Our Team

Priyanka Pundir, Principal Investigator

I completed my Ph.D. at the Atlantic Veterinary College (UPEI) in the lab of Dr. Marianna Kulka, where I studied non-IgE mast cell activation and the role of orphan GPCRs in inflammation. As a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, I trained with Dr. Xinzhong Dong, investigating how mast cell-expressed GPCRs detect bacterial signals and contribute to host defense.

I joined the University of Guelph in 2022 as an Assistant Professor. My lab focuses on innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions, using custom transgenic mouse models to study how immune cells respond to infection and maintain tissue homeostasis.

When I’m not in the lab, I’m usually reading, watching K-dramas, exploring new cafes, or hanging out with my two kids and our orange tabby, Arthur.

Colin Guth, PhD Candidate

Project: Mast cell functions in tissue repair and regeneration

Hannah Dychtenberg, MSc Student

Project: Mast cell-mediated host defense against S. aureus skin infections

Carly Kadonoff, MSc Student

Project: Mast cells in bacterial meningitis

Austin Pozniak, MSc Student

Project: Role of mast cells in sculpting CNS immune landscape

Jacob Aiello, MBIOT Intern

Project: Harnessing immunological pathways for anti-infective development

Ellen Sawyer, USRA

Project: Mast cell-expressed Mrgprs in Staphylococcal infections

Lab alumni

Amarachukwu Akukwe, Undergraduate Project Student (2025-2026)

Ellen Sawyer, Undergraduate Project Student (2025-2026). Current Position: USRA, UoG

Sukhmeen Gill, Research Technician (2024-2026)

Erin Rudolph, MSc Student (2023 - 2025) and Undergraduate Project Student (2022-2023). Current Position: Scientist, Ostia Sciences Inc.

Carly Kadonoff, USRA and Undergraduate Project Student (2024-2025). Current Position: MSc Student, UoG

Yvette Guth, Undergraduate Project Student (2024-2025). Current Position: Medical Student

David Tawse, Undergraduate Project Student (2024-2025). Current Position: Research Associate, Nautilus Environmental

Julia Froment, Undergraduate Project Student (2024)

Austin Pozniak, USRA (2024). Current Position: MSc Student, UoG

Hannah Dychtenberg, Undergraduate Project Student (2023-2024)

Hannah Glowacki, USRA (2023). Current Position: MSc Student, UoG

Cameron Bosveld, Research Technician (2022-2023). Current Position: Research Associate, Nautilus Environmental

Serra Taban, Undergraduate Project Student, 2022-2023