Dr. James Weger-Lucarelli

Principal Investigator | Assistant Professor

I am originally from Madison, Wisconsin. I obtained both my Bachelors in Medical Microbiology and Immunology and my PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin. I then did a postdoc in Greg Ebel's lab at Colorado State University followed by a second postdoc in Marco Vignuzzi's lab at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. My training has mostly been in virology, vaccinology, and virus evolution with a focus on mosquito borne viruses. I am interested in using molecular and evolution-based approaches to generate new viruses that can be used as vaccines, therapeutics, or cancer treatments. I'm also interested in gaining a better understanding of virus-host interactions towards developing new antivirals or therapeutics that can be used to target a wide array of viral diseases. I'm also highly passionate and motivated about properly training the next generation of young scientists. Finally, I'm passionate about maintaining physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Pallavi Rai, PhD

PostDoctoral Associate

Pallavi earned her Bachelors in Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry and post-graduate diploma in Management from India. She worked as a Bank Manager in India for 10 years before joining the VG-HI lab in the Fall of 2019 as an MS student and switching to a PhD in Fall 2020, which she successfully defended in the spring of 2024. Pallavi is now a post-doc and her major projects involve studying the effect of obesity on alphavirus transmission by mosquitoes and the impact of obesity on the severity of coronavirus (mouse hepatitis virus-1) disease in mice. During her spare time, she loves reading, cooking and spending time with her kids.

IAN TAYLOR

PHD Student

Ian grew up in a Navy family and has lived in many places, from California to Utah to southern Spain. However, if you ask him, North Carolina is home. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he spent his time studying avian flight dynamics and sea turtle nesting patterns or as a Marching Tar Heel. He stayed there after graduating in 2021 for another two years as a research technician in the UNC Children’s Research Institute studying pediatric viruses before coming to Virginia Tech in 2023. In the lab, Ian is studying oncolytic viruses, and outside the lab, he enjoys reading, going to the movies, snowboarding, and Tae Kwon Do.

Chelsea Cereghino

PHD CANDIDATE

Chelsea is a PhD student in the VG-HI lab interested in viral evolution and cellular entry mechanisms. She joined the lab in 2020 where she first served as a research technician and lab manager for two years before beginning her graduate studies. Her work thus far has explored the adaptation of the alphavirus Mayaro virus to urban mosquito vectors and SARS-CoV-2 to humans and animal reservoirs. Chelsea received her B.S. in Microbiology from Virginia Tech in 2019, and during her time as an undergraduate she spent 3 years conducting research in a soil microbial ecology laboratory. After she completed her bachelor degree, she worked for a year as a post-bachelor research associate in the Plant Systems Biology group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In her free time she loves to play piano, cook and bake, and take care of her many plants.

TYLER WILLIAMS, MS

RESEARCH LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Before joining the Weger-Lucarelli lab, Tyler earned his bachelor’s degree at Virginia Tech and worked in the natural resources field as a technician for various wildlife projects including endangered species conservation, genetic diversity assessments, and long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Tyler went on to receive his master’s degree at Louisiana State University and then worked as a research technician at the USDA Honeybee Breeding and Genomic Facility studying the role nutrition plays in disease outcomes for honeybees. In this current position, Tyler is working to develop Sindbis virus replicons to facilitate gene knockout in cell culture, establish protocols using pseudoviruses to measure neutralizing antibody levels in wildlife samples, and to support various laboratory needs. Outside of research Tyler spends time cooking or baking and enjoys outdoor activities like fishing, bird watching, and bee keeping.

Katie Tiller, MS

PHD Student

Katie joined the VG-HI lab in the fall of 2022, and is a local of Southwest Virginia. She worked as a Biology and Anatomy teacher at Bland County High School for 5 years. During that time, she obtained her M.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida. She previously obtained her B.S. in Biology from Radford University, where she was a 4 year member of the Radford University Dance Team. Katie is also an instructor/choreographer at Bluefield Dance Theatre where she has taught dance for over 16 years. She also serves as a board member, performer, choreographer, and instructor for Adaire Theatre in Pulaski, VA.

Weger Lab alumni

• Christina Chuong, PhD

• Jefferey Marano, PhD

• Emily Webb, PhD

• Muddassar Hameed, PhD

• Charlie Amoia, PhD

• Blake Flinchum, MS

• Sam Rodgers, MPH

• Tyler Bates, MS

• Jeremy Thomas, MPH

• Alex Solomon

• Julie Nguyen

• Shamima Akter

  Thank you to our previous lab members who are off doing amazing things. We miss you!