Brandon Wilder

Assistant Professor
Brandon was born and raised in Florida, and received both his bachelor’s and PhD from the University of Florida. His PhD focused on liver-targeted gene therapy for hemophilia, which led to postdoctoral studies bridging mice and human data of liver stage immunology of malaria in Seattle, WA. He joined VGTI in August 2018 where he leads the group’s efforts to use mice, humanized mice, non-human primates, and humans to more rapidly advance the next generation of interventions that could allow us to eliminate or exert long-term control over malaria. When not writing grants or delivering donuts to lab, Brandon is also intent on making science a more friendly and welcoming career for people of diverse backgrounds. Outside of science, he enjoys surfing, mountain-related activities, and napping. 

Maya Aleshnick

Senior Research Project Manager
Maya joined the Wilder lab in 2019, enticed by the promise of malaria, mosquitoes, and the Pacific Northwest. She completed her master’s work at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute in 2015, studying malaria transmission dynamics from mosquito to vertebrate host. She manages several of the non-human primate projects in the lab, supports the writing of grants and manuscripts, and is especially interested in mentoring developing scientists. Outside of work Maya enjoys woodworking and exploring Oregon and Washington with her wife and daughter.

Payton Kirtley

Research Project Coordinator
Payton joined the Wilder lab full-time in 2022, after a summer as an Undergraduate Fellow following her final year at the University of Portland. Her interests range from rearing mosquitoes to investigating the mechanism of action of antimalarial antibodies, and she currently coordinates the NHP, mouse, and mosquito projects. When not in the lab, Payton enjoys reading and eating as well as playing with her adorable pupper Frankie.

Jack Schell

Staff Scientist
A virologist working in a malaria lab. 

Koko Mutai

Post-doctoral scholar
I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Wilder lab, specializing in understanding the mechanism of action of intracellular acting antibodies in reducing liver parasite burden. My background is in bioinformatics and immunology, with research interests in translational immunology which constitutes vaccine and therapeutics research and development. My broad research focus is to combine wet laboratory assays and genomics to be able to identify new vaccine targets and immune correlates of protection while unraveling mechanisms underlying antibody-dependent protection. I have a PhD from the Open University in the UK and a masters and bachelor’s degree from Egerton University in Kenya. I am also passionate about public engagement and I have participated in the “I am a scientist, get me out of here” project in Kenya to engage high school students, where I won an award. I have also participated in a drama titled “Defeat the Helix” to engage high school students and get them excited about science in the UK. 

Julie Mitchell

Research Assistant Professor
Julie received her Ph.D. in 2016 from the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she studied T cell development in the thymus. She did her postdoctoral fellowship with Lydie Trautmann, starting at the Military HIV Research Program in Silver Spring, MD, and later moving to the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in 2019 to continue her work. During this time she studied innate and adaptive immune responses after early initiation of antiretroviral therapy in adults and children living with HIV in Thailand. She recently joined the Wilder Lab to expand her study to CD8⁺ T cell responses after malaria infection and vaccination. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, baking, playing soccer, and getting out for a hike.

Druti Pandya

Non-OHSU student worker
I joined the lab in 2023 as an undergraduate student worker. My primary responsibility is supporting mosquito production on the weekends but I also assist in other general lab duties. I am often found shadowing members of the lab to gain more insight into malaria and the various fields tackling the subject. I am currently a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major at Reed College. My interests outside of the lab include Rajah (my cat), dancing competitively, and reading.

Rowland Osii

Computational Biologist II
Rowland received his PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2022, where his thesis work investigated the effect of malaria infected red blood cells on dendritic cell function. He joined the Wilder Lab in 2023 as a Computational Biologist, where he is applying his bioinformatics and immunology expertise to the analysis of NHP data looking at the mechanisms of vaccine-acquired immunity. When not working our complex immune interactions, Rowland enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the Portland area.

Derek Haumpy

Research Project Coordinator
Derek joined the Wilder Lab in 2023 to manage the malaria insectary. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020, Derek joined the SARS-CoV2 effort working in virology testing labs before transitioning to histocompatibility and molecular clinical testing necessary for organ transplants. He now applies this experience to parasitology. Outside of work, Derek enjoys climbing, producing music, and enjoying the slopes come winter time.

Julia Thomas

Non-OHSU student worker
I'm an undergraduate nursing student at the University of Portland, and work two afternoons a week in the Wilder Lab. I joined the lab in the fall of 2023, and I help with the rearing of mosquitoes in the insectary, reading parasitemia slides, and other research techniques to support the malaria research taking place, including PCR and ELISA assays. I'm interested in all things science and medicine. Outside of school and the lab, I love skiing, running, playing bass, and volunteering at my local fire department in Alaska.

Gaby Samayoa Reyes

Research Assistant Professor
I am originally from Guatemala, where I did my undergraduate studies. I moved to the US for graduate school: I first did a master’s in public health and then obtained my Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. During my PhD, I studied the pre-erythrocytic phase of human malaria infection. Following this, I conducted research to understand how malaria and Epstein-Barr virus coinfection contribute to Burkitt lymphoma development in Western Africa. For this work, I set up the research efforts and helped in personnel mentoring and training. My interest is in infectious diseases, looking to improve global public health and develop therapies for disease prevention. Besides my work, I like skiing and hiking and I love going on adventures to the coast and exploring what Oregon has to offer.