Our Team
Meet Dr. Weiss and the lab’s post-graduates, graduates, lab technicians, undergraduates, and our wonderful lab coordinator, Laura.
Click the link below each member’s profile to see what they are working on!
Principal Investigator
Dr. Daniel Weiss M.D. Ph.D.
Daniel Weiss began his education at Cornell University studying Anatomy and Physiology/ Biology where he graduated Cum Laude with his bachelor's degree in 1981. He then began pursuing his PhD and MD at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York where he graduated in 1988 and received a doctoral dissertation award for “Thesis of Unusual Distinction”. His work brought him from New York to Seattle, Washington where he worked in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Washington. He later moved to the University of Vermont to work as an assistant and associate professor in cell and molecular biology up until he became a professor in the department of medicine in 2011.
Dr. Weiss currently works as a pulmonary and critical care specialist and splits his time between leading his research team in several projects in the Weiss Laboratory and working at the hospital doing clinical work. Through his time working in research and academia, he has been able to obtain many research grants to continue his work on improving the lung health of patients. One of his more notable grants was recently awarded to focus on lung damage caused by COVID-19 which is a vital area of study now and looking forward to the future. Many of his works have been published and most significantly, was his work on stem cells and cell therapies in lung biology and lung diseases. Weiss’s passion for improving the health of patients afflicted with lung diseases has pushed him to bring together the great minds of a team of engineers, scientists, and laboratory specialists to better understand the physiology of these diseases and to create advanced therapies to help treat and prevent them.
Post-Graduates and Graduates
Jayita Barua
Joy is a phD candidate in the Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical (CMB) graduate program and has been working as a research student in the Weiss laboratory since June 2020. She has also worked as graduate teaching assistant at UVM. Her research is focused on the applicability of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-based therapy in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. When she is not working in lab, she likes to spend her time tending to her houseplants, get crafty and enjoy the sun.
Chika Ikpechukwu
Chika is a phD candidate in the Biomedical Engineering graduate program and has been working in the Weiss lab since August 2022. She has also worked as a graduate teaching assistant at UVM. Her research focuses on understanding the role of mechanical cues on lung epithelial cells. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with friends, exploring new places, shopping and cooking.
Julia Ormerod
Julia Is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering graduate program and has been working in the Weiss lab since 2024. Her research focusses on the environmental impact on lung endothelial cells to be used in vasculature engineering. Outside of the lab Julia spends most of her time reading, baking sweet treats, or spending time outside.
Alannah Garrison
Alannah is a first-year medical student at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Her current research project focuses on evaluating a novel methacrylated alginate-based sealant patch for pleural and tracheobronchial injuries, with the goal of improving treatment options for postoperative and post-traumatic air leaks. Outside of medicine, she enjoys rock climbing and snowboarding.
Omofolade Olusanya
Folade is a graduate student in the Master of Medical Science program and has been working in the Weiss Lab since August 2024. Her research focuses on understanding the biological effects of microplastic exposure in the lung, with particular emphasis on nylon fibers. Outside of the lab, Folade enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and trying new foods.
Lab Coordinator
James Clements
Jamie joined the Weiss Lab in January 2026, as the Senior Lab Technician/Manager. His roles range from managing general laboratory operations to executing experiments at the bench. Jamie’s career to date has encompassed many diverse roles in both academics, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical development, where he has managed programs ranging from basic research, drug discovery, project management, business development, process development, and manufacturing. Throughout this journey, he has enjoyed meeting, working with and learning from countless unique and talented individuals and looks forward to continuing his journey with the many talented folks in the Weiss Lab. As a native Vermonter, he is excited to be back in his home state, where he enjoys boating and fishing on Lake Champlain, and skating and skiing in the winter months.
Lab Technicians
Yuri Igarashi
Yuri is the Senior Lab tech/ Veterinary Surgical Tech at the Weiss Lab. She studied Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Cornell University and since has published two papers. She joined the Weiss Lab in November of 2024 and is currently working on the Pleural surgical sealant project doing in-vivo studies and surgical procedures with pigs and rats. In addition to this, she tests the sealant patches with burst pressure and FlexiVent experiments. Outside of lab she enjoys learning Japanese culinary history, traditions, preparation methods and seasonal and regional ingredients, and learning medical history in the world. She also enjoys antiquing, and exploring vintage shops.
Undergraduates
Gabrielle Spagnuolo Chawla
Gabrielle is a fourth year undergraduate student in Biomedical Engineering and has conducted research in the Weiss lab since April of 2025. Her research focuses on developing an air-liquid interface rate trachea explant model to study cystic fibrosis, and implement a "shrink wrap" method to test epithelial cell engraftment as a potential cell therapy. Outside of the lab, Gabby enjoys skiing, swimming, playing basketball on the UVM women's club basketball team, and spending time with her friends and dog.
Sarah Fogarty
Sarah is a senior at the University of Vermont studying Biomedical Engineering and has been working in the Weiss Lab since May of 2025. During this time, she has been working on a project examining the effects of the environment and mechanical stretch cues on induced pluripotent endothelial cells (iECs). This will ultimately inform vasculature tissue engineering. Outside of lab, Sarah enjoys dancing on two club dance teams at UVM and mentoring students with disabilities.
Owen Nutter
Owen is a biomedical engineering undergraduate student graduating in 2027 who has been conducting research in the Weiss Lab since April of 2025. During this time he has been working on the Mircroplastics Project, studying the biological effects of short and long term microplastic exposure on the lung. This project has had a specific focus on the effects of nylon microplastics on bronchial epithelial cells. Outside of lab Owen enjoys organizing charity events as the philanthropy chair of his fraternity, playing percussion in the UVM band, and spending time with his friends.
Madeleine Novinger
Madeleine is biomedical engineering undergraduate student graduating in 2027 who has been conducting research in the Weiss Lab since April of 2025. She is working on the "Shrink Wrap" project, developing an air-liquid interface for a trachea explant to study cystic fibrosis. This project uses "shrink wrapped" cells to test epithelial cell engraftment as a potential cell therapy. Outside of lab Madeleine enjoys playing soccer on the UVM club soccer team, being outdoors, and spending time with her friends.
Logan Fourier
Logan is a senior undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering and has been working in the Weiss Lab since October 2025. His research is focused on the in vitro testing of a pleural sealant patch developed by the Weiss Lab and studying how it compares to similar products under varying testing conditions. He aspires to eventually study materials with innate properties that could potentially be added to the patch to enhance its utility. In his free time Logan enjoys table tennis, skiing, swimming, and frisbee.