We study the genomic and transcriptomic basis of phenotypic differences in the apicomplexan parasite Cryptosporidium.

Our mission is to unravel how genetic variation shapes infection outcomes.

At the Shaw Lab, we combine forward and reverse genetics and transcriptomics to identify parasite factors that determine the diversity in persistence and virulence.

Based at the University of Zurich, we aim to build new toolkits for the field and translate basic discovery into better intervention strategies.

August 2026 – The Shaw Lab is officially open!

We have started our laboratory at the Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich. We look forward to beginning this new chapter and building our research programme on Cryptosporidium biology.

November 2026 – Welcome Dr. Dorenda Schoorl, first postdoc in the Shaw Lab!

Dorenda joins the Shaw Lab as our first postdoc! After defending her thesis on how Plasmodium vivax infection impacts the host bone marrow and its immune cells in vivo. She has now traded malaria parasites for Cryptosporidium and joined another corner of the wonderful world of Apicomplexa ;-) and will work on dissecting the differences in host-pathogen interactions among different Cryptosporidium strains.