People

Elizabeth Grice, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology
egrice@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Elizabeth grew up in Iowa and Wisconsin and received her BA in Biology at Luther College in Decorah, IA. After moving to Baltimore, she received a PhD in Human Genetics from Johns Hopkins University, and did a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Elizabeth joined the faculty of Penn Dermatology in 2012 and received tenure in 2018. She is currently also the Director of the Penn SBDRC, Vice Chair of Basic Research, and Vice Chair of the Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology Graduate Group. When she is not fixated on all things skin microbiome, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband and exploring all that the Philly area has to offer.

Simon Knight, Ph.D.
Lab Manager
sknight@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-573-1095
I grew up in the UK and received my B.Sc. in Applied Biology from Bristol Polytechnic. Needing a change in scenery, I moved to Tucson where I obtained a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Arizona. After a “few years” of yeast genetics, I now manage the lab and help with projects. In my spare time, I can be found on my bike or relaxing at the Cosmic Café.
Postdoctoral Fellows

Aayushi Uberoi, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Aayushi.Uberoi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Grice lab studying microbiome-host interactions and their impact on barrier homeostasis and repair. My Ph.D. was completed in Dr. Paul Lambert's lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison where I studied the role of papillomaviruses in skin cancers.

Amelia McCready, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Amelia.Mccready@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Graduate Students

Amy Campbell
Graduate Student, Genomics and Computational Biology program
acampbe@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
My main interest is in the phylogenomics of skin pathogens, particularly in the context of wounds. Currently I'm studying genomic basis of strain-specific effects of Staphylococcus aureus in diabetic foot ulcers. I'm supported by the Blavatnik Family Fellowship.

Victoria "Tori" Lovins
Graduate Student, Cellular and Molecular Biology - Microbiology, Virology, & Parasitology

Ellen White
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
ellen.white@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
I am studying host-microbiota interactions during wound healing, with a particular focus on bacteria-driven mechanisms of wound closure. I am supported by the Dermatology T32 Training Grant.

Monica Wei
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
monica.wei@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Jordan Harris
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
jordan.harris@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
My research investigates the intersection of cutaneous immunity, the skin microbiome, and sebaceous gland immunology. More specifically, I study how the skin microbiome interacts with T cells in the skin to stimulate homeostatic sebum secretion and what purpose this circuit serves physiologically. Currently, I am supported by the Dept of Dermatology T32 Training grant,