Beirne B. Carter Immunology Center
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology
University of Virginia School of Medicine

Our Team

Daniel Zegarra-Ruiz
Daniel F. Zegarra-Ruiz, PhD
Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology (MIC)
Member, Beirne B. Carter Immunology Center (CIC)

Dr. Daniel F. Zegarra-Ruiz was born and raised in Peru, where he received his BS in Pharmacy and Biochemistry in 2013. Before concluding his undergraduate studies, he did an internship at Vanderbilt University. He received his PhD in Immunobiology from Yale University in the lab of Dr. Martin Kriegel in 2018, where he identified intestinal microbes and metabolites that can regulate intestinal and systemic inflammation and alter disease outcomes. He then joined the lab of Dr. Gretchen Diehl (first at Baylor College of Medicine and then at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center). During his postdoctoral training he continued to investigate how intestinal microbes can modulate immune processes involved in health and disease. Particularly, he found an early life developmental window that allows for trafficking of intestinal microbes to the thymus which drives expansion of microbiota-recognizing T cells.

Daniel has received multiple fellowships and awards, amongst others: As a graduate student he received a Gina M. Finzi memorial Student Summer Fellowship from the Lupus Foundation of America; as a postdoc, he received a Ludwig Center Basic and Translational Immunology Postdoctoral Award for his continued studies on microbiota and colorectal cancer. More recently, he earned a K99/R00 career development award to support his transition into independence. In addition, he was chosen as the 2020 AAI Lefrançois-BioLegend Award Recipient for outstanding abstract in mucosal immunology. He received the 2022 AAI Thermo Fischer Achievement Award, for promising trainees and outstanding abstracts, as well as the 2023 AAI Minority Scientist travel award. More recently, he was awarded the 2022 Dr. Eddie Méndez Award by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; the 2022 Tri-Institutional Breakout Prize for Junior Investigators; and he was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientists in Life Sciences.

When not in the lab, he spends most of his time with friends, family in Peru, his wife, his opinionated two-year-old, and his dog.

Katherine Saldana Morales
Katherine S. Saldana Morales, BS
Lab Specialist

Katherine S. Saldana Morales was born in Lima, Peru, where she received her BS in Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in 2017. Throughout her undergraduate studies she practiced in multiple veterinary areas and obtained an internship in the Molecular Biology Laboratory at UPCH, where she performed research related to bird sex identification. During her senior year she did an internship in wild animals in the Bioparque-TEMAIKEN (Buenos Aires, Argentina), where she became familiar with the handling of wild and laboratory animals such as rodents and small birds. She also did and internship in Internal Veterinary Medicine in Companion Animals at the Universidad de Zaragoza (Zaragoza, Spain), where she enhanced her abilities in non-terminal surgery in small animals. She has worked in multiple veterinary clinics as DVM in preventive medicine and internal medicine in companion animals.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and her small dog, she is also keen on travelling and planning small trekking trips.

Silvia Davila Paico
Silvia R. Davila Paico, BS
Lab Specialist

Silvia R. Davila Paico is a Peruvian researcher who graduated with a BS in Biology from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in 2009. Her passion for immunology led her to work as a research assistant at the Laboratory of Immunology in UPCH, where she developed her thesis on the anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of Peruvian plants, gaining expertise in various immunological techniques. By the end of her undergraduate studies, she was selected to participate in a fellowship program at the Peruvian National Institute of Health, focusing on the diagnosis of rabies virus in the Viral Zoonosis-Rabies Laboratory. In 2013, she joined the Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS Laboratory, where she acquired fundamental skills in molecular biology. Since 2014, Silvia has been part of the Genetics and Molecular Biology Unit at the Peruvian National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, where she identified genes associated with the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of germinal and somatic neoplasms. In 2019, she was awarded the Visitor Training Program by the American Society of Hematology (ASH), which enabled her to receive advanced molecular diagnostics training at Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam, Netherlands). In 2022, she was chosen as the ASH Annual Meeting VIP guest to deliver a lecture on her Visitor Training Program experience.

Outside the laboratory, Silvia enjoys exploring her city's history and culture through leisurely walks.

Maricielo Vaella Alarcon
Maricielo Vaella Alarcon, BS
Lab Specialist

Maricielo Vaella Alarcon is from Trujillo, Peru, where she graduated as a BS in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo as top of her class. She spent two years as a research assistant at the Chemical Biology and Animal Physiology Laboratory at her home university, from where she got a co-authorship of her first research article. Additionally, her dedication and merit secured her a scholarship from her university, which allowed her to travel to Spain and study at the renowned Universidad de Granada for a semester. There, she honed her expertise in immunology and molecular pharmacology. In her senior year she was selected by the Research Experience for Peruvian Undergraduates (REPU) program to do a virtual internship at University of Lille (France), where she worked in cancer proteomics. When she concluded her undergraduate studies, she was selected to do an internship at the Microbial Genomics Laboratory at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, where she is currently developing her thesis on Salmonella enterica genomic sequences. Concomitantly, she is part of the research staff of the Special Bacteriology Laboratory at the Peruvian National Institute of Health, which focuses on acute respiratory diseases.

Out of the lab, she enjoys spending time with her pets, making HBO-series marathons and sometimes she likes to bake muffins.

Jin Din
Jin Din
Undergraduate Student

Jin Din was born in Virginia and is currently an undergraduate attending the University of Virginia, where she is studying for a BA in Biology and minor in Mathematics. She is deeply involved in giving back to her community through environmental, animals, and health volunteering. More specifically, these organizations include her university’s tree replanting CIO the Lorax Society, the Charlottesville Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and the Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital. She is grateful for this opportunity to work with the Zegarra-Ruiz Lab and looks forward to learning more with all of them.

Outside of the lab, she works on various personal art projects and is a frequent coffee shop enjoyer.

Louiza Khachemoune
Louiza S. Khachemoune
Undergraduate Student

Louiza was born in Boston, raised in New York, and went to school in Mclean, Virginia. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia, planning to study Biology or Chemistry. She became interested in science and medicine through shadowing at medical offices, and concocting potions at home. Louiza was selected to volunteer at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, in the Q?rius program. The Q?rius program teaches young museum visitors about fossils and natural life. Louiza is hopeful and committed to contribute to a better understanding and treating autoimmune disease given that it touches many members of her family.

Outside of the lab, Louiza played the saxophone for nine years. She now plays as principal saxophone in the UVA Wind Ensemble. She also enjoys being involved in cultural organizations like the Middle Eastern and North African association, running, and baking.