Current Lab Members

Edward Campbell, PhD

I was trained as a cellular virologist in the lab of Tom Hope, who instilled in me the importance of understanding the interaction between the cell and pathogens, as well as the value of imaging based approaches to understand these interactions. In my lab, we continue to approach scientific questions with the motto "You can see a lot just by looking". I love developing new tools and tricks to understand the cell biology of human diseases so we can leverage this understanding to help develop therapies for these diseases. 

I love the excitement of scientific endeavors and mentoring people in my lab to be critical thinkers who aggresively use their talents to solve important problems. 


Sevnur Kömürlü, PhD

I am a postdoctoral researcher, who likes to explore blurry lines separating macroscopic and microscopic worlds. Fascinated by the light matter interactions, I got my PhD studying energy transfer in various novel materials from the lab of Valeria Kleiman at the University of Florida. I joined Campbell Lab at 2016 to develop and apply biophysical methods like single molecule fluorescence energy transfer to understand host restriction mechanisms against pathogens.  

Sarah Talley, PhD

For her PhD project, Sarah decided to make the coolest research tool in the world, Inflammamouse. During her PhD, she only got to make the mouse and prove that it can be used to measure inflammasome activation. Being the mother of Inflammamouse was not enough, so she stayed in the lab for a post-doc to do all the cool shit, which she is busy doing. She is too busy to write her own personal statement for this website, but since she is crushing 4 projects at once, she gets special dispensation from the PI.  

David Rademacher, PhD

I was trained as a neuroscientist with primary interests in elucidating the neural substrates of addiction and Parkinson’s disease. I joined Loyola University Chicago in 2017 to run the Imaging Core Facility under the direction of Dr. Campbell, the Imaging Core Facility Director. Dr. Campbell and I discovered that we had shared interests in the use of the full spectrum of imaging techniques to discover answers to scientific questions, testing the idea that pathological, misfolded proteins such as α-synuclein spread from cell-to-cell in a virus-like manner in neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease, and exploring the idea that the plasticity-associated protein, activity-regulated cytoskeletal associated protein (Arc) acts as a neuronal retrovirus. I am thrilled to be able to support the Campbell lab with my expertise in imaging and cell culture techniques for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).   



Drew Lichon, BS

I graduated from St. Norbert College in 2017 with a dual-degree in biology and philosophy. While there, my research primarily consisted of studying lysins that were produced by bacteriophage.  In that short period of time I fell in love with virology and was hoping to remain in a virology-based lab upon entering graduate school.  In the spring of 2017 i was accepted into the PhD program at Loyola University of Chicago and was lucky to join the Campbell lab studying the nuclear import kinetics of HIV.  Additionally, I have dabbled in studying the role acetylated microtubules play during HIV infection. My current interests lie in microscopy but I will go wherever the research takes me.   

Nikita Kesav, BS


After graduating from (the!) Ohio State University in 2022, I started my MS in Infectious Disease and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago. I have found a dual home in both the Campbell and Wolfe lab, studying inflammation in relation to urinary tract infections and the urinary microbiome. Using a reporter urothelial cell line, I am using the caspase-1 biosensor to understand how the urothelium interacts with bacteria through the induction of a pro-inflammatory response. To adequately understand urinary tract infections, we can ask questions about the members of the urobiome and the corresponding host response. As an incoming PhD candidate, I am very interested in studying host-pathogen interactions and immunologic pathways. 


My name is Meghana, and I am a second year MS student in the Campbell lab. My current research explores the involvement of mitochondria-associated proteins in sterile inflammation. I greatly enjoy my projects due to the techniques involved and the opportunities for collaboration. Outside of the lab, I am a painter and professionally trained musician who loves spending time in nature (preferably in the sun).