Meet the team
Douglas G. Brownfield, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Brownfield is a senior associate consultant in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Previously, he was the Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard University.
Dr. Brownfield earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering from Tulane University followed by a doctorate degree in bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was mentored by Mina J. Bissell, Ph.D., and minored in management of technology through the Haas School of Business. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University while being mentored by Mark A. Krasnow, M.D., Ph.D.
Awards received by Dr. Brownfield include the National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award, American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
View Dr. Brownfield's research bio.
Gibran Ali, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Dr. Ali completed his Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan.
Dr. Ali is a researcher in regenerative biology. His work centers on the biophysical and molecular mechanisms governing lung epithelial differentiation and repair. His research has defined how cell membrane tension integrates intrinsic molecular pathways and extrinsic mechanical cues to control alveolar stem cell fate during lung development and regeneration.
To enable these discoveries, Dr. Ali is developing novel tools and transgenic mouse models that allow precise visualization and modulation of membrane tension in vivo and in organoid systems. By combining these technologies with advanced imaging and bioengineering approaches, his work establishes a mechano-molecular framework for understanding how epithelial plasticity is controlled in the lung and how its dysregulation drives diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis.
Dr. Ali's long-term goal is to translate these mechanobiological insights into therapeutic strategies that restore normal epithelial repair and regeneration in chronic lung disease.
Jimmy Cai
Ph.D. Student, Regenerative Sciences
Cai received his Bachelor of Science in material sciences and biomedical engineering and his Master of Science in biomedical engineering from University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining the Brownfield lab, he studied cartilage regeneration using embryonic stem cell and induced pluripotent stem cell models in the lab of April Craft, Ph.D., at Boston Children's Hospital.
Cai's work in the Brownfield lab includes establishing Mayo Clinic's Lung Biorepository and studying transcriptional regulations of alveolar type-2 (AT2) stemness. He aims to reprogram mature AT2 cells back to more pluripotent progenitors with novel molecular therapeutics. He also serves as the Regenerative Sciences track representative.
In his spare time, Cai enjoys concerts and writing about music and dabbles in DIY technology such as 3D printing and robotics.
Daniel F. Gibbard
Graduate Student
Gibbard earned his Bachelor of Science in molecular, cell and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In the Brownfield lab, his work focuses on understanding the biophysical cues that regulate the emergence of, and disease within, the alveolar epithelium. He also investigates the mechanisms of lung stem cell engraftment for regenerative therapies.
Outside of lab, Gibbard plays the fiddle in a bluegrass band, gardens, cooks and enjoys outdoor activities.
Matt R. Pawlak, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
Dr. Pawlak is a self-described tinkerer who is interested in developing and using tools to identify and understand the states of alveolar epithelial cells in disease and development.
He completed his Ph.D. work in the lab of Wendy Gordon, Ph.D., at the University of Minnesota. There he developed strategies to assess the mechanical forces generated by cells.
In the Brownfield lab, Dr. Pawlak aims to integrate molecular mechanobiology tools into the alveolar space. He seeks to understand how cells interact with their environment and how aberrant mechanical behaviors contribute to disease onset.
Outside of the lab, Dr. Pawlak goes on adventures with his wife and dog, overestimates his handyman skills at home, or enjoys fishing.
Xianmei Qi, M.D.
Research Fellow
Dr. Qi earned her M.D. from Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, China.
In the Brownfield lab, Dr. Qi investigates how AT2 cells differentiate into type-1 (AT1) cells during lung injury and repair. She focuses on the integrated stress response, epithelial responses to mechanical stretch and paracrine signals released from injured AT1 cells that influence AT2 fate.
By combining in vivo injury models and organoid culture with single-cell transcriptomics and proximity-labeling proteomics, Dr. Qi maps regulators of epithelial regeneration and identifies therapeutic entry points.
Outside of the lab, Dr. Qi enjoys fishing.
Annika S. Utoft
Graduate Research Appointee
Utoft earned her Bachelor of Science in neurobiology with honors in the liberal arts at the University of Wisconsin — Madison.
In the Brownfield lab, she focuses on building Mayo Clinic's Lung Biorepository, purification strategies for primary alveolar cell isolation and targeted RNA delivery via exosomes.
Outside of the lab, she enjoys long-distance running, hiking and yoga.