Our Team

Francisco Victorino completed his PhD in immunology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus studying the role of innate immune cells in tissue injury. His postdoctoral work in Wayne Yokoyama’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis focused on innate immune cells and metabolic adaptation, human immunotherapeutics, and autoimmune disorders. Before joining the Bigley lab, Francisco worked in industry studying the use of innate immune cells at cancer therapy and antibody complexing for autoimmune and neurologic diseases. Francisco works on the role of viral infections in lupus and has joint effort with Jose Saenz lab to understand the role of the immune system in autoimmune gastritis and gastric cancer. He is a master game designer in his spare time.

Nillu Ghosh was born and grew up in India. She completed her PhD at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. In her PhD, she investigated the “Host immune responses to Helicobacter pylori infection”. After completing her PhD, she moved to the USA and joined University of Miami as a postdoctoral associate. In her postdoc, she studied the effect of opioids on gastrointestinal tract pathophysiology and the underlying mechanisms. She also studied the role of opioid induced gut and gastric microbiome in gastrointestinal inflammation. After completing her postdoctoral training, she joined the Bigley lab as a staff scientist.

Eden Xue was born and grew up in Beijing, China. In her junior year in college, she transferred from Capital Normal University in Beijing to Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis where she received her B.A. degree in English and Secondary Education and obtained her teaching certificate in High School English. While teaching was one of her passions, she pursued a career path in the financial industry for 11 years. She started her corporate journey at Scottrade where she acquired industry knowledge, content/project management skills, and client education experience. Her journey continued at TD Ameritrade where she supported the International Marketing team specifically in digital marketing. Before she joined Washington University School of Medicine, she was a manager in the Global Investing team at Charles Schwab mainly supporting internal partners to achieve their business goals. She got her MBA degree at Webster University and obtained her FINRA licenses in series 7, 63, SIE and 24 while working full time. Currently, she is a Research Technician in the Bigley Lab. In her leisure time, Eden loves cooking and baking, and exploring new cuisines with her husband and her son. One of her favorite weekend activities is being a spectator at her son’s tennis tournaments.

Ben was hired as the first person to take part in the Bigley Lab UWM2WashU Research Program aimed at providing research, clinical and networking opportunities to people who are from backgrounds underrepresented in science/medicine and want to gain more experience in order to pursue a career as a physician scientist.

Born and raised in Naperville, IL, Ben Cisneros developed a deep interest in science and medicine, not just academically but also through personal experiences. A pivotal moment occurred while playing in a hockey game, when a seizure led to the discovery of a brain AVM, profoundly shaping Ben’s future path. This experience fueled his passion for understanding complex medical phenomena. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Ben earned a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, minoring in Chemistry. These studies laid the groundwork for his current research at WashU, where he delves into the intricacies of viruses and their impact on T cell development and autoimmunity. Ben’s work is not just a professional pursuit but a personal journey, blending his scientific curiosity with a commitment to understanding and potentially mitigating the effects of serious medical conditions. Outside the lab, Ben still holds a fondness for hockey. He also enjoys outdoor activities like fishing, providing a refreshing contrast to his work in the lab.

Navyasree Chenchu is from Andhra Pradesh, India. She completed her master’s degree in biochemistry and bachelors in microbiology, biochemistry and chemistry. Currently she is obtaining a master’s degree in bioinformatics and computational biology at Saint Louis University. She is focused using computer technology to understand the typical and vast genomic data. She previously worked on a project to study on a cross talk between gut microbiome and inflammatory bowel syndrome. She is applying computational biology and bioinformatics to study how roseolovirus infections alter the transcriptome and epigenome of immune cells.

Ranya Guennoun is a 4th year MSTP student from Fes, Morocco. She graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in microbiology and a minor in chemistry. She studied the anti-microbial cathelicidin’s role in fighting surgical site infections during her undergraduate under the mentorship of Malcolm Lowry, PhD. She then worked as a research technician in the Demehri Lab at the Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital Cutaneous Biology Center where she studied the effects of the thymic stromal lymphopoietin on early carcinogenesis in the context of lung, breast and skin cancer. She also studied immunity to commensal papillomavirus in the context of skin cancer development. As a graduate student in the Bigley lab, Guennoun studies the role of type I interferons on neonatal murine roseolovirus-induced auto-immune gastritis. She hopes to pursue a career in dermatology as a physician-scientist.

She is a huge soccer fan and in her free time, she likes to watch her favorite teams play. She is a supporter of her hometown team of Fes, MAS, Real Madrid and of course, the national team of Morocco. She also enjoys trying new cuisines and restaurants, and spending time with her friends and family.