggie is also a passionate science educator teaching three courses in MMI within the R3 Center for Innovation in Science Education (R3ISE) and R3 Graduate Science Initiative. Having studied philosophy in her undergraduate education, she views science as a philosopher would, dissecting the "motives" of the organism along with the people who study them. In her spare time Maggie creates ceramic art and enjoys making functional pottery for friends and family.

mwear1@jhmi.edu

Sébastien, who was born in Côte d’Ivoire, got his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biochemistry while studying the fundamental properties of fungal germination and using germination as a target in antifungal development. After spending 3 years as a postdoctoral research associate at the Manchester Fungal Infection Group (in the UK) studying the host-microbe interactions in the lung that dictate fungal disease, he is now in the Casadevall lab characterizing the unique properties of Cryptococcus spores and how they lead to spore-specific dissemination and disease. In his free time, Sébastien likes traveling to new places and hiking.

sortiz11@jh.edu

Alberto is originally from Morelia, Mexico. He completed his undergraduate studies as a Biochemist at the Instituto Tecnológico de Morelia. He obtained his Master's and PhD in Biological Sciences at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH), Mexico. His work focused on cell differentiation, signaling, metabolism, and fungal pathogenesis. Currently, he is working on deciphering the regulation of the expression of virulence factors of Cryptococcus neoformans mediated by mitochondrial function and quorum sensing. Additionally, he is a huge fan of landscape photography, and he enjoys traveling around the world.

jpatino2@jh.edu

Samuel graduated with a BSc in Biotechnology from the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil, where he studied cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase producing bacteria. He pursued his graduate studies at the University of São Paulo in Brazil where he earned MSc and PhD degrees in Microbiology, focusing on the study of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Histoplasma capsulatum, and Sporothrix brasiliensis. He first joined the Casadevall lab as a PhD exchange student with a CAPES-PRINT-USP Brazilian fellowship and has returned to the lab as a postdoctoral fellow focused on microbiology, immunology and nanobiotechnology studies with Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida auris. In his free time, Samuel enjoys movies and anime, playing video games, traveling, and going to rock concerts. 

sroadri1@jhmi.edu

Daniel received his B.A. in Biology at Hunter College at the City University of New York (CUNY) in 2017. He joined the Casadevall lab in 2018 as a graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. During his graduate studies, his work focused on the melanin-based immune system of insects, predominantly melanization dynamics in Galleria mellonella wax moth larvae following infection with different fungi. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Casadevall lab, he has worked on a project studying fungi found in warm and cool neighborhoods of Baltimore City and how these fungi adapt to extreme temperature conditions during summertime. Daniel enjoys traveling, kayaking, and walking around the city when the weather is nice.

dsmit274@jhmi.edu

Piotr earned his undergraduate degree in Biology, specializing in Microbiology, from the University of Wroclaw, Poland. He then pursued a Master's degree in Microbiology at the same institution, where his research focused on developing molecular methods for identifying superficial fungal infections in domestic animals. Following his Master's, Piotr joined the NORLUX Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, where he investigated DNA damage repair mechanisms in glioblastoma multiforme cells. Piotr continued his academic journey at Clemson University, USA, where he completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His doctoral research concentrated on the thermotolerance and cell division processes of Cryptococcus neoformans. Piotr's postdoctoral research in the Casadevall lab primarily involves the development and functional analysis of a conjugated vaccine against C. neoformans. In addition to this project, he is exploring the role of fungal lectins in host-pathogen interactions during cryptococcal infections. Piotr enjoys traveling, reading, playing chess, and practicing martial arts.

pstempi1@jhu.edu

Daniella is originally from Washington, D.C. and graduated from Grinnell College in 2020 as a Posse Scholar with a B.A. in Biology. From there, she joined the National Institutes of Health in the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology under Dr. Patrick Duffy and studied malaria vaccinology for two years. Her focus was on novel antigen discovery, expressing and purifying a fusion protein for a transmission-blocking malaria vaccine. In the Casadevall lab at Johns Hopkins, she focuses on cryptococcal encapsulation as well as fungal thermotolerance. Daniella is a voracious reader, writer, and artist.

