Team Members

Associate Professor 
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases 
Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

Associate Professor Katharina obtained her PhD in Immunology from the Technical University of Munich for her work on regulatory T cells in 2009. She then moved to Stanford, California, for a postdoc in the field of Mucosal Immunology. Since 2014, Dr. Lahl held joint Faculty positions at the Danish Technical University in Denmark and Lund University. She joined the Department for Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Calgary in May 2023. Her team primarily uses Rotavirus infection to study neonatal adaptive immune induction and long-term consequences of neonatal immune induction on overall health with a focus on the role of dendritic cell subsets.

Postdoctoral Fellow 

Simone obtained her PhD in the fields of mesenchymal stromal cells and mucosal immunology in 2021 from the lab of Professor William Agace at the Technical University of Denmark. Afterwards, she moved to University of Copenhagen for a postdoc in nutritional immunology but went on a career break in 2022 to follow her passion for travelling and mountains. Luckily, her recruitment to the University of Calgary in 2023 has allowed her to combine that with a postdoc position in the lab of Dr. Lahl. Here, she investigates the impact of maternal transfer of immunity on neonatal adaptive immune development.

PhD Student

Signe initially joined the Lahl lab in 2021 to complete her master’s degree in biotechnology at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The project focused on the connection between Bcl6 and the Notch signaling pathway in dendritic cell (DC) development. Following completion of her degree, she accepted a research job at the University of Melbourne, where she worked on Flt3 regulation in DCs. Returning to the Lahl lab in June 2023, first as a research assistant at DTU, and later as a PhD student at the University of Calgary, her work focuses on the roles of Bcl6 and Blimp1 in DC functionality. Outside the lab, Signe enjoys swing dancing, crafting, and hiking in the mountains.

MSc Student

Guilherme obtained his Bachelor's degree in Biology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. During his undergraduate studies, in the Biochemistry and Immunology Department, he explored the relationship between intestinal microbiota and macrophage polarization during parasite infections. He also spent a semester abroad as an exchange student at the University of Trento, Italy. Guilherme joined the Lahl Lab in the Winter Term of 2025 for his master's degree. His research focuses on how breast milk antibodies shape microbiota communities and interact with the developing immune system. Outside the lab, he enjoys traveling, discovering new places, and practicing amateur photography.

Lab Manager, Research Associate (Part-time)

Summer Student

Julia is an undergraduate student studying biomedical sciences. Her summer work encompasses how breast milk antibodies can influence the development of the neonatal immune system. Outside the lab, she enjoys tending to her garden, learning new languages, and exploring Calgary and its amazing surroundings.

Summer Student

My name is Heba and I am a third-year biomedical sciences student. My summer work will focus on how breast milk antibodies can impact the development of neonatal immune system. Specifically, I will look at the potential role of breast milk IgG in immune priming. Outside the lab, I enjoy watching movies, and cooking!