Faculty
The faculty included in this list are the members of the Graduate Program in Microbiology. Any of the individuals listed may serve as laboratory rotation mentors and thesis advisors for Microbiology Graduate Program students
David J. Barton, Ph.D. - Picornavirus RNA translation and replication; hepatitis C virus and innate antiviral immunity
J. David Beckham, M.D. - Pathogenesis of flavivirus infections including Zika virus and West Nile virus, molecular virology, and the interactions of conserved host proteins with viral RNA
Leslie Berg, Ph.D. - Specializes in understanding how T cells develop and help fight infection
John C. Cambier, Ph.D. - BCR Antigen Receptor Structure and signaling MHC Class II signaling Inhibitory "Checkpoint" Receptor Signaling Molecular basis of B cell anergy Description of STING/MPYS, a transducer of innate immune signals
Randall J. Cohrs, Ph.D. - The Molecular Biology of Herpesvirus sylvilagus
Adela Cota-Gomez, Ph.D. - Mechanisms by which the HIV Tat protein modulates oxidative stress and inflammation
Richard Davis, Ph.D. - Programmed DNA elimination and novel RNA functions
Kelly Doran, Ph.D. - Studying host - pathogen interactions in the central nervous system (CNS) and the female reproductive during infection and colonization
Breck Duerkop, Ph.D. - Viral/bacterial metagenomics of complex host-associated microbial environments
Sonia Flores, Ph.D. - Mechanisms of HIV-1 Tat and Nef-dependent vascular endothelial cell phenotypic changes; T. whipplei lung pathogenesis
Daniel N. Frank, Ph.D. - The study of the human microbiome in health and a variety of diseases
J. Kirk Harris, Ph.D. - Respiratory microbiota and model system microbiota
Jay Hesselberth, Ph.D. - genomics of DNA and RNA repair
Hongjin Zheng, PhD - Structural biology of membrane proteins and protein complexes
Alexander Horswill, Ph.D. - Bacterial pathogenesis including quorum-sensing signal production, biofilm development mechanisms, virulence factor function in host-pathogen
Edward Janoff, M.D. - Mucosal immunity; HIV transmission and vaccine; pneumococcal infections and vaccine; B cell regulation
Marijka Keestra-Gounder, Ph.D. - The major focus of my research program is to elucidate pathways of innate immunity that can distinguish harmless microbes from pathogens, thereby enabling the host to mount responses that are commensurate with the threat.
Jeffrey Kieft, Ph.D. - Discovery, structure, and function of RNA, RNA-protein, and RNA-ribosome complexes important for infection by viruses
Kristine A. Kuhn, M.D., Ph.D. - Microbiome and mucosal immunity in the development of autoimmune diseases
Laurel Lenz, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis, host-bacterial interactions, host-directed therapeutics, innate immunity, interferons Listeria monocytogenes
Catherine Lozupone, Ph.D. - Microbiology of the human gut and impacts on health. The development of bioinformatics techniques for analysis of marker gene and genomic sequence data
Thomas E. "Tem" Morrison, Ph.D. - Immunological mechanisms that influence the clearance or persistence of arboviruses and protozoan parasites; molecular mechanisms by which pathogens counteract host innate and adaptive immune responses.
Maria Nagel, M.D. - Clinical and basic research aspects of stroke caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV).
Brent E. Palmer, Ph.D. - Ddelineating the effects of HIV infection on T cell function
Vanessa Phelan, Ph.D. - Microbiome; Natural Products; Specialized Metabolites; Mass Spectrometry; Metabolomics; Metabolic Exchange; Opportunistic Pathogens; Cystic Fibrosis
Eric M. Poeschla, M.D. - Molecular virology and pathogenesis of RNA viruses including HIV-1, positive strand RNA viruses, innate immunity to viruses, including viral nucleic acid sensing. Viral vectors, site-specific gene targeting.
Stefan Pukatzki, Ph.D. - Interaction between microbial pathogens and their hosts
Rosemary Rochford, Ph.D. - Co-infections with and immune responses to human gammaherpesviruses and P. falciparum malaria
Mario Santiago, Ph.D. - Innate host restriction and adaptive immunity against pathogenic retroviruses (Friend retrovirus, SIV and HIV)
Michael J. Schurr, Ph.D. - Transcriptional regulation and molecular biology of bacterial virulence factors
Kenneth L. Tyler, M.D. -Pathogenesis of viral infections of the Central Nervous System (West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, Zika, Enteroviruses, Reoviruses)
Linda van Dyk, Ph.D. - Genetic and molecular approaches to infection and pathogenesis by lymphotropic herpesviruses
Andrés Vázquez-Torres, DVM, Ph.D. - Molecular and redox determinants in the pathogenesis of intracellular bacteria
Martin I. Voskuil, Ph.D. - Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia pseudomallei mechanisms of latency and drug tolerance