Driven by discovery
We strive to be in the forefront of discovery and innovation! By applying classic and molecular virology techniques to complex viral systems including DNA (poxviruses, asfarvirus and herpesviruses) and RNA viruses (picornaviruses and coronaviruses) our lab explores the mechanisms underlying viral infection, immunity and pathogenesis. We strive to enhance current understanding of virus-host-interactions with the ultimate goal of developing improved vaccines, viral vectors and vaccine delivery platforms to enhance the health of animals and humans.
Our Story
The Diel Lab was established in 2014 and since then we have been dedicated to viral research. From 2014 to 2019, the Diel lab was part of the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and the Oscar E. Olson Research Laboratories at the South Dakota State University. In July 2019, the Diel Lab has joined the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
People
Diego Diel
Associate Professor of Virology
Dept. of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University
Diego Diel, DVM, MS, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Virology in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. After obtaining his DVM and MS degree in virology from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, he conducted his doctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After completion of his PhD in 2010, Dr. Diel joined the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory for post-doctoral training and then returned to the University of Illinois in 2013 for a second post-doc. In August, 2014 Dr. Diel joined the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at the South Dakota State University as an Assistant Professor. In 2016, he also became the diagnostic virology section leader in the Animal Disease and Research Diagnostic Laboratory (ADRDL). In 2019, Dr. Diel joined the faculty in the the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Diel serves on the editorial board of Archives of Virology. He has a broad experience in virology and has worked with multiple viruses affecting different animal species and humans.
Current Lab Members
We have a talented group of scientists and students with broad expertise in basic and molecular virology.
Lina Covaleda, PhD
Research Associate
Mohammed Nooruzzaman, DVM, PhD
Research Associate
Jessie Lee Cunningham, BS
PhD Student
Annika Diaz, BS
PhD Student
Jessica Noll, DVM, MS
PhD candidate
Salman Butt, DVM, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Pablo Sebastian Britto de Oliveira, BA, MS
Postdoctoral Associate
Ruchi Rani, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Theodore Lee
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current rotating PhD students
Igor Muller Santos, PhD student
Alumni
Gabriela Mansano do Nascimento, PhD student (2018-2023) (Current position: Research associate II · Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research)
Brooklin Hunt, DVM/PhD rotating student, Veterinary Investigator Program (VIP) (Summer 2023)
Gayatri Anil, DVM/PhD rotating student, Veterinary Investigator Program (VIP) (Summer 2023)
Mathias Martins, Postdoctoral Research Associate (2020-2022), Research Associate (2022-2023) (Current Affiliation: Virology Section Leader, Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory)
Maureen Hoch Vieira Fernandes, PhD student (2015-2019), Postdoctoral Research Associate (2019-2022) (Current position: Postdoctoral Research Associate: Stanford School of Medicine)
Leonardo C. Caserta, Post-doctoral Research Associate (2018-2022) (Current Affiliation: Sr. Research Associate, Animal Health Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University)
Lok R. Joshi, PhD student (2017-2021) (Current Affiliation: Post-doc at Ragon Institute, Harvard Medical School)
Natalie Zatz, DVM Student, Leadership Program at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.
Pranav Krish, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2019-2020)
Laura Frazier, Biomedical and Biological Sciences PhD rotation student (2020)
Bishwas Sharma, MS Graduate (2017-2019) (Current affiliation: Medgene Labs)
Fernando V. Bauermann, Research Associate (2016-2018) (Current Affiliation: Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University)
Mayara F. Maggioli, Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-2018) (Current Affiliation: Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University)
Fernando S. Rodrigues, Visiting Scientist (2016-2017) (Affiliation: Federal University of Santa Maria)
Marcelo de Lima, Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-2017) (Current Affiliation: Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil)
Kyle S. Hain, MS Graduate (2015-2016) (Current affiliation: Montana State University)
Megan Tweet, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2018-2019)
Samuel VanOrman, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2018-2019)
Alaire Buysse, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2017-2018)
Erin Cuts, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2018-2018)
Alaine Buysse, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2017-2018)
Kristin A. Mohr, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2016-2017)
Samuel Alfred, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2015-2016)
Jaelin Otta, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2014-2016)
Garret Alfred, Undergraduate Research Assistant (2014-2016)
Interested in joining our lab?
We are always looking for dedicated and hardworking students and scientists. Please contact us if you are interested in joining our team. Contact Us