Assistant Professor (Integrative Immunobiology)

Saskia established a strong foundation in cellular immunology during her postdoctoral training in the Rudensky lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Since joining the Integrative Immunobiology Department at Duke, Saskia has been a dedicated mentor to the next generation of scientists and is a member of the departmental EDI committee. She teaches a variety of classes and currently supervises graduate students and postdocs. Her teaching and mentoring approaches are tailored towards the individual’s needs and a collaborative process.

For more information, please visit the Scholars@Duke profile.

Research Technician

I graduated from NC State with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Microbiology. After graduating, I worked at UNC - Chapel Hill as a Research Technician where I performed research that explored the roles of ubiquitin ligases & environmental exposures in neurodevelopmental disorders. I also assisted with research into a hereditary cerebellar ataxia and neuroinflammation in the spinal cord.

In the Hemmers Lab I assist with managing our mouse colony, dissections & cell isolation and data analysis. Outside the lab I enjoy reading, paddleboarding, travelling, and hanging out with my cat, Noodle.

Graduate Student (CMB Program)

I received my B.SC. in biomedical sciences majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology from Zewail City University in Egypt where I am originally from. As an undergraduate, I used Saccharomyces cerevisiae to study the ribonucleotide excision repair pathway. Specifically, testing whether PCNA polyubiquitination via Rad5 protein enhances the recruitment of Ribonuclease H2 (RNase H2) to replication foci.

In 2022 I joined the Duke University CMB Program and have been a member of the Hemmers lab since the summer of 2023. As a member of the lab, I utilize novel transgenic mouse model to study the role of the interleukin 1 Receptor (IL-1R) family, specifically IL-18R and IL-33R in sensing and regulating neuroinflammation in mouse models of Multiple sclerosis. In my free time, I enjoy watching sunsets, camping, reading in the field of psychology, and cooking.

Senior Research Associate

I obtained my Ph.D. degree from China Medical University, where I specialized in researching the epigenetic mechanisms underlying autoimmune thyroid disease, with a particular focus on the regulatory role of DNA methylation on the transcriptome.

I joined the Hemmers lab in January 2024. My current research involves utilizing a time-stamping mouse model to track the fate and function of neonatal T cells, while also investigating the impact of early infection on these processes. In my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga, hiking, listening to jazz music and cooking Chinese food.

Katherine Nowak (Research Technician) - August 2022 - April 2024; currently working as a Program Coordinator on the Community Healthcare Support Team with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Jakaiyah Franklin (Duke Class of 2025) - summer research 2023

Joshua Nidus (Duke Class of 2023) - summer research 2022, independent study Fall 2022 and Spring 2023; currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomedical Science at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Alex Dittmar (IMM program - Spring 2024) - current affiliation: Ciofani lab

Aamna Abbasi (IMM program - Winter 2023) - current affiliation: Oliver lab

Courtney Covolo (IMM program - Fall 2023) - current affiliation: Pisetsky lab

Benae Clardy (PRIME-PREP - Summer 2023)

Beth Chang (IMM program - Spring 2023) - current affiliation: Valdivia Lab

Miranda Lumbreras (IMM program - Spring 2022) - current affiliation: Shinohara Lab