Our Students
Gregory Babunovic
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Fortune Lab, 2015
Despite numerous attempts, an effective vaccine does not exist for pulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Heterogeneity in the ability of individual cells and/or lesions to control bacterial survival likely causes this failure in immune sterilization. Using single-cell and bulk techniques, I am studying how M. tuberculosis inhibits the sterilizing activity of innate and adaptive immune responses.
Daniela Barraza
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Watnick Lab, 2018
The aim of my project is to understand the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota regulates host metabolism.
Sarah Bier
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Mekalanos Lab, 2019
I study regulation of Type 6 Secretion Systems
Anna Brogan
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
2020
Anh Cao
Immunology
Kagan Lab, 2018
I am investigating mechanisms of intercellular communication within dendritic cell network to spread and amplify danger signals.
Yi-yun (Grace) Cao
Immunology
Garrett Lab, 2016
I study the microbiota and dietary regulation of intestinal eosinophils.
Rita Chan
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Rakoff-Nahoum Lab, 2019
I study microbiology and microbial ecology in the female reproductive tract
Ted Chavkin
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Kostic Lab, 2016
I'm looking into applications of the human gut microbiome for treating and preventing diabetes.
Daniela Coronado
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Kasper Lab, 2019
I am studying the microbiome's impact on immunology.
Genevieve Dobihal
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Rudner Lab, 2015
The bacterial cell wall is the fundamental way that cells maintain their shape and structural integrity. Despite its importance to bacterial growth and as a target for many antibiotics, many questions remain concerning the organization and regulation of cell wall synthesis. I am studying the highly-conserved actin homologs MreB, Mbl, and MreBH in Bacillus subtilis to better understand their roles in this process, and elucidate principals governing how bacteria maintain the integrity of their cell wall.
Laurent Dubois
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Bernhardt Lab, 2019
Stephen Early
Chemical Biology
2020
I study the assembly and dynamics of the Lipopolysaccharide transporter (Lpt) in Gram-negative bacteria.
Bolutife Fakoya
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Waldor Lab, 2017
I am studying host and bacterial responses to vibrio cholerae vaccination.
Elayne Fivenson
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Bernhardt Lab, 2017
The general aim of my research is to understand the mechanisms of cell wall synthesis and shape maintenance in the gram negative bacterium Escherichia coli.
Jacob Gibson
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Watnick Lab, 2016
I will be investigating the conserved higher order levels of regulation impacting the functions of the cyclic AMP receptor protein in Vibrio cholerae.
Rachel Giorgio
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Helaine Lab, 2018
I study the role of dendritic cells in Salmonella persistence.
Emily Goering
Immunology
Hung Lab, 2018
Investigating the role of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation in the control of systemic Salmonella typhimurium infection using a zebrafish model.
Karthik Hullahalli
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Waldor Lab, 2018
I study how bacterial pathogens adapt under pressure from the host immune system.
Edward Irvine
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Fortune Lab, 2016
I am focused on leveraging monoclonal antibodies to understand the humoral immune response to M. tuberculosis.
Jordan Jensen
Biological Sciences in Public Health
Huttenhower lab, 2020
Duncan Kountz
Chemical Biology
Balskus Lab, 2017
Microorganisms consume a wide variety of chemical substrates from which they extract energy using chemically innovative strategies. I study the chemical and metabolic logic of these transformations as well as their ecological and medical relevance.
Gavin Kuziel
Chemical Biology
Rakoff-Nahoum Lab, 2017
The human diet is instrumental in both driving the composition and dynamics of the gut microbiome and in the development of diverse human diseases. I seek to understand how bacterial metabolism of dietary factors drives microbe-microbe interactions and impacts host immunity.
Valentina Lagomarsino
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Rao Lab, 2018
I study microbial regulation of colonic motility through reactivation of androgens.
Jane Liu
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Fortune Lab, 2019
Kevin Ma
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Grad Lab, 2017
I apply genome sequencing and genome-wide association methods to investigate novel mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. These findings have the potential to improve our diagnostic capabilities and enable more precise and personalized approaches for treating infectious diseases.
Maximillian Marin
Systems, synthetic, and quantitative biology
Farhat Lab, 2017
I am interested in developing genomics methods for studying the evolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Mary May
Chemical Biology
Kahne Lab, 2015
I am investigating the mechanism of one of the machines that builds the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria, the Beta Barrel Assembly Machine (BAM). This machine folds membrane beta barrels which are required for the proper assembly of the outer membrane. The eventual goal is to find ways to inhibit this machine in order to disrupt assembly of the outer membrane and make Gram negative bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics.
