Lab Members

Jesse W. Williams, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor
Principal Investigator

Jesse graduated with a B.A from DePauw University in 2007 where he first gained research experience in Dr. Henning Schneider’s lab cloning zebrafish serotonin receptor genes. He did his graduate training at the University of Chicago in the Molecular Pathogenesis and Molecular Medicine graduate program under mentor Anne Sperling. His thesis focused on the mechanisms regulating immunity in pulmonary inflammation. For postdoctoral training, Jesse joined Gwendalyn Randolph’s laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Pathology and Immunology. In Dr. Randolph’s group, Jesse specialized in studying macrophage differentiation and heterogeneity in models of atherosclerosis.  Jesse moved to the University of Minnesota in March of 2019 to start his lab to continue his work on innate immunity in atherosclerosis. Jesse lives with his wife (Elizabeth) and dog (Bingo). When not in the lab, Jesse is often out riding his bike or relaxing by the lake.

Ainsley Kennedy, BS
Researchers III

Ainsley is originally from Lexington, KY and received her B.S in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky in December 2018. In 2020, she and her partner decided to move to the Twin Cities area. She started working in the Williams Lab in 2021. Her current research is focused on ASC and its role in inflammation within lesions in an atherosclerotic mouse model using confocal microscopy. When not in the lab, Ainsley can be found lounging with her cats (Leela and Fry) or reading a substantial amount of fiction books.

Gage Stuttgen, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Gage is a first-generation college student from Houston, Minnesota. He attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he received his B.S. in Biochemistry in 2019. At La Crosse, he conducted undergraduate research with Drs. Todd Weaver and Daniel Grilley. He worked on two structure-function projects: one project focused on understanding the secretion mechanism of hemolysin A. Gage joined the Biochemistry Department at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Fall 2019. At MCW, he worked in Dr. Daisy Sahoo’s lab, studying the role of Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (FFAR4) in macrophage foam cell formation and atherosclerotic plaque development. After graduating from MCW in February 2025, Gage and his wife (Matia), daughters (Ivy and Estelle), and golden retrievers (Nala and Simba) moved to Hudson, Wisconsin. Gage joined the Williams lab to study the role of Plin2 and CD300f in macrophage foam cell function and atherosclerosis progression. Outside the lab, he loves going to coffee shops and playing board games. His hobbies include woodworking, gardening, working out, and baking/cooking with his family.

Yingzheng Xu, BS
Ph.D. student
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BICB) graduate program

Yingzheng graduated from the University of Minnesota Rochester in 2020. While in Rochester, he received the BICB summer research fellowship at Dr. Matthew Urban’s lab (Mayo Clinic) where he conducted ultrasonic/mechanical testing of arterial viscosity. Since October 2020, Yingzheng decided to pursue immunology and bioinformatics in the Williams Lab where he gained first impression of single-cell RNA sequencing and loved it. His specific focus will be investigating adrenal gland macrophage development and function, aided by his computational skills. Yingzheng enjoys video gaming and running in his spare time. He actually got a medal for a 5K race in Get in Gears. Motivated by his chemistry professor, he agreed that his PhD career will not be completed without a marathon race.

Hannah Hillman, BS
Graduate Student
Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Graduate Program 

Hannah is from Prescott, WI and graduated from the University of California San Diego in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. After graduation, she worked as a technician in Dr. Bjoern Peters’ lab at La Jolla Institute for Immunology where she investigated gene and protein signatures capable of predicting tuberculosis disease progression and treatment response. She joined the Williams lab in the spring of 2023, and her work will involve elucidating the mechanisms by which Trem2 expression on arterial plaque macrophages modulates progression of atherosclerosis. She is simultaneously pursuing a Masters degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. In her free time, you can find Hannah reading, riding her bike, drinking beer, and planning outdoor adventures for her and her dog Boots.

Michael Chang, BA
Graduate Student
Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Graduate Program

Michael received his BA in Molecular & Cell Biology with an Emphasis in Infectious Diseases from UC Berkeley in 2021. At Berkeley, he was an undergraduate researcher in Marc Hellerstein’s lab studying lipid metabolomics in mice with NAFLD. In 2021, he was a lab manager and research tech in Fayyaz Sutterwala and Suzanne Cassel’s lab at Cedars Sinai studying the role of gasdermin D in acute lung injury resulting from silica crystals. He joined the Williams lab in spring 2024 and is looking to study the role of aortic intima resident macrophages (Mac-AIR) in atherosclerotic plaque formation. Simultaneously, he is planning to pursue a Masters Degree in the BICB program. In his free time, Michael has a love-hate relationship with the Lakers and Dodgers and practices kendo, a Japanese sword-fighting martial art, which he’s done since 2018.

Sia Shekhar
Undergraduate Researcher

Sia is from Woodbury, Minnesota, and has been part of the Williams Lab as a research assistant since September 2022. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. In her free time, Sia enjoys reading and playing her guitar.

Omer Mitha
Undergraduate Researcher

Omer is from Eagan, Minnesota and has been working in the Williams Lab as an undergraduate researcher since October 2024. He is currently pursuing a B.A. in Human Physiology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. When not in the lab, Omer enjoys playing tennis, hiking, and petting various cats.