Team

Oyebola Oyesola DVM PhD

Dr. Oyesola obtained her Veterinary Degree (DVM) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria graduating with several distinctions at the end of her study at Ibadan. Motivated by her interest to better understand diseases of global and zoonotic importance, Dr. Oyesola pursued a postgraduate MSc. training in Infection and Immunity at the University of Leicester as a Commonwealth Shared Scholar. Following this, as a recipient of the Cornell African Scholar and Graduate Research Award, she obtained her Ph.D in Immunology and Infectious Disease at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her dissertation work in the Tait-Wojno lab focused on dissecting the role of prostaglandin D₂ in the regulation of mucosal responses during Type 2 inflammation.

In 2020, Dr Oyesola moved to the NIH where she became a visiting post-doctoral fellow in the Loke lab at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH. Her work here was focused on understanding how an individual’s macro and/or microenvironment together with its interaction with host genetic factors can influence their susceptibility to disease, disease pathogenesis, and outcomes.

In 2023, Dr. Oyesola received an Independent Research Scholar Award from NIH, allowing her to establish the Immune Priming Unit and continue her study on how an individuals’ environmental and/or infection history alter the immune system and influence their response to subsequent infections. 

In 2026, Bola started as an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and is currently the Principal Investigator of the Tissue immunity and immune Priming lab. 

Taylor Kirby

Taylor Kirby completed her undergraduate degree in Biology with a double major in English and a minor in Creative Writing at The George Washington University. Her previous research focused on insect immunology and host–pathogen interactions. She co‑led a Plodia moth project investigating larval immune responses and transcriptomic and microbiome variation following infection, contributing to the development of experimental infection protocols. Taylor joined the TiiP Lab in March 2026. In the future, she plans to pursue further academic training and continue expanding her research interests.

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