TEAM
Kay F. Macleod, PhD, Professor
Dr. Macleod is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (B.Sc. Hons) and obtained her PhD from the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Following post-doctoral fellowships at the Pasteur Institute, France (with Dominique Stehelin) and at the MIT Center for Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA (with Tyler Jacks), Dr. Macleod set up her own independent research laboratory at the University of Chicago in 2002. Promoted with tenure in 2009, Dr. Macleod is the Associate Director of Basic Sciences (since 2024) at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) and was awarded the Hospira Foundation Professorship in Oncology (in 2024) in recognition of her “outstanding scientific and academic accomplishments“. Dr. Macleod is also the Director of the Multi-disciplinary Training grant in Cancer Research (T32 supported by NCI). At a national level, Dr. Macleod is a past-President of CABTRAC (2019), a reviewing editor for eLife and a current member of NCI’s Subcommittee F.
Jonathan V. Dietz, PhD, Post-doctoral scholar
Jon joined the Macleod Lab in January 2025 having completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Purdue University and his PhD at the University of Nebraska. His graduate research in the lab of Dr. Oleh Khalimoncuk explored mechanisms explaining heme trafficking at the mitochondria while more recent post-doctoral research in the lab of Chris Rongo at Rutgers University examined the role of Metaxin-1 and Metaxin-2 in mitochondrial homeostasis and aging. Jon joins the Macleod Lab to determine how BNIP3 and NIX modulate responses to mitochondrial stress.
Niamh Whalley MSc, Research Specialist
Niamh is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin where she obtained her BSc in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, specializing in Genetics. She went on to complete a Masters in Genes, Drugs and Stem Cells – Novel Therapies at University College London. Niamh joined the Macleod Lab in September 2023 and is key to keeping the lab running smoothly. Her research is focused on understanding the role of BNIP3 and NIX in liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma where her skills with novel mouse models and generation of AAV for in vivo work are exemplary.
Althea Bock-Hughes, Graduate student
Thea is a senior graduate student in the Molecular Metabolism & Nutrition program who joined the Macleod Lab in 2020. Thea researches the role of BNIP3 in the liver where she has shown a role for BNIP3 in preventing lipid accumulation and in metabolic zonation in the liver. Her research is focused on understanding how BNIP3 modulates lipid droplet turnover at the autolysosome in the liver where she explores organelle interactions in primary hepatocytes using state of the art high resolution imaging by confocal microscopy. Her work was rewarded with a F31 fellowship from NIDDK in 2024. Thea is also a trained opera singer and along with Leah, is a BTS music fan!
Leah Ziolkowski, Graduate student
Leah is a senior graduate student in the Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition program who joined the Macleod Lab in 2021. Leah researches the role of the ATF4 transcription factor and the integrated stess response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using novel mouse models where she has revealed novel roles for ATF4 in both initiation of PDAC and in PDAC tumor maintenance. Leah was awarded a F31 fellowship from NCI in 2024 for her exciting research discoveries. Leah is an avid BTS fan!
Lara Bencsics, undergraduate student
Lara is a senior in the College at University of Chicago who works alongside Thea to determine the role of BNIP3 in lipid metabolism in the liver where she has shown a key role for BNIP3 in modulating mTORC1 activity.
Kate Engel, Graduate student
Kate is a second year graduate student in the Cancer Biology program who recently joined the Macleod Lab to examine the role of ATF4 in sensing and responding to mitochondrial stress and nucleotide imbalances in cancer. Specifically, she examines how ATF4 modulates responses to chemotherapeutic agents that inhibit nucleotide synthesis and salvage.
Gabby Moon, undergraduate student
Gabby is a sophomore in the College at University of Chicago who works with Alexandra to determine how BNIP3 induction promotes muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia. Gabby won a BSCD fellowship in her first year in the lab and is a star in organic chemistry!
Alexandra Ware, Graduate student
Alexandra is a second year graduate student in the Molecular Metabolism & Nutrition program who joined the Macleod Lab in 2024 to research the role of BNIP3 in muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia due to pancreatic cancer.
Gabe Durso, Graduate student
Gabe is a first year graduate student in the Molecular Metabolism & Nutrition program who recently joined the Macleod Lab to examine the functional interaction between BNIP3 and mTORC1 signaling and how this contributes to steatosis in the liver.
Campbell Vander Heiden, undergraduate student
Campbell is a sophomore in the College at the University of Chicago. Campbell recently joined the lab and is working alongside Leah to examine the role of ATF4 in pancreatic cancer.
Alumni
| 2002–2006 | Huiping Liu, PhD, Committee on Molecular Pathology |
| Current position: Associate Professor, Northwestern University | |
| 2002–2007 | Benjamin Spike, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Oncological Sciences, The Huntsman Cancer Institute, The University of Utah | |
| 2003–2005 | Ben Dibling, PhD |
| Current position: Deputy Managing Director, Penn Center for Innovation, University of Pennsylvania | |
| 2003–2007 | Alexandra Dirlam, PhD, Committee on Immunology |
| Current position: Director Medical & Reimbursement Policy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota | |
| 2007–2010 | James Knabb, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| Current position: Technology Transfer Specialist, National Cancer Institute (NCI) | |
| 2008–2010 | Sandra Barth-Schweikart, PhD |
| Current position: Senior Manager Scientific Affairs, PharmLex Gmbh, Frankfurt, Germany | |
| 2005–2010 | Kristen Tracy, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| Current position: Senior staff scientist, Biomarin Pharmaceuticals, CA | |
| 2007–2011 | Danielle Glick, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| Current position: Head of Computational Biology at Switchback Systems | |
| 2010–2013 | Marina Sharifi, MD, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology (MSTP program) |
| Current position: Assistant Professor, The University of Wisconsin | |
| 2010–2015 | Michelle (Beaton) Boland, PhD, Committee on Molecular Metabolism |
| Current position: Senior Research Scientist, Gubra | |
| 2012–2016 | Aparajita Chourasia, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| Current position: Vice-President, BioTheryx Inc., San Diego | |
| 2011–2016 | Lauren (Olson) Drake, PhD, Committee on Molecular Medicine & Pathology |
| Current position: Senior Scientist, Abbott Pharmaceuticals | |
| 2013–2016 | Erin Mowers, MD, PhD, ISTP program |
| Current position: Clinical Fellow, University of Pittsburgh | |
| 2014–2019 | Maya Zafrir Springer, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| Current position: Senior Scientist Applied Research, Abbott Pharmaceuticals | |
| 2015–2021 | Logan Poole, PhD, Committee on Cancer Biology |
| 2020–2021 | Georgina Mancinelli, PhD |
| Current position: Scientist, Stealth Biotechnology, Chicago | |
| 2019 – 2022 | Damian E. Berardi, Ph.D. |
| Current position: Production Scientist, Cell Signaling Technology |