OUR TEAM

The Tal Research Group is a collaborative team of interdisciplinary biomedical scientists studying infection-associated complex chronic illnesses and immune responses to infection.

Our immunoengineering lab brings together a diverse team of talented researchers with backgrounds and expertise including immunology, microbiology, bioengineering, murine research, translational health policy, patient experiences, bioethics, environmental health, and disease pathophysiology.

The Tal Research Group

Michal “Mikki” Caspi Tal, PhD

Principal Scientist, MIT Department of Biological Engineering

Associate Scientific Director, MIT Center for Gynepathology Research

Michal Caspi Tal, PhD, is an immunoengineer, and a Principal Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Tal leads the Tal Research Group within the department of Biological Engineering and also serves as the associate scientific director of the Center for Gynepathology Research. Michal is working to identify the connections between infections and chronic diseases. Her research is focused on creating predictive diagnostics, and generating actionable information providers can use to connect with and care for patients to improve diagnosis and treatments for invisible chronic diseases. From tick-borne disease to COVID, there are many similarities across chronic inflammatory diseases and important sex differences in these responses, which are the focus of the Tal group. Michal received her PhD at Yale University in Immunobiology under the mentorship of Dr. Akiko Iwasaki researching how immune responses to viruses are impacted by processes such as aging. Dr Tal then did her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Irving Weissman at Stanford where she later became an instructor at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University leading the infectious disease team and studying immumodulatory mechanisms which impact immune clearance of infectious disease, with a focus on Lyme disease. Michal has been awarded NIH NIAID F31 and F32 pre and postdoctoral fellowships, as well as the Emerging Leader Award from Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

Beth Pollack
Research Scientist

MIT
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Paige Hansen
Lab Manager/Technical Associate
MIT
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Yuri Kim
Clinical Research Specialist
MIT
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Aanya Subramaniam
Technical Associate I
MIT
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Qingying Feng
Technical Associate I
MIT
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Sarah Galloway
Medical Student Researcher

CUSM
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Current Undergraduates

MIT has a robust Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, called UROP. Click here to learn more about the program.

Jyostna Nair
Undergraduate Student (UROP)

MIT
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Jade Kuan
Undergraduate Student (UROP)
Wellesley College
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Adam Chernoff
Undergraduate Student

Tufts University
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Undergraduate Student (UROP)

Coming soon!

Alumni

Brandon Lee
Technical Associate I
MIT

George “Georgie” R. Nahass
Medical Student Researcher
University of Illinois - Chicago

Emelia von Saltza
Technical Associate I
MIT

Alexandra “Lexi” Livingston
Technical Associate I
MIT

Grace Blacker
Life Science Research Professional I

Stanford University

Erin C. Sanders, MSN, WHNP-BC
Clinical Scientist

MIT

Jules Kessler
Undergraduate Student
Tufts University

Sophie VanderWeele
PhD Rotation Student

MIT

Marina Dixon
Undergraduate Student
Brandeis University

Yejin Hwang
Undergraduate Student
Wellesley College