Molecular Microbiology Faculty
Program Director
Faculty
Professor
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
![Neal Alto, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/alto-neal-96781-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Bacterial mechanosensitive channels and their role in allowing the cell to adapt to different osmotic environments
![Paul Blount, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/blount-paul-33663-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Transcription and regulation in Clostridioides difficile and other bacterial species; structure and function of RNA polymerase; antibiotics discovery of RNA polymease inhibitors
![Sherry Cao, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/cao-sherry-220320-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: RNA transcription, processing, and decay in Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus and its human host cells
![Nicholas Conrad, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/conrad-nicholas-93611-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Biochemistry, HIV/AIDS, host-pathogen interactions, protein-protein interactions, protein-RNA complexes, transcription regulation
![Ivan D'Orso, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/dorso-ivan-119298-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Role of nuclear transport factors in interphase and mitosis from viral pathogenesis to cell division
![Beatriz Fontoura, Ph.D,](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/fontoura-beatriz-77636-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Microbiology, Genetics, Metagenomics, Evolution, Biochemistry, Phage Biology, Phage-Bacterial Arms Race, Conflict
![Kevin Forsberg, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/forsberg-kevin-207813-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Virus-host interactions; invertebrate model systems; RNA/DNA virus replication; immune evasion and pathogenesis; viral manipulation of host cytoskeletal networks; virus co-infections
![Don Gammon, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/gammon-don-166868-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Gram-negative infections in the immunocompromised host; host-pathogen interactions; novel therapeutics in gram-negative infections
![David Greenberg, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/greenberg-david-116699-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Identification and genetic regulation of bacterial virulence and colonization factors; development of bacterial-host relationships
![David Hendrixson, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/hendrixson-david-67303-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Host-microbial interactions; commensal bacteria; mucosal immunity
![Lora Hooper, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/hooper-lora-60931-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Hormone effects on airway epithelial cell responses to bacterial infection, novel therapeutics to target the Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, host pathogen interaction in cystic fibrosis lung disease
![Default headshot of blue and white triangles](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/jain-raksha-19733-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Molecular epidemiology and biology of respiratory syncytial virus; newly emerging human viral pathogens
![Jeffrey Kahn, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/kahn-jeffrey-109283-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Pathogenesis of Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; host-pathogen interactions
![Andrew Koh, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/koh-andrew-109974-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests:Host-Microbe interactions, mucosal immunology, fungal immunology, inflamatory diseases
![Xin Li, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/li-xin-219415-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: In vivo models, and clinical studies to investigate the role of the innate immune system in the development and resolution of inflammation
![Jessica Moreland, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/moreland-jessica-149626-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Microbiome, inflammatory bowel disease, E. coli, gut colonization, host-microbe interactions
![Josephine Ni, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/ni-josephine-145724-200x200.jpeg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: CRISPR/Cas9 screening, host-pathogen interactions, immunology, norovirus, virology
![Robert Orchard, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/orchard-robert-101528-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Signal transduction in the microbial pathogen Yersinia pestis
![Kim Orth, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/orth-kim-52806-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Hepatitis C virus; poliovirus; yellow fever virus; virus-host interactions and pathogenesis
![Julie Pfeiffer, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/pfeiffer-julie-80210-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Co-infection, herpes viruses, host-pathogen interaction, immunology, virology
![Tiffany Reese, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/reese-tiffany-155240-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Immunology, microbiology, host-pathogen interactions, molecular mechanisms of immune surveillance, and inflammation
![Andrew Sandstrom, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/sandstrom-andrew-202830-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis; role of carbon monoxide (CO) in host-pathogen interactions; innate immune response to intracellular pathogens
![Michael Shiloh, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/shiloh-michael-121577-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Host-viral pathogen interaction, neurotropic viruses, autophagy and innate immunity
![Jospehine Thinwa, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/thinwa-josephine-162870-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Regulation of antigen receptor signal-transduction systems
![Nicolai S. C. van Oers, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/van-oers-nicolai-31839-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Cellular and molecular pathogenesis of leishmaniasis and other parasitic infections; development of novel antiparasitics; host-pathogen interactions
![Dawn Wetzel, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/wetzel-dawn-150859-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Virus infectioninduced nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal cancer
![Chien-Ting Wu, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/wu-chien-ting-217163-200x200.png)
Professor
Research Interests: Innate immune recognition of viruses; host-virus interactions; pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases
![Nan Yan, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/yan-nan-122926-200x200.jpg)
Associate Members
These faculty members do not accept graduate students. They participate in teaching, co-mentoring, exam and dissertation committees, and all other program responsibilities.
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Genomics-driven biochemical discovery in microbial metabolism; evolution of biosynthetic pathways; role of polyamines in bacterial growth, proliferation, biofilm formation and pathogenesis
![Tony Michael, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/michael-anthony-100703-200x200.jpg)