Megan McCurry
Chemical Biology
Devlin Lab, 2017
I'm studying how gut bacteria metabolize endogenous steroid hormones and how the produced metabolites affect human health.
Kerry McGowen
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Rubin Lab, 2018
I am interested in studying ribosome heterogeneity and leaderless translation in Mycobacterium smegmatis.
Kenta Mosallanejad
Immunology
Kagan Lab, 2015
I am studying the effects of branched chain fatty acids on innate immunity
Jacob Muscato
Chemical Biology
Walker Lab, 2016
I use small molecule screening strategies to identify novel inhibitors of cell envelope biosynthetic pathways in S. aureus. These molecules may find use as probes for studying staphylococcal biology and could be combined with conventional antibiotics in therapies to combat growing resistance.
Joanna Olivas
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Starnbach Lab, 2016
My research focuses on defining the role of IFNy induced Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II expression on uterus non-hematopoietic cells during C. Trachomatis infection.
Julia Page
Chemical Biology - MD/PhD
Walker Lab, 2018
Like other Gram-positive bacteria, S. aureus is surrounded by a peptidoglycan cell wall that is built and maintained by the coordinated action of synthases and hydrolases. I am working on a novel glucosaminidase complex in S. aureus.
Youngseon Park
Chemistry and chemical biology; Chemical biology
Walker Lab, 2019
My work focuses on determining how FtsW activity is regulated in the divisome and identify its inhibitors
Natalia Quinones-Olvera
Systems, synthetic, and quantitative biology
Baym Lab, 2017
I am interested in mobile genetic elements and their role in the evolution of antibiotic resistance.
Nicole Reinhold-Larsson
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Starnbach Lab, 2019
I plan to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Chlamydia pathogenesis through the development/optimization of Chlamydia genetic manipulation techniques and an eukaryotic cell based Chlamydia gene library.
Ian Roney
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Rudner Lab, 2016
I study how the gram positive model organism Bacillus subtilis regulates cell envelope assembly.
Dan Rubin
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Grad Lab, 2019
I'm working on antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Ari Sarfatis
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Moffitt Lab, 2019
I develop techologies to enable massively multiplexed transcriptome profiling in bacteria.
Molly Sargen
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Helaine Lab, 2019
Bailey Schultz
Chemical Biology
Walker Lab, 2018
I study proteins involved in the modification of cell envelope components in Staphylococcus aureus.
Mia Sievers
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
2020
Tyler Sisley
Chemical Biology
Walker Lab, 2018
I study cell cycle regulation and cell wall biosynthetic machinery in Staphylococcus aureus.
Sydney Stanley
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Fortune Lab, 2018
I am interested in assessing the mechanisms by which antibodies and neuro-immunomodulators can restrict Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival.
Madeleine Stone
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Walker Lab, 2017
I am studying lipoteichoic acid synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus.
Kathy Suarez
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Bernhardt Lab, 2019
Daphne Sun
Systems Biology
Grad Lab, 2016
I am studying the evolution of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
Lisa Toerk
Chemical Biology
Kahne Lab, 2015
I am investigating lipopolysacharide transport in E. coli.
Francesca Tomasi
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Rubin Lab, 2017
I am studying proteins that, when functionally disrupted, sensitize Mycobacterium tuberculosis to new antibiotics.
Manasvi Verma
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Jost Lab, 2020
Katie Westervelt
Biological Sciences in Public Health
Grad Lab, 2019
We are developing in vitro methods to better understand various selective pressures on Neisseria gonorrhoeae across the niches it is transmitted between.
Marsha Wibowo
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Kostic Lab, 2016
My current research interest is in the role of the gut microbiome in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
Harim Won
Biological Sciences of Public Health
Rubin Lab, 2018
With ever-increasing incidence of MDR-TB, there is an urgent need for novel Mtb therapeutics. Conserved bacterial proteases – many of which are essential – present an interesting and underdeveloped set of potential targets. Using genetic and biochemical approaches, I study the fundamental biology of protein degradation systems in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and how they can be targeted for antibiotic development.
Rosalind Xu
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Moffitt Lab, 2018
My work focuses on mapping host-microbe interactions through spatial transcriptomics
Evan Yang
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Moffitt Lab, 2019
My work focuses on expanding MERFISH, a spatial transcriptomics technology that leverages optical barcodes, to track unique molecular identifiers in situ.