People
Welcome to the Lindner Laboratory at Penn State in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.
Simply stated: our work couples molecular parasitology and structural biology to understand the malaria parasite (Plasmodium spp.), so that we can identify and exploit weaknesses in the parasite’s development and transmission.
Read more about our ongoing Research Interests here.

Scott E. Lindner, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Scott has trained as a molecular virologist, structural biologist, and parasitologist. He is currently an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and is Co-Director of the Huck Center for Malaria Research at Penn State. Scott is a member of the Rainbow Science Network at Penn State, and promotes an inclusive environment for all research group members. Scott does the Twitter too: @LindnerLab. More info on Scott can be found in his Curriculum Vitae (CV): Lindner SE CV - 20210401.

Allen Minns
Research Tech 4
Lab Manager
Allen is our fearless lab manager (except for when it comes to snakes), and resident guru in all things protein expression and purification. Allen trained at Penn State, and mastered his trade in the laboratory of Song Tan here in the BMB department.

Leena Wardeh
Undergraduate - Biology
(Schreyer Honors College)

James P. McGee
Ph.D. Student (MCIBS)
Leena is a third-year undergraduate Schreyer Scholar pursuing a major in Biology (Vertebrate Physiology Focus) with a minor in Anthropology. Her previous laboratory experience includes a position as a Teaching Assistant for Biology 110 Lab, as well as time in a Biomedical Research Co-Op at the Weis Center for Research from 2019-2020. In the Lindner Lab, Leena will explore the biology of Plasmodium under the supervision of both Dr. Lindner and James McGee.
James graduated from Union College in 2016, and achieved a mastery of Plasmodium falciparum work in the laboratory of Jeff Dvorin at Boston Children's Hospital. Since joining the Lindner Lab in Fall 2019, James has focused on understanding the specialized translational machinery of Plasmodium. When James isn't in lab, you can catch him out on a run, lifting at the gym, or playing defense for the MSC Falcons.

Mitchell Godin
Ph.D. Student (BMMB)

Aniko Verbrugge
Ph.D. Student (BMMB)
Mitchell graduated from the University of Connecticut in Spring 2019, and joined the Lindner Lab in Fall 2019. Mitchell's work focuses on transcript isoforms of Plasmodium parasites and is the lab champion of Nanopore sequencing.
Aniko is a graduate of North Carolina State University (2021) and joined the Lindner Lab in December 2021. She is working on understanding mechanisms of translational control in Plasmodium sporozoites that are important for infection.
