Principal Investigator

Andrew is originally from the Chicagoland area before earning his B.S. in Biology and Physics from the Bradley University, his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and conducting his postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University. Andrew started his independent research program in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Tennessee in January 2023.

Research Staff

Ashley obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry from Middle Tennessee State University and a M.S. in Microbiology and Immunology at University of Louisville. Following graduate school, Ashley developed her expertise in Nextgen sequencing in the Genomics Sequencing core at UofL, before managing a genomics facility at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Ashley joined the Monteith Lab in April 2023 where she is now a Research Associate/Lab Manager. Outside of work Ashley is passionate about running and fitness, enjoys spending time with her husband Eric, and is the proud pet parent to several rescue cats.

Eden graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Indiana Wesleyan University in May 2023. She enjoys being outdoors, playing sports, and baking. She loves her family, but especially her husband, Garret, and her bulldog, Trixie.

Graduate Students

Calleigh Reber is a Georgia native, and graduated from Berry College in May of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology, and minors in Chemistry and One Health. A lover of all things fun, Calleigh loves days spent at theme parks or the pool, but also enjoys kicking it with her cats Walter and Cricket. Calleigh is currently pursuing her PhD and is interested in autoimmune diseases and host-pathogen interactions. 

Bailey grew up on a farm in upstate South Carolina where she also graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a concentration in biomedicine. When she’s out of the lab she enjoys spending time with her crested gecko Theodore Mango and building legos. She is now pursuing her PhD at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and is interested in studying immune interactions.

Morgan got her B.S. in Biology with a double minor in Chemistry and Psychology from Carroll University. Afterwards, she worked as a Microbiologist at CSL Behring Pharmaceuticals and Diversey Inc before continuing on to pursue her PhD. Currently her research focuses on how a viral homolog to human cytokines influences the function of neutrophils and monocytes to promote viral persistence. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys the outdoors, playing a variety of sports and chilling with her dog Duke.

Aliyah is originally from Central Kentucky and graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan University in 2024 with her Bachelors in Pre-Professional Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD at the University of Tennessee Knoxville with an interest in immunometabolism. Outside of her Academic work, she enjoys going to the gym, cooking, and spending time with her cat Oobie.  

Jadan is originally from Las Vegas, NV, and graduated from the University of Oregon in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. After graduating, she joined Dr. Mehrotra’s lab at MUSC, where she worked on a CAR-T clinical trial and contributed to TIL protocol development. When not in the lab, she enjoys living an active lifestyle, trying new recipes, and reading books. Jadan is now pursuing her PhD and is particularly interested in immunometabolism and translational science.

Undergraduate Students

Ella Ervin: Joined Jan. 2025
Eleanor Foley: Joined Aug. 2025
Alexandria Fadeyi: Joined Aug. 2025

Lab Pets