Paul Bollyky, MD, DPhil – PI; Paul received his D.Phil from Oxford University and his MD from Harvard. He was a Internal Medicine resident at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and and Infectious Disease Fellow at the University of Washington. He has been on the faculty at Stanford since 2013. When he’s not in lab you’ll find him hiking or rowing
Tiffany Luong, PhD – Post-Doc; Tiffany obtained her PhD from UCSD/SDSU where her study of Pseudomonal phage-bacteria kinetics led to the development of novel cocktail formulation strategies and a new therapeutic framework for describing lytic phage therapy. Her research in the Bollyky lab will focus on uncovering phage immunogenicity and developing preclinical models of phage therapy in CF. In her free time Tiffany enjoys playing mahjong, building Gunpla, and exploring new eateries and cuisines (食飯啦!)
Maya Abhyankar, – Lab Manager; Maya graduated with honors from the University of Washington, where she studied plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance. She manages lab operations, mentors undergraduates, and takes point on phage production and purification. She is interested in how phages shape bacterial evolution and plans to pursue a PhD in molecular biology. Outside the lab, she is a visual artist who enjoys blending creativity with science.
Arya Khosravi, MD, PhD – Post-Doc; Arya is a Clinical Infectious Diseases Fellow studying immunology and bacteriophages in the lab. He is particularly interested in how filamentous phages contribute to bacterial fitness and metabolism in the context of respiratory infections. He completed his residency at UCLA and attended Medical School at USC .
Jessica Sacher, PhD. – Staff Scientist. Jessica received her PhD from the University of Alberta, . She is the co-founder of Phage Directory and the Capsid & Tail newsletter. From 2021 to 2024, Jessica helped Phage Australia establish a production pipeline to enable phage therapy. In the Bollyky Lab, Jessica oversees phage curation, production, and analysis to support projects aimed at improving phage therapeutics
Zhiwei Li – Post-Doc; Zhiwei obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Bonn in Germany, where he studied the immune response of animal hosts to bacterial infections. Currently, his research focuses on how bacteriophages impact the immune response of both their bacterial and human hosts and on developing novel strategies to combat drug -resistant Pseudomans aeruginosa infections
Aaryan Harshith – Undergraduate. Aaryan is a sophomore studying Bioengineering at Stanford. At the lab, he works with Dr. Jessica Sacher and is trying to isolate novel bacteriophages with therapeutic potential against drug-resistant Pseudomonas. In his free time, he enjoys practicing karate and learning foreign languages.
Maryam Hajfathalian, PhD – Visiting Faculty, Maryam is former Bollyky lab post-doc and now visiting faculty from NJIT. We are looking forward to applying her knowledge of nanoparticles, therapeutics, and imaging to treating Pseudomonas biofilms and wound infections.
Saumel Perez Rodriguez – Post-Doc, Saumel graduated from UNAM in Mexico. He is interested into genetic engineering of bacteriophages to promote the advancement of phage-based technologies and their widespread implementation. Specifically, his research is focused on phages as a platform for delivering of proteins and genes to eukaryotic cells and for conjugation to diverse biomolecules and chemical compounds
Zach Flamholz – MD/PhD Student; Zach completed his PhD at Albert Einstein in NY and is currently in medical school. His PhD focused on characterizing phage communities in microbiomes form the ocean to human health and disease. He plans to continue training in medicine and ultimately infectious disease. In the Bollyky lab, he is focused on translational applications of phage detection and learning some phage biology.
Anna Rodden – Undergraduate Anna is Stanford undergrad majoring in general Biology with the goal of pursuing a career in research. She is working with Jessica Sacher testing and developing novel lytic phage cocktails for treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Outside of science, she enjoys playing cello, listening to music, spending time in nature, and hanging out with family and friends.
Amelia Schmidt – Post-Doctoral Fellow. Amelia engineers bacteriophages as programmable tools for therapeutic delivery. She earned her PhD from the University of Montana. Her research bridges molecular biology and bioinformatics, with a focus on innovative platforms to study and harness phage biology. Amelia is passionate about combining rigorous science with creative problem-solving to advance therapeutic discovery and improve patient outcomes
Emranul Karim – Visiting Post-Doc. Emran earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Monash University. His current research at NJIT with Dr. Maryam Hajfathalian focuses on engineering hybrid phage–lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for targeted delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics to brain cancer cells, aiming to overcome biological barriers and improve precision RNA therapy. His long-term vision is to bridge RNA manufacturing with next-generation delivery technologies to accelerate the clinical translation of nucleic acid–based medicines.
Aditi Gupta, LSRA. Aditi has a Masters in Cell and Molecular Biology from San Francisco State University. She is interested in studying the contribution of Pf bacteriophage to bacterial biofilm formation, modulation of host immune responses, and acquisition of essential nutrients, including iron, to promote persistent infection by P. aeruginosa.
Frangelica Garcia– Administrative Associate — Frankie earned her BA from UC Davis, where she studied Psychology and Studio Art. She serves as Lab Admin and ID Office Administrator, coordinating and assisting with lab-related administrative tasks. She is always interested in learning about people’s passions for the sciences. Outside the office, she is a visual artist who enjoys learning new mediums.
Benjamin Kimelfeld, LSRA – Benjamin holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Hebrew University, researching Nematostella regeneration. His biotech startup experience includes engineering soil bacteria, designing medical devices, and converting stem cells to red blood cells. He is driven by finding creative solutions to complex biological challenges. Outside the lab, Benjamin is a fan of hiking, reading, and watching sports. www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-kimelfeld-041557157
The Bollyky Lab 