Our team

Dr. Thornton is a clinician scientist and assistant professor at the University of Calgary, specializing in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Her PhD thesis (under the supervision of Dr. Michael Surette) looked at the lower respiratory microbiome and microbial interactions in cystic fibrosis patients. She completed her internal medicine residency followed by respirology fellowship at the University of Calgary in 2021, then went on to the University of Michigan (under the supervision of Drs. John LiPuma and Lindsay Caverly) where she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in advanced microbiome community analysis in cystic fibrosis patients. Dr. Thornton runs a research lab with key interests around the role of polymicrobial infections at times of clinical stability and pulmonary exacerbation in suppurative lung disease including bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. She leads the Canadian Bronchiectasis and NTM Registry and its associated biobanking program, and co-chairs the CHEST and Canadian Thoracic Society clinical practice guidelines for bronchiectasis.

Swathi completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary and, after completion, entered her M.Sc. program in Microbiology studying cystic fibrosis lung infections under the supervision of Dr. Douglas Storey, also at the U of C. She then worked as a Clinical Scientist in the Infection Control and Prevention team at a hospital in India for over 5 years. After taking time off to raise her daughter, she joined The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, as a Clinical Reseach Coordinator working on a Phase II clinical trial. Swathi joined Christina’s lab in 2023 as Lab Manager, performing a range of duties and developing the Canadian Bronchiectasis Clinical Database.

Atena completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in microbiology at the University of Isfahan, Iran. During this time, she focused on applied microbiology, particularly on the use of acetic acid bacteria as probiotics. She was then awarded a special research scholarship (BOF) from Ghent University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biotechnology in Belgium. Her doctoral research focused on the taxonomy and genomics of bacteria. In addition, she investigated the potential health benefits of homemade kombucha by analyzing its microbiome and metabolite composition. As a postdoctoral researcher, Atena studies the microbiology of wildfire smoke. Her research aims to use this knowledge to unravel the mechanisms by which wildfire smoke exacerbates asthma.

Ariel earned her MSc in 2023 investigating colonic mucus and inflammatory responses before working in finance for the International Microbiome Centre. Her PhD work is supported by the Distinguished Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship and the CIHR CGRS-D. In her spare time, she likes to bake, volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society, and spend time with her two dogs.

Jack is a current Master’s student in the Thornton Lab, pursuing a degree in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on Candida albicans in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, examining how the fungus contributes to pulmonary exacerbations and how it interacts with other microbes, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa, within the CF lung environment. His work spans morphological, transcriptional, and functional analyses of clinical isolates to better understand the fungal-bacterial dynamics that drive disease worsening.