People

PI

PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago, advisor Wonhwa Cho
First postdoc UTSW, advisor Elliott Ross
Second postdoc Purdue University, advisor Michael Rossmann

Undergraduate student

I am a second-year undergraduate student at IU, majoring in Microbiology with minors in Spanish, Chemistry, and Epidemiology. Outside of doing research with the Tuli Lab, I am very involved with music, and I play alto saxophone in the Marching Hundred and the Big Red Basketball Band. In my free time, I love to hang out with friends and family, read, watch movies, and hike. I am very excited to do research with the Tuli Lab!

Undergraduate student

Sonya Grewal is a fourth-year undergraduate working towards a B.A. in Biochemistry with a certificate in Liberal Arts Management and Policy (LAMP) and a minor Spanish. Beyond the Tuli lab, she’s involved in various organizations on campus centered around volunteering with elementary schoolers, building community for Hutton Honors students, and working with locals with Alzheimer’s Disease. In her free time, she loves exploring new cuisines, traveling, country music, and staying active. After her undergraduate career at IU, Sonya hopes to pursue medical school.

Microbiology graduate student

Allison Houghton, a Microbiology grad student at IU, joined the Tuli lab in 2021. She graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Truman State University. She has worked in Immunobiology, Synthetic Biology, and Neuroscience, but finally fell in love with Virology. In the Tuli lab she seeks to understand how alphaviruses antagonize the interferon pathway.

In her spare time, Allison enjoys cooking, cross stitching, reading, tending to her Animal Crossing town, and all things Taylor Swift.

Undergraduate student

Hi everyone, I’m a sophomore at Indiana University studying Biotechnology and love learning about new ways life on Earth can be improved through biology. In my free time I enjoy exploring new places, spending time with friends and family, trying new recipes, and DIYing stuff. I am looking forward to conducting experiments and research in the Tuli Lab and growing as a scientist and person. 

Research associate

Wes’s interest in Viruses began with Richard Preston’s “The Hot Zone” and his overwrought description of what Ebola does to the human body. Shortly after this he also became interested in the 1918 Flu Pandemic, an outgrowth of his interest in WWI which largely stems from a love of a  famous Flying Ace Beagle. As a graduate student his work focused primarily on Malaria, completing a trifecta of depressing to think about infectious diseases that have driven his passion for science. That he comes from the “Goth” side of musical fandom likely goes without saying.

(You can guess if Wes is the Dinosaur or the Bunny)

Biochemistry graduate student

I am a Biochemistry graduate student from Sri Lanka. I completed a special degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from University of Peradeniya. Thereafter I worked as a research assistant in the same university for a period of three years. Following that I was selected as a graduate student in IU, giving me the opportunity to go higher up in the ladder of biochemistry. Initially I was interested in doing research in cancer field as I have eyewitnessed people suffering from cancers. Later on, my interest shifted to work in Tuli’s lab, and it may have been triggered by the experience in my undergraduate which I studied about the application of virus like particles in drug delivery. Apart from Science and academic work, I like to spend time on travelling, dancing and hanging around with my family.

Biochemistry graduate student

I’m Ciara Richardson, a biochemistry graduate student at IU. I am originally from Kentucky and graduated in 2022 with a B.S. in biochemistry from Murray State University. During my undergrad I researched in a physical chemistry lab, so I am excited to learn more and start biochemistry research here! In my free time I love to read, sew, cook, and spend time with my family, especially my three rotten nephews.

Undergraduate student

I am a second-year undergraduate student at IU studying microbiology and French on a pre-med track. I love seeing all the ways science can influence our world, and exploring how we can use it to make people’s lives better. Outside of the lab, I like to read, crochet, and spend time with my friends and family. I’m so excited to start research in the Tuli Lab and learn more about viruses!

Undergraduate student

I am a Junior at Indiana University pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry on a pre-dental tract. At IU I am involved with Army ROTC, Women in STEM LLC, and IU dental club. For fun I like to go on long walks, sing in the shower, and eat amazing food. I joined the Tuli lab because Tuli and everyone in the lab are so nice and caring. I also joined because viruses are cool!