Personnel
Are you interested in joining the Becker lab? Contact us for more information!
Samuel Becker, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Medicine
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine
Dr. Becker completed his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Philosophy at the University of Chicago. He obtained his Ph.D. in Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine in 2019, where he studied protein quality control pathways in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He completed a postdoc at the University of Minnesota in the lab of Marc Jenkins, where he studied CD4+ T cell-mediated immunity to tuberculosis. He joined Stony Brook University as an Assistant Professor in October 2025. Outside of research, Dr. Becker is an avid musician and animal lover.
Irfa Qureshi
Graduate Student
PhD Program in Microbiology and Immunology
Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine
Irfa graduated from Williams College in 2022 with a BA in Biology and Chemistry. She studied interactions between the Agrobacterium tumefaciens type VI secretion system and host plant abscisic acid defense signaling for her undergraduate thesis project. Before joining the Microbiology and Immunology PhD program in 2025, she worked as a research technician at Weill Cornell Medical College and Stony Brook University. Her work in the Becker lab focuses on defining the CD4+ T cell response to rickettsial pathogens. In her free time, Irfa enjoys playing with her pet cats Michi and Mindy.
Kyle Hennessy
Graduate Student
PhD Program in Microbiology and Immunology
Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine
Kyle received his Bachelor's degree from Penn State University, where he studied N-terminal acetylation of Bifidobacterium adolescentis lipoproteins and their role in Toll-like receptor activation. He earned his Master's degree from East Stroudsburg University, where he investigated Clostridioides difficile biofilm formation and sporulation under stress. Before starting at Stony Brook, Kyle worked at a research facility focused on research antibody development. His work in the Becker lab focuses on the interactions between CD4+ T cells and macrophages during tuberculosis. In his free time, Kyle enjoys running, trying new foods with his fiancée, and watching baseball and football.