Bio:

Kathleen joined the Allen Institute for Immunology as a Bioinformatics Scientist in 2024. Her PhD work with Dr. Hao Yuan Kueh at the University of Washington focused on cytotoxic T cell differentiation and memory formation, interrogating mechanisms that regulate T cell stemness in different signaling contexts, such as acute infection and cancer, using single-cell live imaging and genomics approaches. During her Fulbright Fellowship with Dr. Ido Amit at the Weizmann Institute, she helped develop a time-resolved single-cell RNA-sequencing method to understand progression of immune cell dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment. Through her cross-functional thesis work, she developed an excitement for research at the interface of experimental immunology, bioinformatics, and technology development, and hopes to continue working in this area throughout her career. Prior to starting her PhD, Kathleen worked in antibody process development at Genentech, giving her an appreciation for the vital bridge between early research and clinical development.

Here at the Allen Institute for Immunology, Kathleen will leverage spatial transcriptomics to understand immune cell states, dynamics, and interactions across diverse tissues in health and disease.