Current Lab Members
Dr. Lisa A. Reynolds
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor: Dept. of Biochemistry & Microbiology, University of Victoria, Canada. 2023- present
Assistant Professor: Dept. of Biochemistry & Microbiology, University of Victoria, Canada. 2017- 2023
Postdoctoral Research: Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Canada. 2013-2017
MSc and PhD: Institute of Infection & Immunity, University of Edinburgh, UK. 2008-2012
BSc (Hons): University of Manchester, UK, including a 1-year research placement at the Mayo Clinic, Fl, USA. 2004-2008
Dominique Gatti, BSc (Hons)
Graduate Student
Dominique completed her BSc (Hons) at the University of Windsor, and began graduate studies in our lab in September 2020, supported by a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s Program. She is now a PhD candidate in our lab, supported by a NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral Award.
Dominique’s project investigates the function of thymic-resident eosinophils during the neonatal developmental period. She is also investigating how the bacterial microbiota regulate this mysterious cell population!
Jenna Lane, BSc (Hons)
Graduate Student
Jenna joined the lab in January 2021 to complete an 8 month co-op undergraduate position with us, then stayed on to complete an Honour’s thesis project in our lab. Jenna worked with us as a research assistant over the summer 2022, before beginning graduate studies in our lab in Sept 2022, supported by a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s Program. Jenna is now a PhD candidate!
Jenna’s work in the lab is investigating the mechanisms that lead to alterations in intestinal metabolite availability during helminth infection. She is also working to understand the impact of the helminth-altered metabolome on intestinal immunity!
Natasha Norton, BSc, MSc
Graduate Student
Natasha completed her BSc in Microbiology at UVic and then moved across the country to complete a Master’s degree in Immunology at Memorial University, where she studied the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in human cohorts.
Natasha moved back to the West Coast to join our lab as a PhD candidate in Sept 2023, and she is working to identify molecules and immune mechanisms that impact the chronicity or expulsion of intestinal helminths.
Rachael Mebs, BSc
Lab Technician
Rachael first joined our lab in Jan 2025 as a full-time undergraduate co-op student. She has since completed her BSc, and has re-joined our team as a Lab Technician!
Rachael is involved in most of the ongoing research projects in our lab, as well as helping to keep us organized 🙂
Saryn Knox
Undergraduate Student
Saryn joined our team in Fall 2025 to do a 8-month Honours Thesis project.
Saryn is working to better understand the immune mechanisms that support oral tolerance development specifically in the early life, postnatal developmental period when the microbiome and immune system are still maturing.
Sarah Nguyen
Undergraduate Student
Sarah joined our team in Fall 2025 to do a 8-month Honours Thesis project.
Sarah’s project is exploring how metabolites that can be derived from the bacterial microbiota might influence antigen-specific antibody responses, in various immune contexts.
Priyanka Kahlon
Undergraduate Student
Priyanka joined our team in Fall 2025 to complete a 4-month Directed Studies project.
Priyanka is investigating the impact of intestinal metabolites on the health of infectious helminth larvae, with the ultimate goal of determining how intestinal metabolites might alter the course of an intestinal helminth infection.
Tristan Brulot-Sawchyn
Undergraduate Student
Tristan joined our team in Fall 2025 to complete a 4-month Directed Studies project.
Tristan is exploring how supplementing the drinking water with immunomodulatory metabolites might impact the production of intestinal and systemic antibodies.