Katri is an associate professor in the department of bacteriology and immunology and docent of medical microbiology and has a broad background in medical science (MSc 2014), ecology (MSc 2010, PhD 2015), and bacteriology (PhD 2016).
Eija Nissilä is an experienced biomedical researcher with a PhD from the University of Oulu (2009), where she studied the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Her research background includes extensive work on inflammatory diseases, the complement system, and the role of gut microbiota in health and disease. In addition to her academic career, Eija is a licensed pharmacist (since 2015) and has professional experience in the diagnostics industry. Her expertise bridges molecular biology, immunology, and clinical diagnostics.
Brandon Hickman received his PhD from the University of Helsinki in July 2025. His doctoral dissertation, "Microbial and environmental exposures in association with infant health" examined how environmental factors and the gut microbiota influence early life health and allergy development. He holds a BSc in environmental engineering (2008) and an MSc in atmospheric physics (2015).
Chanchal Rana is a PhD research scholar at the National Dairy Research Institute, India. She is currently collaborating with Dr. Katri Korpela on a project investigating the evolutionary development of the infant gut microbiota and resistome using large-scale metagenomic data. The study is based on infant fecal samples collected from birth up to 400 days of life. Her research focuses on analyzing temporal shifts in microbial communities, tracking the emergence and evolution of antibiotic resistance genes. She also explores molecular evolutionary models to identify signals of positive selection acting on microbial communities and resistance genes.
Sandro Valenzuela is an experienced bioinformatician with a strong background in computer science (Bsc 2016). Since graduating, he has been actively involved in microbiome-related projects and is currently pursuing a PhD with a keen interest in studying the dynamics of the baby’s gut microbiome.
Nienke Van Beek-Rieppo is a molecular microbiologist (Msc 2013). She has worked on the effects of Lactobacillus spp. on rotavirus infection outcome, the role of autophagy proteins in viral infection and the LPS transport system in Neisseria meningitidis. She is currently engaged in PhD research on the infant microbiota and host immune system interaction.
Gaurab Aditya Dhar is a PhD student with an Integrated Masters degree in Biotechnology (MSc 2021). He is fascinated by the gut microbiome and is presently investigating the effects of various dietary components in the infant gut.
Chu-An Hyyryläinen is a MSc student in Translational Medicine program. She is testing a new sequencing library preparation protocol for metagenomic samples
Minea Kallinen is a MSc student in the Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology program. Her research focuses on developing a fungal DNA extraction protocol to enable accurate characterization of the the gut mycobiome.
Rebecca is a master's student in the Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology program at the University of Helsinki. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Microbiology from the University of Aberdeen (2024). Her master's thesis focuses on investigating the composition of the infant gut microbiota and its associations with early life health and wellbeing.
Karen Ahlnäs is a Midwife with a MSc degree in Translational Medicine. She is currently working as a clinical research nurse and coordinator in the ongoing studies and clinical trials.