dbutle46@jh.edu

Curtis was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, and attended McGill University in Montreal, earning a Bachelor of Engineering in bioengineering in 2024. While there, he studied trypanosome protein structure-function at the McGill Institute of Parasitology and worked as a tissue engineering and pharmaceutical biologics researcher. Curious about astromycology and its applications, Curtis joined the lab in 2025 and is currently studying the effects of microgravity on C. neoformans physiology. In addition to his research, Curtis is interested in the applications of metaphysics and epistemology to scientific practice, in music composition, and in non-profit work in advancing biomedical engineering education and opportunities. 

cehlert1@jh.edu

Frankie is a fourth year PhD candidate in the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at JHSPH. He completed his bachelors in molecular biology at the University of Delaware where he was involved in research of cataract-linked genes that regulate the development of the ocular lens in the mouse model. In his time as a postbac in the lab of Dr. Valeria Culotta at JHSPH, Frankie worked on the secreted virulence factors, superoxide dismutases, which coordinate cell signaling, morphology, and antioxidant defense in the fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Candida auris. In his PhD thesis, Frankie has been investigating a metabolic switch in Cryptococcus neoformans upon pigmentation during glucose deprivation to outcompete the host during infection. Specifically, he is interested in how the rate limiting enzyme that polymerizes melanin pigment increases the rate of sugar consumption during infection. During his free time, Frankie enjoys reading, traveling, and coffee binges!

fhernan8@jhu.edu

Hannah is from rural New Mexico born to the Red House Clan of the Navajo People (Diné Tribe). She graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2020 as a U-RISE MARC Scholar with a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology studying human cytomegalovirus with Dr. Caroline Kulesza. Hannah always had an interest in virology and vaccinology, and continued pursuing that interest as a post-baccalaureate at Johns Hopkins studying patient antibody responses to a novel L2-capsid AAVLP vaccine with Dr. Richard Roden. In the Casadevall lab, she is working on further understanding and characterizing an alternative therapy called AAV-vectored immunoprophylaxis (VIP) system and its use in the treatment against Cryptococcus neoformans infection. She loves exploring foods from different cultures and countries, as well as enjoys a serene day with tea, quilting, and sewing knick-knacks.  

htsingi1@jhmi.edu

Cassidy earned her B.S. degree in Medical Laboratory Science from Salisbury University in 2022 and is ASCP certified as an MLS. Since graduating, she's been working in a clinical microbiology lab in a hospital for two years where she identifies potential pathogens found in patient specimens and performs antibiotic susceptibility testing. She found a love for mycology and identifying molds in a clinical setting, so she was excited for the opportunity to work with fungi in the Casadevall Lab. She is currently working on projects related to astromycology and how fungi behave in space. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, working out, traveling, and hiking.

cupshaw1@jh.edu

Arie earned his B.S. degree in biochemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in his hometown of Indiana, PA!). During his time at IUP, he worked under the guidance of Dr. Sudipta Majumdar, delving into the characterization and novel inhibition strategies of alanine racemase, a crucial antibiotic drug target. As a postbac student, Arie worked under Drs. Candelaria Gomez-Manzano and Juan Fueyo studying the role of oncolytic adenoviruses in the treatment of malignant gliomas. During medical school, he became fascinated by the world of fungal pathogens. In the Casadevall lab, he is working to better understand the role of urease in C. neoformans infection and mechanisms behind increased intracranial pressure during cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. His goal is to uncover aspects of host-pathogen interactions during fungal infections that can be leveraged for novel therapeutic interventions at the bedside. In his free time, he enjoys reading novels, watching horror movies, and exploring the different coffee shops in Baltimore.

avanwie2@jhmi.edu

Rosa is a second-year ScM student in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physiology at the University of Washington with a minor in societal education. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in the GU cancer lab studying potential treatment targets for late-stage prostate cancer. After graduation, she spent a gap year working in the high school she attended to chase her dream of being a biology teacher. This experience sparked her passion for continuing with research and studying to enrich her biology knowledge for being a better educator in the future. Her current research focuses on exploring the function and mechanisms of Mesh protein in Anopheles gambiae and investigating the roles of L-DOPA and N-acetylglucosamine supplementation in Anopheles mosquito egg preservation. In her spare time, she enjoys indoor rock climbing, playing drums, and organizing her apartment on a daily basis. 

yzhan811@jh.edu

Julia graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences and a minor in public health. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at Chugai Pharmabody Research, where she helped screen and evaluate potential therapeutic candidates. Currently, she is working on characterizing catalytic effects of mutant antibodies against Cryptococcus neoformans. Julia enjoys playing cozy farming games and loves spicy food!

jzhu145@jh.edu