Lab Members

Our members are at the core of what makes the Palm Lab such a unique and dynamic place. Together, we tackle some of the most challenging problems at the intersection of immunology, microbiology and data science. Our innovative experimental approaches exploit millions of years of host-microbiota co-evolution to uncover fundamental biological processes that impact nearly all aspects of human health and disease.

Noah Palm, PhD

Principal Investigator

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Noah is an Associate Professor of Immunobiology; Human & Translational Immunology at the Yale School of Medicine. He performed his doctoral work with Ruslan Medzhitov & postdoctoral work with Richard Flavell, both at Yale.

Shana Leopold, PhD

Associate Research Scientist, Lab Manager

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Shana is a microbiologist with a background in application of sequencing technology for infectious disease diagnostics, microbial evolution, & the gut microbiome.

Anjelica Martin, BS, RLATg

Research Associate, Lab Coordinator

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Anjelica earned her B.S from UConn & started working at Yale in 2016 as an animal husbandry technician. She joined the Palm lab in 2018 as the gnotobiotic colony manager & provides research support. She has a dog named Gwen, paints, plays trombone in YSMO, & is a DEIB volunteer.

Deguang Song, PhD

Associate Research Scientist

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Deguang has been working on gut microbiota structure & metabolite changes in response to environment & diet as well as their effects on the host.

Varnica Khetrapal, PhD

Associate Research Scientist

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Varnica is a microbiologist with experience in microbial pathogenesis, bacterial genetics, & genetic engineering. She earned her PhD from National University of Singapore, & has recently moved to the northern hemisphere. She is interested in understanding bacterial genes involved in host-microbe interactions. When not in the lab, she loves traveling & exploring the world.

Hailey Brown, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Hailey earned her PhD at the University of Chicago & is an immunologist who studied the duodenal influence on endocrine pancreatic immunity.

Brianna Duncan-Lowey, PhD

Postdoctoral YSM Science Fellow

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Brianna is a biochemist who completed her PhD at Harvard University. She is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern interactions between microbes & their hosts.

Takahiro Yamada, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

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Takahiro earned his PhD in pharmaceutical science from Keio University. He is interested in host-microbe interactions & approaches to understand them.

Kaylyn Bauer

Postdoctoral Researcher

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Kaylyn earned their PhD in Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Utah - Salt Lake City. They are interested in understanding how bacteria communicate with host immune cells. When not in the lab, you can find them at a concert or playing board games!

Brandon Lee, MD, PhD

Infectious Disease Clinical Fellow

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Brandon Lee completed his MD & PhD in Immunology at the University of Chicago. He performed his doctoral work in Dr. Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg’s lab. He is interested in the dynamics of host-microbial adaptation in the context of critical illness.

Nicole Sonnert

PhD Candidate

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Nicole is originally from Cambridge, MA. She has earned an A.B. in Biomathematics from Mount Holyoke College & a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Dartmouth College.

Mytien Nguyen

MD-PhD Candidate

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Anchi Wu

MD-PhD Candidate

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Anchi is originally from the Bay Area & graduated from Duke with a BSE in biomedical engineering. She is interested in the connection between the gut microbiome and the development of chronic diseases. In her spare time, she likes cooking, hiking, & watching cartoons.

Jordan Valdez

MD-PhD Candidate

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Jordan & her family became Georgia transplants when she attended Emory University to earn a B.S. in Biology. She's interested in the gut microbiome's neuromodulatory capacity & gut-brain axis' involvement in the pathogenesis of complex, chronic dz. In her free time, she plays board games & video games, watches movies, reads, & plays with her 2 pups, Finnegan & Goose.

Yile Dai

PhD Candidate

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Yile earned his B.S. in life science from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China. He is interested in understanding host-microbe interactions & new methods development.

Tong Deng

PhD Candidate

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Tong pursued her B.A. in Natural Sciences at University of Cambridge & began her PhD in Immunobiology in 2022. She has a broad interest in adaptive immune mechanisms that maintain host-commensal homeostasis.

Lab Photos

Where Are We From?

We come from different backgrounds & places across the world. We value the unique experiences that have shaped us into the scientists, colleagues, friends, & family we are today. You can view some our homes on the map below.