Team — The Marcell Lab

Jarrad Hampton-Marcell, PhD:
Principal Investigator

Dr. Jarrad Hampton-Marcell is a Chicagoland native from Robbins, IL. After having his college football career cut short due to injury, Dr. Hampton-Marcell received his B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and M.S. in Integrative Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He spent the next decade working at Argonne National Laboratory in Dr. Jack Gilbert’s lab analyzing host-microbe interactions. This included the publication of the Earth Microbiome and American Gut Projects. During this time, Dr. Hampton-Marcell completed his Ph.D. at University of Illinois at Chicago in Dr. Rachel Poretsky’s lab uncovering underlying associations between the gut microbiome and exercise studying athletes. Dr. Hampton-Marcell remains at UIC conducting postdoctoral research through the Bridge-to-Faculy Fellowship, where he utilizes in vivo (germ-free mice) and in vitro (bioreactor) systems to validate his computational models of exercise effects on the gut microbiome. Dr. Hampton-Marcell implements translational research to uncover the biological implications of the exercise microbiome.

Graduate Students

Garry Lewis

Ph.D. Candidate
The former marine and veteran completed his B.Sc. at Eastern Michigan University. Following his military career, Garry conducted genomic research at Swift Biosciences. Garry’s research examines whether fecal microbiome transplants confer physical fitness. His research focuses on the interaction between short-chain fatty acid producers and master regulators of host adipose tissue.
Pritha Das

Ph.D. Student
Pritha completed her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in the Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Her focus is on the study of the gut microbiome and its role in regulating cardiovascular response following exercise. Pritha leverages machine learning to uncover and develop synthetic microbial communities that influence VO2max, a gold standard of host fitness.
Samson Adejumo

Ph.D. Student
Samson received a B.Sc. in Microbiology from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, and his M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Microbiology from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria. His research elicits the role of proteolytic fermentation in the gut and the metabolic consequences on host immune response and circulating amino acids.
Sangita Ghimire

Ph.D. Student
Sangita received her B.Sc. in Biotechnology fro SANN International College in Kathmandu. Her research will focus on gut microbiome crosstalk with adipose tissue with a focus on adipose-derived exosomes and their implication on gut health. Sangita is co-advised by Dr. Abeer Mohamed in the College of Medicine.
Kelsey Pinera

M.Sc. Student
Kelsey is a former college basketball player who received her B.Sc. from the University of Mobile. Her research analyzes short-chain fatty acid concentrations by measuring their dielectric potential in the gut. She intends to develop a swallowable sensor capable of mapping microbial metabolic activity in vivo.
Brandon Reynolds

M.Sc. Student
Brandon received his. B.Sc. in Biology from Governor’s State University and M.P.H in Environmental Health from the University of Illinois at Springfield. HIs research leverage microbial bioreactors to understand how exercise-induced changes in the gastrointestinal environment shape microbial community structure, diversity and succession patters.
Citlali Rodriguez

Postbac Student
Citlali is a UIC alum receiving her B.Sc. in Biological Sciences. Her research examines the implications of how exercise and probiotic supplements impact the microbiome in postpartum women.
Sebastian Reczek

Incoming M.D./Ph.D. Student
Sebastian is a UIC alum receiving his B.Sc. in Psychology. A former undergrad in the Marcell lab, he now supports the ongoing bioinformatic, murine, and bioreactor research in the lab. His research will focus on the gut-brain axis and the role the gut microbiome plays in shaping exercise behavior via the vagus nerve.