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BBS PhD Program

Infection and Immunity

Faculty Name and PictureResearch Area(s)
Pic of Craig Altier


Craig Altier

Infection/agent; molecular basis of Salmonella pathogenesis; the genetic and environmental control of epithelial cell invasion
Ana Bento

Ann I. Bento

In my lab we seek to understand the dynamics of biological populations and epidemics, focusing on how to bring experimental and observational data together with mathematical theory. Tackling biological questions of public application and importance. The lab ongoing research falls into the following themes: (i) pathogen evolution and phylodynamics; (ii) seasonal disease transmission; (iii) anthropogenic effects (e.g. vaccines); (iv) adaptive behavior.

Pic of Ilana Brito
Ilana Brito

 

Pioneering new methods to detect horizontal gene transfer in natural microbial communities to understand the rate and triggers of horizontal gene transfer; the impact of human microbiome diversity on world global health issues - lab
Pic of Nicolas Buchon


Nicolas Buchon

Host/microbe relationships and control of intestinal stem cell behavior in homeostasis and disease - lab
Pic of Sarah Caddy


Sarah Caddy

understanding the protective activity of non-neutralising antibodies; unravel the negative activities of antiviral antibodies; maternal antibodies - lab

 

Rafael Kroon Campos

Rafael Kroon Campos

Arbovirus-host interactions, discovery of host restriction and pro-viral factors, RNA biology of viruses and host cells, mechanisms of viral emergence, epidemic preparedness. - lab


 

Pic of Pamela Chang


Pamela Chang

Immunity/host; host/microbe interactions; gut microbiome - lab
Pic of Yung-Fu Chang


Yung-Fu Chang

Infection/agent; mechanisms of infection, particularly leptospira and salmonella
Pic of Soon Hon Cheong


Soon Hon Cheong

Cellular and molecular medicine; developmental and reproductive biology; infectious diseases; population medicine and epidemiology; structural and functional biology - lab
Pic of Aimee Colbath


Aimee Colbath

therapeutic interventions for musculoskeletal disease including osteoarthritis, fracture repair and tendon/ligament disease
Pic of Ruth Collins


Ruth Collins

Infection/agent; pharmacology; cancer cell biology; small GTPase regulation of intracellular traffic and cellular growth control - lab
Pic of Brian Crane


Brian Crane

Protein redox chemistry; electron-transfer reactions; mechanisms of signal transduction; circadian clocks; protein photosensors; bacterial chemotaxis; receptor signaling; nitric oxide enzymology; metallobiochemistry - lab

 

Pic of Kevin Cummings


Kevin Cummings

Application of epidemiologic approaches to investigate the ecology and transmission of Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens among a wide variety of hosts
Daniel


Susan Daniel

Dr. Daniel leads a research group of biomolecular engineers working to understand cell membrane functions and the biological processes that happen within them. Her group pioneered the use of “cell-free” biomembrane platforms for re-creating cellular processes on chip. Much of the work they do has impact in human health or advancing biotechnologies for the good of humankind.
Pic of Matthew DeLisa


Matthew DeLisa

Infection/agent; molecular biotechnology; protein biogenesis and folding pathways; protein engineering - lab
Pic of Diego Diel


Diego Diel

To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying virus-host interactions, focusing on the mechanisms underlying viral immune evasion that contribute to virus virulence and disease pathogenesis - Lab
Pic of Mariana Diel de Amorim


Mariana Diel de Amorim

equine theriogenology; equine maternal recognition of pregnancy; equine endometritis
Pic of Tobias Doerr


Tobias Doerr

Cell envelope biology of Gram-negative pathogens, antibiotic resistance, tolerance and mechanism of action; microbial stress responses - lab
Pic of Anushka Dongre


Anushka Dongre

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition as a driver of resistance to anti-tumor immunity - lab
Pic of Maria Julia Bevilaqua Felippe


Maria Julia Bevilaqua Felippe

Immunity/host; cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in B cell response; neonatal immunology and response to vaccination; immunomodulation using biologic response modifiers; cancer immunotherapy; characterization of primary and secondary immunodeficiencies - lab
Pic of Julia Finkelstein


Julia Finkelstein

To elucidate the role of iron, vitamin B12, and folate in the etiology of anemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and inform the development of interventions to improve the health of mothers and young children
Pic of Andrew Flyak

Andrew Flyak

human antibody response to viral pathogens; use immunologic and biochemistry assays and use structural biology techniques to “see” how antibodies bind and neutralize viral pathogens - Lab
Pic of Deborah Fowell


Deborah Fowell

Regulation of immunity at tissue sites of infection and autoimmunity, immune imaging, intravital multiphoton microscopy
 
Amandine Gamble

Amandine Gamble

I investigate what drives hosts’ contributions to pathogen dynamics across biological scales, from host-pathogen molecular interactions to host species interactions. To do so, I combine theoretical, observational, and experimental approaches, and consider various study systems in the lab and in the field, including emerging bat-borne viruses and their hosts, and bacterial pathogens of endangered seabirds. I collaborate with stakeholders to translate scientific outputs into sustainable, targeted solutions against pathogen threats, with the focus on ecological interventions.
Pic of Mason Jager

Mason Jager

host-pathogen interactions with a specific emphasis on viral pathogenesis; association of novel viruses with clinical disease; use traditional pathology, molecular virology, and cell biology to study virus distribution, tissue tropism, and host factors required for disease progression
Pic of Shaoyi Jiang

Shaoyi Jiang

design and development of functional zwitterionic materials for biomedical and engineering applications
Pic of Toshi Kawate


Toshi Kawate

Structures and mechanisms of membrane proteins that regulate extracellular signaling 
Kimura


