Molecular Microbiology Faculty

Neal Alto, PhD
Assistant Professor
Alto Lab
Research Interests: The intersection between human signal-transduction and bacterial pathogenesis; use of biochemical and cell biological analysis to define molecular mechanisms of microbial infectious disease

Michael Bennett, MD
Professor
Research Interests: Bone-marrow transplantation; graft-versus-host reactions; NK cell receptors

Paul Blount, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Bacterial mechanosensitive channels and their role in allowing the cell to adapt to different osmotic environments

Dominika Borek, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests:

Cheng-Ming Chiang, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Transcriptional regulation in human papillomavirus and other small DNA tumor viruses; epigenetic control of viral minichromosomes; modulation of protein function by posttranslational modification

Nicholas Conrad, PhD
Assistant Professor
Conrad Lab
Research Interests: RNA transcription, processing and decay in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and its human host cells

Beatriz Fontoura, PhD
Associate Professor
Fontoura Lab
Research Interests: Role of nuclear transport factors in interphase and mitosis from viral pathogenesis to cell division

Marie Alda Gilles-Gonzalez, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Heme proteins that serve as oxygen sensors in M. tuberculosis, E. coli, and Rhizobia: characterization of signal-transduction mechanisms of these sensors and their roles in host-microbial interactions

David Greenberg, MD
Assistant Professor
Greenberg Lab
Research Interests: Gram-negative infections in the immunocompromised host; host-pathogen interactions; novel therapeutics in Gram-negative infections

Eric J. Hansen, PhD
Professor
Hansen Lab
Research Interests: Molecular basis of microbial pathogenesis; use of genetic analysis to identify bacterial virulence factor

David Hendrixson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Hendrixson Lab
Research Interests: Identification and genetic regulation of bacterial virulence and colonization factors; development of bacterial-host relationships

Lora Hooper, PhD
Associate Professor
Hooper Lab
Research Interests: Host-microbial interactions; commensal bacteria; mucosal immunity

Jeffrey Kahn, MD, PhD
Professor
Kahn Lab
Research Interests: Molecular epidemiology and biology of respiratory syncytial virus; newly emerging human viral pathogens

Nitin J. Karandikar, MBBS, MD, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Characterization of autoimmune T cell responses in MS; memory and effector CTL responses to virus infections; role of T cells in the immunodulation of MS

Andrew Koh, MD
Assistant Professor
Koh Lab
Research Interests: Pathogenesis of Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; host-pathogen interactions

Beth Levine, MD
Professor
Levine Lab
Research Interests: Host-pathogen interactions; autophagy in innate immunity against intracellular pathogens; autophagy in cell death regulation and cancer biology

Tony Michael, PhD
Assistant Professor

Michael V. Norgard, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Molecular biology and immunology of syphilis and Lyme disease

Julie Pfeiffer, PhD
Assistant Professor
Pfeiffer Lab
Research Interests: Hepatitis C virus; poliovirus; yellow fever virus; virus-host interactions and pathogenesis

Michael Shiloh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Shiloh Lab
Research Interests: Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis; role of carbon monoxide (CO) in host-pathogen interactions; innate immune response to intracellular pathogens.

Vanessa Sperandio, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Pathogenesis of E. coli O157:H7; bacterial virulence gene regulation by quorum sensing

Nancy E. Street, PhD
Associate Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Street Lab
Research Interests: Activation and differentiation of murine T-helper cell; the role of T-helper cells in tumor dormancy and infectious disease

Iwona Stroynowski, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Structure-function of major histocompatibility antigens

Gurol Suel, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Systems and synthetic biology approaches to studying cell fate decision-making

Jonathan W. Uhr, MD
Professor
Uhr Lab
Research Interests: Antibody-induced signaling for apoptosis; cancer dormancy

Nicolai S. C. van Oers, PhD
Associate Professor
van Oers Lab
Research Interests: Regulation of antigen receptor signal-transduction systems

Ellen S. Vitetta, MD, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Therapy of B-cell tumors; immunotoxins in cancer and AIDS; tumor dormancy; AIDS latency

Nan Yan, PhD

Assistant Professor
Yan Lab
Research Interests: Innate immune recognition of HIV and other retroviruses; innate immune sensing of self vs non-self nucleic acids; pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome and lupus

Felix Yarovinsky, MD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Toll-like receptor signaling, dendritic cells, and host-pathogen interactions

Dorothy C. Yuan, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Molecular analysis of regulation of immunoglobulin synthesis and B-NK cell interactions