Douglas Paton
Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, is a deadly parasite that is spread through the bite of Anopheles mosquitoes. My lab is committed to developing new and novel ways to reduce global malaria burden, and studies the interaction of Plasmodium parasites with their Anopheles mosquito host, with an emphasis […]
Blake Billmyre
Human fungal pathogens cause more than 1.5 million deaths annually. In particular, Cryptococcus species are responsible for life threatening meningitis and kill nearly 200,000 people a year. There are only three classes of effective antifungal drugs available to treat Cryptococcus and developing new drugs is difficult because many potential antifungal […]
Chester Joyner
Dr. Chet Joyner is a trained immunologist and parasitologist. His research program focuses on understanding the biology of Plasmodium vivax, malaria immunology and pathogenesis, and the biology of B cells and plasma cells. The ultimate goals of his research is to use cutting-edge technologies to help development new treatments and […]
Melinda Brindley
Dr. Melinda Brindley is a molecular virologist, with expertise in positive and negative sense RNA viruses. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa studying how Ebola virus and equine infectious anemia virus enters host cells. As a postdoc at Emory University, she characterized how the measles virus glycoprotein […]
Robert Jeffrey Hogan
Dr. Hogan began his 30 year scientific career studying host-pathogen interactions during his graduate studies, which focused on immune responses to viral infection in teleosts. After receiving his doctoral degree, he joined the laboratory of Dr. David Woodland at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where his research focused on cell-mediated […]
Biao He
Dr. He’s lab has been studying paramyxoviruses including PIV5, mumps virus and emerging Jeilongviruses. His work has led to development of paramyxovirus-based vaccines
Eric R. Lafontaine
One component of my research program consists of identifying and characterizing surface antigens expressed by pathogenic bacteria including Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei. Given their cellular location at the host-pathogen interface, surface antigens play key roles in bacterial virulence. We believe that studying their biological functions will shed light on […]
David S. Peterson
The research in my lab is focused on Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria. The parasite uses a protein encoded by an antigenically variant gene family to bind receptors on host cells, allowing the parasites to avoid passage through the spleen. One member of this family encodes a protein […]
Frederick D. Quinn
Frederick D. Quinn, Ph.D., is Athletic Association Professor of Infectious Diseases, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Interim Director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia. Dr. Quinn oversaw several laboratory groups at the Centers for Disease […]
S. Mark Tompkins
Mark Tompkins is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research, a NIAID Center of Excellence in Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) at the University of Georgia. He received his doctorate in Immunology from Emory University and then studied immune mechanisms of autoimmune diseases […]
Ralph A. Tripp
Dr. Ralph Tripp is a Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine and is a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Vaccine and Therapeutics. Dr. Tripp was trained in the field of viral immunity with Laureate Professor Peter C. Doherty and led a research […]
Ankita Garg
Dr. Garg received Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Science, India, followed by postdoctoral training from the University of Texas Health Science Center and the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Garg also spent a few years in the R&D divisions of pharmaceutical companies where […]
Vincent Starai
Department of Microbiology profile
Tuhina Gupta
Dr. Tuhina Gupta is an immunologist and a bacteriologist, with expertise in mycobacterial diseases. She joined the University of Georgia in 2007 and works with Dr. Frederick Quinn on multiple projects. Her research focuses on developing animal models of mycobacterial pathology, meningitis, latency, and transmission, testing novel methods for TB […]
Russell Karls
Dr. Karls is a Senior Research Scientist in the Infectious Diseases Department at the University of Georgia. He received undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his doctorate in Bacteriology from UW-Madison applying biochemistry and molecular genetics to study transcriptional control of bacterial photosynthesis. […]
Demba Sarr
I grew up and experienced several severe malaria episodes. I decided to dedicate my life to infectious diseases especially malaria. After my 4 years of college in biology, I applied to graduate school and spent 3 years at the French Institute of Research and Development located in Dakar. I diagnosed […]
Susan Sanchez
Dr. Susan Sanchez is a tenured Department of Infectious Diseases professor and the University of Georgia Curriculum Committee Chair. She has received numerous microbiology, research, mentoring, and teaching awards. Her former students occupy prominent science positions nationally and internationally. Dr. Sanchez is a member of the Council of Councils at […]
M. Stephen Trent
Understanding the bacterial cell envelope provides valuable insights for two crucial areas: the discovery of new antibiotics and the understanding of microbe-host interactions. The cell envelope serves as a prime target for antibiotic development, as its unique components and processes can be exploited to disrupt bacterial growth and survival. By […]
Carmen Herrera
Throughout my professional career, my main research goal has been to contribute significantly in the field of microbial sciences concentrating on the study of pathogenic bacteria. The Trent Lab is interested in uncovering the molecular mechanisms required for assembly and maintenance of membranes in Gram-negative bacteria. Working as member of […]
Ashutosh Pathak
I am interested in determining how parasite fitness is shaped by interactions with host(s) and environment. Questions that motivate my research include: 1) How do biotic and abiotic factors regulate dynamics of parasite populations within and between hosts? 2) To what extent do parasites and their hosts vary naturally in […]
Whitney Rabacal
Whitney Rabacal obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME) in 2006 and then worked as a research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA) in the laboratory Dr. Vicki Rubin Kelley from 2016-2010, focusing on models of autoimmune kidney disease. In 2016, Dr. Rabacal then received her […]
Balazs Rada
My laboratory studies mechanisms of respiratory innate immunity supporting immune responses to pathogens or underlying pathogeneses of lung diseases. The first major project focuses on cystic fibrosis lung disease and studies host-pathogen interactions between neutrophils and respiratory pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium abscessus. The second main project investigates […]
