Lab Members
Sung Hoon Baik received his bachelor’s degree from Yonsei University and earned both his master’s and doctorate from Seoul National University in South Korea. He focused on intravital brain imaging using multi-photon microscopy and studied metabolic reprogramming of brain innate immune cells in Alzheimer’s disease during his PhD course. He has joined Dr. Underhill’s lab to study functional phenotypes of innate immune cells. His current research interest focuses on the relationship between cellular metabolisms and inflammasome activation in phagocytic cells.
Xinyun Qiu, MD, PhD, received his doctoral degree from Peking University Health Science Center in China. After graduating, Dr. Qiu dedicated eight years to advancing basic and clinical knowledge and practice in the Department of Gastroenterology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in China. During his tenure in China, he studied the interplay between bacteria and fungi, and their pivotal roles in the onset and progression of intestinal inflammation. His current research focuses on elucidating the intricate relationship between intestinal fungi and intestinal mononuclear phagocytes, with a keen focus on deciphering their impact on intestinal immune responses and inflammation.
Courtney Becker earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in business from the University of Southern California. She worked at Ceres, Inc. before joining the Underhill Laboratory in 2007. Courtney is responsible for managing the operations of the lab which include budgeting and allocation, developing organizational strategies, training new hires, ensuring safety and IACUC compliance, and the preventative maintenance of equipment. With her expertise, she leads projects involving molecular biology, proteomics and ELISA development and optimization.
Katherine Lagree, PhD, received her bachelor's degree from Ohio State University. She earned her doctorate at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied the genetic determinants of Candida albicans biofilm formation and carbon utilization in the laboratory of Aaron Mitchell, PhD. Her current research in the Underhill Laboratory focuses on Malassezia species and their role in inflammatory bowel disease.
Kai Li, PhD, received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in China. He moved to Germany in 2013 and earned his doctorate in 2018 from the Technical University of Munich. Li studied the function of a C-type lectin receptor Clec12A in the innate immune system under the supervision of Jürgen Ruland, PhD. Li's current research interests focus on the interaction between host mycobiota and the immune system in autoimmune disease settings.
Abraham Rodriguez, BS, received his bachelor's degree from the University of California Santa Cruz. He has experience managing a lab and a mouse colony. His current role in the Underhill Laboratory will support Dr. Katherine Lagree’s work and the mouse colony.
Contact the Underhill Lab
8700 Beverly Blvd.
Davis Building, Room 4094F
Los Angeles, CA 90048