Team
Alan Baez Vazquez
Graduate Student
Alan was born in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico before moving to the beautiful state of Maine. He attended the University of Maine in Orono where he earned a B.S. in Biochemistry with highest honors. At the University of Maine, Alan worked within the lab of Dr. Julie Gosse to determine the molecular mechanism behind the antimicrobial triclosan’s inhibition of adaptive and innate immune cell function. Alan has also worked at the Jackson Laboratory under the guidance of Dr. Dan Skelly to study how genetic background influences immune cell heterogeneity within mouse visceral adipose tissue. After finishing his undergraduate career, Alan enrolled within the Molecules, Cells, and Organisms (MCO) PhD training program at Harvard University where he eventually joined the Franklin lab. Within the Franklin lab, Alan will explore how regenerative and immune programs differ between homeostatic and diseased tissues. Outside of the lab, Alan loves to hike (and heavily recommends Acadia national park), cook, and play video games.
Shahinoor Begum
Lab Manager
Shahinoor earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmacy from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She was later awarded an MS degree in Biotechnology from the Johns Hopkins University. She also studied electrical signaling in nervous and muscular systems of mouse models and mechanical signaling in cells at Harvard University under Professor Adam Cohen. Prior to that, Shahinoor was studying extracellular matrix proteins and the mechanisms of cell adhesion and migration in the context of cancer metastasis at MIT under Professor Richard Hynes. Outside of the lab, she likes gardening and growing exotic vegetables from her homeland. She also enjoys studying Indian history and reading nonfiction Bengali and Indian titles.
Martha Castro
Graduate Student
Martha was born and raised in California and received her B.A. from Pomona College in Molecular Biology. At Pomona, she worked with Dr. Daniel Martínez to characterize a new species of hydra, and conducted summer research in the labs of Dr. Sheri Krams and Dr. Olivia Martinez at Stanford University and Dr. Douglas Melton at Harvard University. After graduation, Martha ventured to Stockholm, Sweden for a Fulbright research year in the Malin Flodström-Tullberg group at Karolinska Institutet. There she explored the effects of JAK/STAT inhibitors on interferon-induced antiviral defense in human intestinal epithelial cells. In the Franklin lab, Martha is excited to study the relationship between macrophages and progenitor cells during damage and repair. During her free time, she enjoys swimming and running, trying new recipes, and knitting.
Dr. Daisy Hoagland
Postdoctoral Fellow
Daisy received her B.S. from the University of Vermont where she majored in Microbiology and minored in Community and International Development. At UVM, Daisy worked in the laboratory of Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger where she studied the role of different cytokines in allergic asthma. Before beginning graduate school, she spent a year with AmeriCorps working at a STEM mentorship nonprofit in the Bay Area of California. Daisy completed her Ph.D. in Dr. Benjamin tenOever’s laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City where she studied the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection to inform the development of therapeutics by characterizing the golden hamster model. Daisy also spent time studying influenza and innate immunity. She is excited to study mechanisms of disease tolerance and continue learning about viruses in the Franklin laboratory. Outside of lab, Daisy enjoys baking, hiking, and reading a good book.
Sunny Lin
Graduate Student
Sunny obtained her B.A. from Boston University, majoring in Biology with a specialization in Cell, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, and minoring in Japanese Literature. She had the opportunity to study abroad in Tokyo, Japan her junior year, where she spent the majority of her time satisfying her sweet tooth. During her undergraduate years, Sunny worked in the laboratory of Dr. Mikael Pittet, investigating the roles of myeloid cells, specifically macrophages, in tumor suppression. Prior to pursuing her graduate studies, she spent two years working in Dr. Todd Golub’s laboratory at the Broad Institute screening for in vivo cancer dependencies. Now, in the Franklin lab, Sunny is thrilled to delve back into the world of macrophage research, with a particular focus on investigating the mechanisms of macrophage turnover during homeostasis. Outside of lab, Sunny enjoys exploring new cafes with friends, indulging in mystery shows/novels, and attempting to recreate those Japanese desserts she fell in love with during her time abroad!
Dr. Alexander Mann
Postdoctoral Fellow
Alex received a B.S. in Microbiology at the University of Oklahoma. He then completed a Ph.D. in Immunology at Harvard Medical School working in the laboratory of Diane Mathis and Christophe Benoist. During his Ph.D. work, Alex studied the roles of gamma delta T cells in models of autoimmunity and tissue injury. This latter part of his Ph.D. work sparked a broader interest in how the immune system responds to tissue damage and what roles it can play in the restoration of tissue homeostasis. Outside of the lab Alex enjoys cooking, hiking, and generally exploring New England.
Patricia Rodríguez-Morales
Graduate Student
Patricia was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She received her B.S. from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, where she majored in Biology. After graduating, she moved to San Diego, CA to work as a post-baccalaureate research assistant in Dr. Susan Kaech’s laboratory at the Salk Institute. There, her goal was to understand how the chronic viral setting affects anti-tumor immunity. She then moved to the East Coast to join the Harvard Medical School Immunology program. As a graduate student in the Franklin lab, Patricia hopes to explore ways in which macrophages help maintain tissue homeostasis, as well as mechanisms of disease tolerance from a neuroimmune-metabolic perspective. In her spare time Patricia enjoys going to the beach, trying new recipes in the kitchen, and doing Zumba.
Dr. Ruth A. Franklin
Principal Investigator
Ruth received her B.A. from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine where she majored in Biology and minored in Sociology. At Bowdoin, she worked in the developmental biology lab of Dr. Nicole Theodosiou studying hindgut and spleen development in the chicken embryo. She then moved to California to thaw out and worked in a cell biology lab at Scripps Research Institute exploring strategies to normalize pathogenic angiogenesis associated with eye disease and the incurable brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme. Ruth moved back to the East Coast to attend Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City. There, she joined the lab of Dr. Ming Li at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and characterized the lineage and function of tumor-associated macrophages in the development and progression of breast cancer. As a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov at Yale School of Medicine, Ruth extended her interests in macrophage biology to study their homeostatic functions. Her work demonstrated how relative ratios of different cell types within tissues are regulated through the exchange of growth factors. In Ruslan’s lab she also identified a number of secreted factors produced by macrophages in response to stress. These molecules likely have important functions in both stress conditions and inflammation. In her free time, Ruth loves cooking, baking, and spending time with her family.
Future Lab Members
Diverse teams of individuals, both in the classroom and laboratory, make academia stronger. Students, postdocs, and staff of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Franklin lab is committed to fostering inclusivity and combatting racial injustice in biomedical research and the wider academic environment.
Flyer credit: Yale School of Medicine Immunobiology Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion, design by Esther Florsheim, 2017
Lab Alumni
Julia Ryan, Summer Undergraduate Student, 2023
Alicia Lai, Research Assistant 2020-2023
McKenna Reale, Undergraduate Student, 2022-2023
Emily Sanchez, Undergraduate Student, 2021