Research Groups

At the BIIE, our research groups bring together diverse expertise in microbiology, immunology, systems biology, synthetic biology, and precision medicine. Each group is dedicated to advancing immune engineering through innovative science and technology, with the shared goal of improving human health — especially for children and adolescents in the Global South.

Beisel Group –
Bacterial Immune Engineering

Bacteria and their viruses, bacteriophages, have been locked in an evolutionary arms race for billions of years. Dr. Chase Beisel's Group explores how these bacterial immune systems work, from restriction-modification to CRISPR-Cas, and how they can be harnessed for biotechnology, diagnostics, and human health applications.

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Snijder Group –
Functional Precision Medicine

Dr. Berend Snijder's Group develops approaches to understand immunity using Pharmacoscopy—combining imaging, tissue profiling, and machine learning to reveal cell responses to drugs and pathogens. They create precision immunology approaches for inflammation and immune diseases at the systems immunology-oncology interface.

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Seelig Group –
Synthetic Immunology

Prof. Seelig's Group pioneers synthetic immunology—using DNA sequencing, modeling, and machine learning to design immune cells and molecules. They predict and engineer immune responses to understand disease trajectories and create tailored therapies for cancer, infections, and immune conditions.

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Slack Group –
Molecular Mucosal Immunology

Prof. Emma Slack's Group investigates how gut microbiome and mucosal immunity prevent early-life infections. Spanning antibody function, microbial ecology, and vaccine design, they develop interventions that block pathogens at their source and reduce antibiotic resistance burden worldwide.

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