Our Team

Joe is from Carrollton, GA and studied biology at the University of Notre Dame, where he became interested in infectious disease research as an undergraduate assistant in the lab of Dr. Michael Ferdig. After graduating with a BS in biology in 2013, he worked as a technician at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta, contributing to studies of HIV vaccination strategies in the lab of Dr. Guido Silvestri. In 2015 Joe entered graduate school at the University of Alabama Birmingham and joined Dr. Chad Steele’s lab studying lung host defense against the opportunistic fungal pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus. In 2018 the Steele lab relocated to New Orleans, LA where Joe resided until completing his PhD in 2020 and moving to St. Louis to join the Rosen Lab at WashU. Outside of lab, Joe spends his time with his wife and son and enjoys being outdoors, jogging, biking, and reading.

Paeton grew up in South Bend, IN and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2014 with a major in Honors Biology. Here she studied influenza virus evolution as part of her undergraduate research and was a two sport varsity athlete running both Cross Country and Track. After graduation, she moved to Athens, GA to join the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program at the University of Georgia. Her research explored immune mechanisms of glycoconjugate vaccines against pneumococcal infections in the laboratory of Dr. Fikri Avci. After completing her PhD, Paeton joined the Rosen lab in August 2020. In her spare time, Paeton enjoys spending time with her dog, working out, hiking and volunteering at the humane society.

Casey grew up in O’Fallon, MO, and attended The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL from 2017-2021. During her time there, she earned two degrees: a MS in Biology and a BS in Microbiology with dual minors in Chemistry and General Business. She was able to earn both degrees in 9 semesters due to UA’s Accelerated Master’s Program. As part of this program, she worked in Dr. Stanislava Chtarbanova’s lab investigating immunity in aged Drosophila melanogaster co-infected with bacterial endosymbionts and viral pathogens. After graduation, Casey moved home and joined the Rosen Lab in March 2022. Outside the lab, she enjoys colorguard, disc golf, playing flute, and caring for her dog, Buddy.

Abass Oduola is from Nigeria and graduated with a BS in Microbiology at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 2015. In 2018, he joined The University of Arkansas (UofA), Fayetteville for his PhD program in Cell and Molecular Biology. Abass worked in the the Atungulu lab in Food Science Department and his dissertation work was focused on “preventing aflatoxin (biosynthesized by Aspergillus flavus) contamination and accumulation on grains using electromagnetic-driven energy such as infrared and microwave”. During his time at The UofA, he immensely contributed to the “international and graduate student community”. Notably, he served as the president of the International Students at the University and sat on many committees geared towards improving graduate students’ experience(s) on campus. In his last year at the UofA, he was named a Southeastern Scholar representing the University. Oduola joined the Rosen lab in March 2024 for his postdoctoral training. Outside the lab, he loves spending time with his wife, Aisha, and enjoys biking and challenging people to ping-pong.

Nadia Wattad is from Jerusalem and she was graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem- School of Medicine . After completing pediatrics residency in Shaare Zedek Medical Center, she relocated with her family to the USA. During medical school she had worked at Prof. Adi Vaknin lab, exploring serum inflammatory markers in NMO patients who attend Hadassah hospital- MS clinic. During residency, under the supervision of Dr. Adi Aran, she conducted a multicenter clinical trial about the treatment of Cannabis in Autism. Since moving to St Louis, Nadia had worked as a lab technician at Dr. Fleming lab- Saint Louis University . Nadia has been contributing to the studies of transferrin protein variants (N-blocked and C-blocked) and their effect on hormonal changes in the serum and the reticuloendothelial organs. Since July 2022, Nadia has joined the Pediatric Pulmonology fellowship program at WashU. Her previous clinical and lab experience has led her to be interested in pneumonia and the host immune system as a main research project during fellowship. Her program directors recommended Dr. Rosen’s Lab as a great fit.  Outside science life, Nadia spends her time with her 4 kids and husband; they enjoy discovering St. Louis parks and eating homemade middle eastern food.

Emily Marino is from Columbus, OH and attended Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College in Athens, OH where she majored in biological sciences with a minor in German. She completed her undergraduate thesis in Dr. Ronan Carroll’s lab, studying the effect of Staphylococcus aureus extracellular vesicles on host cells. After graduating from OU in 2022, Emily deferred enrollment in Washington University’s Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis (MMMP) PhD program to participate in the Fulbright program for the 2022-2023 academic year. As a Fulbright research grantee to Germany, Emily studied cell membrane biogenesis in E. coli with Dr. Franz Narberhaus at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. After returning to the US in 2023, Marino finally moved to St. Louis to start her PhD at WashU. She joined the Rosen lab after completing her rotations in March 2024 and is excited to learn more about Klebsiella pneumoniae. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, learning languages and exploring St. Louis with friends from her program.

Emily is an undergraduate student from Lawrence, Kansas studying biology and global health while being part of the Medicine and Society Ampersand program. She is on the swim team and is involved in multiple health equity organizations on campus. Emily is interested in infectious diseases, immunology, and social determinants of health. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going on walks, and volunteering with Matriculate, a nonprofit that seeks to increase access to college.

Nathan grew up in St. Louis, MO, and is an undergraduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. He is studying biology and psychology along the pre-med track and is also a member of the varsity swim team. In his free time, he enjoys playing the alto saxophone, walking his dog, and exercising.