Margaret (Maggie) Alexander 
Assistant Professor
Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Maggie attended Carleton College for her undergraduate degree in Biology before transitioning to the University of Utah for her PhD in the lab of Dr. Ryan O’Connell studying immune cell communication. Her postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco, with Dr. Peter Turnbaugh, focused on understanding how autoimmune-related microbiota members influence immune responses in autoimmunity. Dr. Alexander’s current research is focused on understanding the mechanistic interactions between diet, the microbiota, and immune responses and the functional consequences of these interactions for autoimmunity. For her research, she has been awarded T32, F32, and K99/R00 fellowships. Beyond the lab, Maggie enjoys swimming, water polo, composing haikus, and amateur pottery.
Lab Members
Wenxuan Dong
Position title: Graduate Student (Biophysics)
Wenxuan is currently a PhD student in the biophysics program, studying the interactions between the gut microbiome and immune systems, specifically in conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and autoimmune diseases. He is from China and graduated from China Agricultural University in animal sciences. His previous research focused on swine nutrition and the fecal microbiomes. Wenxuan enjoys basketball and working out at the gym.
Gillian Hughes
Position title: Graduate Student (MDTP)
Gillian did her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, before moving on to the Salk Institute to study the foraging strategies and stress response of a prey nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) when in the presence of a predatory nematode (Pristionchus pacificus) that competes for the same food source. She’s currently a PhD student in the MDTP program at UW Madison researching the effects of diet and microbiome on the immune response related to the development and persistence of autoimmune diseases. Outside of the lab, Gillian enjoys yoga, hiking, Italian food, doing puzzles, and playing Zelda.
Kevin Schwartz
Position title: Research Specialist
Kevin graduated from UW-Madison with a BS degree in Genetics and Bacteriology and has been a researcher and lab manager at UW ever since. The majority of his research work has involved human parasites including Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trypanosoma brucei and Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. He has worked in the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology since 1999. Kevin enjoys sports, being outdoors and spending time with family.
Kate Stack
Position title: Undergraduate researcher
Kate is a current undergraduate student majoring in Genetics and Genomics. She hopes to pursue a career in the biomedical sciences and is looking forward to exploring her interests in immunology and research throughout her time in the lab. For fun she enjoys reading and creating handmade embroidery and cross stitch projects!
Chi Yan
Position title: Postdoctoral Scholar
Chi received his Ph.D. degree in Food & Nutritional Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, focused on investigating the potentially harmful effects of dietary components on IBD and gut microbiota. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar in our lab, studying the connections between the immune systems of the host and gut microbiota. Beyond the experiments, Chi enjoys watching movies, hiking, and fitness.