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LAB MEMBERS
Principal Investigator
Dr. Jeff MacKeigan is a Professor of Cancer Biology and Complex Diseases in the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University. He earned his B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1995 and his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2002. His postdoctoral research in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School was immediately followed by a position as project leader at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2004. Dr. MacKeigan joined the faculty at the Van Andel Research Institute as an Assistant Professor in 2006; he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010; and joined Michigan State University as a Professor in 2017.
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Research Assistant Professor
Katie received a B.S. in biology from Grand Valley State University in 2006. She attended graduate school at Michigan State University where she earned her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology. During her doctoral studies, Katie focused on PI(3)P signaling and autophagy using RNAi, in silico virtual library screening, and mathematical modeling. Katie has been a scientific project leader in the MacKeigan Lab since 2011, where she helps guide and implement the lab’s research strategy. Katie has a significant role in laboratory training, grant writing, and manuscript development.
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Research Associate
Stephanie earned a B.A. in chemistry from Hope College in 2009, and received her M.S. in cell and molecular biology, biotechnology, PSM from Grand Valley State University. While completing her M.S. in 2013, she became a research technologist at Michigan State University in the Paumier Lab, where she studied neuroprotective therapeutics in a novel model of alpha-synucleinopathy. In 2015, she joined the MacKeigan Laboratory as a research associate and focuses on therapeutic targets of autophagy in non-small cell lung cancer.
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Research Administrator
Nicole graduated from Aquinas College in 2006, with a B.S. in business administration. She started her career at Van Andel Institute in the grants and contracts office. Nicole joined the MacKeigan Lab in 2012, and uses her expertise to drive the team’s grant strategy and oversee proposal development. She manages the administrative aspects of the lab’s research, and assists with implementing and attaining lab goals.
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MATT FOUNTAIN, PH.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Matt Fountain earned his B.S. from Michigan State University, and in 2015 received his M.S. in Immunology & Microbiology from Wayne State University. Matt received his Ph.D. from Wayne State in 2019. His dissertation research investigated mechanisms of cell death or survival relating to tumor immunology and inflammatory disease. Matt joined the MacKeigan lab in 2019 and his current research focuses on targeting autophagy in lung cancer.
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Postdoctoral Fellow
Matt Fountain earned his B.S. from Michigan State University, and in 2015 received his M.S. in Immunology & Microbiology from Wayne State University. Matt received his Ph.D. from Wayne State in 2019. His dissertation research investigated mechanisms of cell death or survival relating to tumor immunology and inflammatory disease. Matt joined the MacKeigan lab in 2019 and his current research focuses on targeting autophagy in lung cancer.
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Clinical Research Fellow
Dr. David Hoogstra completed his B.A. at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He obtained his M.D. from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2016. While at Wayne State, Dr. Hoogstra received several awards, including recognition for distinction in biomedical research. After receiving his M.D., he began his pediatric residency at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in pediatric hematology and oncology. He is currently in the 4th year of his residency and has elected to complete his research training in the MacKeigan lab. Dr. Hoogstra’s research aims to determine the therapeutic potential of combining autophagy inhibition with ALK inhibition in pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).
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Postdoctoral Fellow
Rob Vaughan earned his B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Grand Valley State University. In 2021, he received his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Genetics from Van Andel Research Institute Graduate School. Rob’s dissertation research investigated the protein UHRF1, which is implicated in various oncogenic processes; specifically, his work focused on how UHRF1’s contact with histones and DNA influences its enzymatic activity. Rob joined the MacKeigan lab in 2021, bringing with him a prestigious K00 award from the National Cancer Institute. Rob’s postdoctoral research will work toward characterizing genetic modifiers in tumor burden of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – a rare disease causing tumors in the brain, heart, kidneys, skin and lungs.
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