Joe Mackel, PhD

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.