Satoshi Kimura

Kimura lab focuses on translation mechanisms in bacterial pathogens.
Pic of Colleen Lau

Colleen Lau

NK cells adaptive features to explore immune memory in context of classic antigen-dependent and antigen-independent memory responses. Multi-omic approaches with genetic mouse models to interrogate in vivo, in vitro, and in silico to generate an immune memory program. - Lab
Pic of Brian Lazzaro


Brian Lazzaro

The evolutionary and functional genetics of insect-pathogen interactions - lab
Pic of Esak Lee


Esak Lee

The laboratory is currently focused on further advancing the novel 3D organ-on-chip systems, as well as developing both cellular and molecular tools and in vivo models, to better understand the mechanisms through which cells regulate their response to biological and mechanical cues - lab
Pic of Cynthia Leifer


Cynthia Leifer

Immunity/host; understanding innate immunity from the receptors that detect microbes to how innate immune cells react to changes in their environment during inflammatory processes - lab
Pic of Dr. Sabine Mann


Sabine Mann

Metabolic diseases and insulin signaling; nutrition; epidemiology; metabolic and nutritional immunology
Pic of Mandy McGeachy

Mandy McGeachy

we are working to understand how Th17 cells develop and are influenced to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in their functions - lab
Pic of Saurabh Mehta


Saurabh Mehta

Global health (active research projects in India, East Africa, and Latin America); infectious disease epidemiology, particularly HIV, Tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases; nutritional interventions and nutritional modulation of the immune response - lab
Pic of Colin Parrish


Colin Parrish

Emergence of new viral diseases in dogs; canine influenza viruses: emergence, spread, and ways to stop the spread; how parvovirus can pass from species to species - lab

Pic of Joseph Peters

Joseph Peters

We are generally interested in genomic stability and chromosome evolution, especially how these are impacted by mobile DNA elements. We have a special interest in molecular mechanisms mobile elements capable of moving between positions in the genome called transposons use to limit damage to the host and maximize the process of horizontal transfer. 
Pic of Raina Plowright

Raina Plowright

studied pathogens that spill over from animals to people, the dynamics of zoonotic pathogens in wildlife populations, and pathogens that threaten wildlife conservation
Pic of Brian Rudd


Brian Rudd

Developmental immunology; host response to infection - lab
Pic of David Russell


David Russell

Infection/agent; the biology of intracellular infection with emphasis on mycobacteria
Pic of Luis Schang


Luis Schang

Role of cellular protein, lipids, and glycans play in viral infection
Pic of Jeongmin Song


Jeongmin Song

Host-pathogen interactions; bacterial toxins; Salmonella Typhi; bacterial pathogens - lab

 

Ayshwarya Subramanian

Ashwarya Subramanian

Dr. Subramanian’s research focuses on understanding the principles governing cellular heterogeneity, crosstalk, and evolution in the context of human tissues and disease. Her interdisciplinary research program operates at the nexus of high-throughput data measurements, development and application of computational methods, and experimental design, with key collaborations for clinical samples, and mechanistic validations in vivo and in situ.
Pic of Brian VanderVen


Brian VanderVen

Physiology of the intracellular pathogen M. tuberculosis - lab
-haiyuan-yu


Haiyuan Yu

The Yu group performs research in the broad areas of Network Systems Biology. We use integrated computational-experimental systems biology approaches to determine protein interactions and complex structures on the scale of the whole cell. In particular, we focus on protein-protein and gene regulatory networks and seek to understand how such intricate systems evolve and how their perturbations lead to human diseases, especially autism spectrum disorder and cancer.
Pic of Bettina Wagner


Bettina Wagner

Immunity/host; antibody mediated immune mechanisms in infectious disease and vaccination; allergic diseases; neonatal tolerance and allergy predisposition; strategies to develop allergy treatments - lab
Pic of Gary R. Whittaker


Gary R. Whittaker

Pathogenesis of influenza viruses, coronaviruses and arenaviruses; host range and receptors; activation of membrane fusion; macrophage- and neuro-tropism; anti-viral therapeutics; diagnostic tests; virus-bacteria co-infections - lab
Pic of Martin Wiedmann


Martin Wiedmann

Infection/agent; molecular pathogenesis of food-borne and zoonotic bacterial diseases
Pic of Matthias Wieland

Matthias Wieland

Milk harvesting process; support science-based development and on-farm implementation of innovative machine technologies and milking routines; epidemiological studies that deliver data to improve profitability and sustainability

POPULATION & CLINICAL STUDIES

FacultyResearch Area(s)
Pic of Rodman Getchell


Rodman Getchell

Molecular diagnostics and emerging diseases of fish; target animal safety studies for new aquaculture therapeutants and chemicals
Pic of Laura Goodman


Laura Goodman

Population and clinical studies; Pathogen discovery and surveillance, with focus areas on tick-borne disease and antimicrobial resistance; exploring the underlying mechanisms of infectious disease emergence and identifying biomarkers to detect and prevent emerging threats to humans and animals
Pic of Renata Ivanek


Renata Ivanek

Epidemiology and ecology of infectious and foodborne diseases; mathematical modeling; spatial epidemiology; risk assessment; public health
Pic of Daryl V. Nydam


Daryl V. Nydam

Population and clinical studies; epidemiology of food security/safety issues related to dairy production medicine; study of economically important infectious diseases, particularly zoonoses; subclinical diseases of peraparturient cattle and reproductive efficacy
Pic of Lorin Warnick


Lorin Warnick

Population and clinical studies; dairy cattle epidemiology; pre-harvest food safety; Salmonellosis in cattle; infectious disease