After receiving her Honors BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, she completed her PhD in Immunology under the supervision of Dr. Mario Ostrowski, working on Tim-3 regulation of immune responses during HIV infection. In 2015, she joined Dr. Bruce Walker’s lab at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, where she showed that HIV-infected macrophages were resistant to killing by CTL and NK cells. In July of 2021, she moved to UMass Chan Medical School’s Department of Pathology to start the lab, focused on macrophages as hide outs for pathogens and methods used by these cells to evade killer immune responses. She is currently the Co-Leader of the REACH NIH Delaney Collaboratory HIV Eradication Research Group, which focuses on understanding mechanisms that both macrophages and CD4+ T cells use to evade killer responses.

Contact: kiera.clayton@umassmed.edu 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiera-clayton-00954038/ 

Paula joined the lab in 2022 as a PhD student. After receiving her BSc in Biology from Tufts University, she worked in the lab of Andy Tager at Massachusetts General Hospital studying idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Paula next transitioned to industry and worked in immuno-oncology and targeted oncology at KSQ Therapeutics, before making her way to UMass for her PhD. Her research in the Clayton Lab will focus on identifying and targeting mechanisms of HIV-infected cell resistance to killing by NK cells as part of the Martin Delany REACH Collaboratory. When she’s not in the lab, Paula enjoys skiing, climbing, kiteboarding, and competitive sailing. She also likes spending time with her two cats and doing crossword puzzles.

Contact: paula.grasberger@umassmed.edu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-grasberger-352b4089/

Abigail is a Research Associate in the Clayton lab. She recently graduated from UMass Amherst, where she received her BS in microbiology. In her undergraduate, she worked with soil microbes, studying bacterial genomics in Dr. Kristen DeAngelis’ Lab. Abigail is interested in pursuing graduate school and continuing her career in the field of research. Her research in the Clayton lab focuses on characterizing mechanisms through which HIV-infected macrophages evade CTL-mediated killing, with a focus on the role of SERPINB9. Outside of the lab, you can find Abigail spending time with her family and her dog Mavis, exploring skincare, and reading dystopian novels.

Contact: Abigail.Sondrini@umassmed.edu

www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-sondrini-1764741aa

Fred is a Research Associate who joined the Clayton lab in September 2023. He recently graduated from the University of Virginia, receiving his bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in computer sciences. During his time as an undergraduate, he spent a year in Professor Cedric Williams’s lab observing the learning behavior of laboratory rats in detecting target explosive odorants. His work in the Clayton lab will focus on identifying granzyme inhibitors that may be differentially expressed between CD4+ T cells and macrophages as well as continuing our project characterizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophage interactions with NK cells in the BSL-3. In his free time, he likes to play tennis, watch TV/movies, and occasionally cook.

Contact: Frederick.Choi@umassmed.edu

Rafy is a research associate who joined the Clayton lab in June 2024. He recently graduated from Stonehill College, receiving his bachelor’s degree in biology. As an undergraduate, he worked with HCMV and mapping its gene regulatory elements as part of Dr. Tracy Rosebrock’s lab. Rafy is interested in pursuing graduate school and continuing his career in the field of research. His work in the Clayton lab will focus on characterizing lysosomal release by macrophages following interactions with NK cells. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, playing bass guitar, and reading fantasy novels.

Contact: Rofail.Wassef@umassmed.edu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rofail-wassef-852335267.

Tara Bromfield is an undergraduate intern at the Clayton lab. She is a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute studying Biology and Biotechnology in the class of 2025. During her time as an undergraduate, she has worked in Dr. Jagan Srinivasan’s lab working with C. elegans as model organisms to study neurological disorders. After college, she is interested in pursuing a career in medicine. Her research at the Clayton lab will focus on defining the role of HIV accessory proteins in regulating NK cell ligands across different HIV strains. Outside of the lab, Tara enjoys crocheting, baking, and spending time with friends.

Contact: Tara.Bromfield@umassmed.edu 

Sheldon Gentling is an undergraduate intern who joined the Clayton Lab in the fall of 2024. Sheldon is a current undergraduate student pursuing a BS in Biology and Biotechnology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, set to graduate in the spring of 2025. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with soil microbes to investigate increased microbial resistance. Sheldon is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. Her involvement in the Clayton Lab focuses on investigating the role of HIV accessory proteins in regulating NK cell ligands across various HIV strains. Outside of academics and research, Sheldon enjoys reading and figure skating.

Contact: Sheldon.Gentling@umassmed.edu 

Graduate Students - Those interested in graduate school can apply to the University of Massachusetts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (https://www.umassmed.edu/gsbs/). We are currently accepting rotation students staring in the Winter and Spring of 2025

Postdoctoral Fellows

We are looking for talented and motivated postdocs to pursue projects studying tissue-resident macrophage interactions with NK cell cells, studying the effects of viral and bacterial proteins on NK cell responses, and development of animal models to study human immune respnoses. Experimental methods related to the projects include HIV infections with primary immune cells, cellular co-culture assays, flow cytometry and FACS analysis, RNA-Seq, CRISPR editing of immune cells, deep sequencing of HIV variants, custom antibody production and purification, and molecular cloning of mutant viruses. The ideal candidate for this position would have a PhD and lab experience in immunology, virology, and biochemistry, and an interest in a career in academia or government. (NIH, CDC, etc), although interest in industry focused careers is also welcome. In addition to laboratory activities, attendance at national/international conferences, contributions towards manuscript preparation and fellowship/grant writing are required. A minimum time commitment of three years is ideal to take full advantage of our training and networking opportunities. If interested, please send a cover letter and CV to Dr. Kiera Clayton at kiera.clayton@umassmed.edu.  

Research Associate in Immunology/Virology

We are currently looking to fill the position of Research Associate I or II, entry level immunologist/virologist positions. Research interests include the characterization of human NK cell responses to HIV-infected, Mtb-infected, and herpesvirus-infected immune cells and identifying pathways involved in perforin/granzyme resistance. Additional interests include creating viral and Mtb mutants and assessing the effects on immune responses to infection. Many of these projects involve collaborations with established labs at various universities and hospitals, including Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, MIT, the Ragon Institute, Boston University, Weill Cornell Medicine, and University of Toronto. Additional networks with startup and mid-level biotech companies are also established. The ideal candidate for this position would have a background in immunology, virology, and biochemistry, an interest in a career in medical sciences, and experience working in a previous laboratory setting. Training provided would prepare the candidate for graduate school, medical school, or a Research Associate position in industry. Experimental day-to-day work will include working with human samples, making HIV stocks, performing live infections, flow cytometry, molecular cloning, and microscopy. A minimum time commitment of two years is preferred to take advantage of our extensive training. If interested, please send a cover letter and CV to Dr. Kiera Clayton at kiera.clayton@umassmed.edu.