Team
Ai Ing Lim, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator,
Assistant Professor
HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar
aiinglim@princeton.edu
I grew up in Malaysia and later moved to Hong Kong for my undergraduate and master’s training. I then went to Paris for my PhD in the lab of James Di Santo at the Pasteur Institute, where I became fascinated by how the immune system is shaped by tissues. During my PhD, we discovered innate lymphocyte precursors in the blood of healthy individuals and showed that their fate is directed by local tissue environments. This work sparked my long-standing interest in tissue immunity, how immune cells integrate with tissue development, and how tissue microenvironments and resident microbiota reciprocally shape immune function during development and reproduction. I began to explore these questions further during my postdoctoral training at the NIH in Yasmine Belkaid’s lab. I started my independent lab at Princeton in 2023.
At LIMmunity, my goals are twofold: to understand maternal–offspring immune partnerships, and to build a lab where everyone helps each other grow, maximize their potential, and where passion is the only prerequisite for science.
Outside the lab, I love hiking, visiting national parks, cooking, and searching for great food with my family!
Soo Ching Lee, Ph.D.
Associate Research Scholar
sooching.lee@princeton.edu
I completed my Ph.D. in Medical Parasitology at the University of Malaya, Malaysia, where I also pursued postdoctoral training at the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS and the Department of Parasitology. I later advanced my research as a Visiting Fellow at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. For over 13 years, my research has focused on the role of the microbiome in human health, with particular emphasis on how infections (helminth and skin Tinea infections) affect Indigenous communities in Malaysia who live traditional lifestyles. My deep connection to Indigenous health inspires much of my research.
Currently, as a LIMmunity Research Scholar, I am investigating how the relationship between the immune system and the gut microbiome shifts across reproductive stages, comparing helminth-endemic Indigenous populations with those in industrialized societies. Another exciting of my research is to explore the impact of maternal helminth infection on breast milk composition and the development of the offspring’s microbiome.
Krist H. Antunes, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Pew Latin American Fellow
krist.antunes@princeton.edu
I received my B.Sc. in Nutrition Science from La Salle University (Brazil) and then obtained my M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Medicine/Pediatrics and Child Health from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and Imperial College London (UK). Most part of my research was focused in understanding the role of diet and gut microbiota in respiratory viral infections. In the LIMmunity I am exploring the influence of maternal helminth infection and maternal microbiota in the offspring immune response later in life. Outside of the lab I enjoy watching TV series and movies, going to the gym, playing the French horn, and going out for drinks.
Chenyan Huang
Ph.D. Student
chenyan@princeton.edu
I received my B.S. at Tsinghua University, where I worked in a tissue-engineering lab to study human stem cell differentiation and generation of liver organoids. Here at Princeton, I am interested in exploring the maternal physiological and immune changes that occur during pregnancy and lactation, seeking to dissect the underlying mechanisms. Outside of the lab, I can usually be found reading, hanging out with friends, or taking a walk with my headphones on.
Jojo Reyes, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
CRI Irvington Fellow
jojo.reyes@princeton.edu
I received my B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of the Philippines Manila and my M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers School of Graduate Studies Newark. Under the mentorship of Dr. George S. Yap, I studied how the immune response contributes to infection-induced weight loss using a murine model of avirulent Toxoplasma gondii infection. In the LIMmunity lab, I am interested in understanding how pregnancy affects the immune landscape in tissues. In my free time, I enjoy going to concerts and live shows, hanging out with my friends, and playing video games.
Tommy Cafiero
Ph.D. Student
tcafiero@princeton.edu
I received my B.A. in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University, where I studied moonlighting proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi. I then joined the Ploss Lab here at Princeton as a technician, where I managed the lab's animal colony and engineered humanized mouse models for liver-tropic diseases. In LIMmunity, I am interested in understanding how the maternal immune system adapts in the lungs during reproduction. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing/watching soccer, baking, and hanging out with friends.
Leafy Ye
Ph.D. Student
zy2659@princeton.edu
I received my B.S. from Tsinghua University (China), where I was working on improving CAR-T cancer immunotherapy. Here in Princeton, I am a co-advised student between LIMunity and Lydia Lynch lab. I am interested in exploring the role of increased cytokine levels (e.g., IL-17) during reproduction. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening and cooking.
Jessica Ribeiro de Souza
Lab Manager
jr4116@princeton.edu
I earned my B.Sc. in Biology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). There, I studied tropical diseases, helped revamp an extensive fossil collection, and participated in a Complementary Teaching Program. I then moved to Switzerland, where I completed an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Health Sciences at the University of Fribourg. After that, I worked as a project assistant at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), collaborating on various projects studying metabolic diseases. I joined the Limmunity Lab as lab manager to support the team’s day-to-day operations and ongoing projects and ensure the laboratory's smooth and efficient functioning. I am passionate about fostering a collaborative and organized environment and helping the team pursue impactful scientific discoveries. Outside the lab, I enjoy making memories with my family, swimming, and getting lost in the pages of a good book.
Emily Yeow
Undergraduate Junior
femily.yeow@princeton.edu
I am in the Class of 2026 and am interested in understanding how the gut microbiota influences human organoid development. In my free time, I enjoy reading and doing cross stitch.
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