People

Ed Browne
Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology & Immunology
Genetic Medicine Building
epbrowne@email.unc.edu
Hometown: Auckland, NZ
Undergraduate: University of Auckland
MSc: University of Auckland
PhD: Princeton University
For fun: Playing jazz, brewing beer (Gold medalist 2011, Boston homebrew competition!), and embarrassing my kids with dad jokes

Samuel Burgos
Graduate Student sburgos@unc.edu
Hometown: Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
Undergraduate: University of Puerto Rico – Humacao
Current research: Understanding how CTCF affects chromatin and HIV latency
For fun: Playing video games, DnD, driving, (playing >>> watching) random sports, joking around in general!

Cat Lewis
Graduate Student catlewis@email.unc.edu
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Undergraduate: Northwestern University
MS: College of William & Mary
MA: Duke University
Current research: Understanding the role of HIV accessory proteins and gag/pol in HIV latency establishment
For fun: Playing soccer, running, hiking, climbing, dancing, cooking and eating

Julia Huff
Graduate Student juhuff@email.unc.edu
Hometown: Willow Grove, PA
Undergraduate: Ursinus College
Current research: Studying/optimizing methods of LRA delivery for HIV latency reversal.
For fun: Read, paint, and hanging out with friends

Urja Bhatt
Graduate Student urja22@email.unc.edu
Hometown: Valsad, Gujarat, India
Undergraduate: D.Y. Patil University
MS: Brandeis University
Current research: Effect of delta9-tetrahyrdocannabinol on immune system of people with HIV on anti-retroviral therapy
For fun: Still figuring out the triangle 🙂

Ashokkumar Manickam
Postdoctoral Fellow ashokkumar_manickam@med.unc.edu
Hometown: Kanchipuram, India
BPharm: The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai
MTech: PSG Tech, Coimbatore, IndiaPhD: ICMR- National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis and University of Madras, Chennai, India
Current research: Defining epigenetic factors that regulate HIV latency and expression in patients with HIV who use cannabinoids
For fun: Playing cricket, playing with son

Airlie Ward
Laboratory Technician airlie.ward@unc.edu
Hometown: Wilmington, NC
Undergraduate: University of North Carolina
Current research: Characterizing the role of SETD2 in HIV latency
For fun: Reading fantasy and romance novels, crocheting

Yun Ma
Undergraduate Student yma2@unc.edu
Hometown: Tianjin, China
Current research: Identifying sites where HIV integrates into the human genome and studying the local chromatin environment of integration sites and HIV expression using computational approaches.
For fun: “The Dream of the Red Chamber” is my favorite book (and only the first 80 chapters count)!
Lab alumni
Tristan Moore (former undergraduate student researcher)
Dominguez lab
Elizabeth Bennett, BS (former undergraduate student researcher, graduated 2024)
English teaching Assistant, Fulbright Germany
Jackson Peterson, PhD, (former graduate student, graduated 2023)
Scientist – NGS Assay, Takara Bio USA, Inc.
Arturo Salvador Roman Longoria, BS (former Research Technician)
Clinical Lab Operator II, Natera
Sanjana Haque, MPharm, PhD (former postdoc)
Regulatory Associate, Clinical Protocol Office
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Allison Rowley, MS (former Research Specialist/Lab Manager)
Project Manager, Clinical Research Unit
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center