
Anna Abraham
Professor
Neuroscience
Neurocognition of creativity & imagination – reality/fiction distinction, self/social cognition, mental time travel, semantic cognition, aesthetics
Assisstant Professor
Infectious Diseases
Dr Peach’s research interests are in the field of vector ecology, with a focus on behavioral and sensory ecology.
Associate Professor
Environmental Health Science, Regenerative Bioscience Center
Research in the Easley lab focuses on 3 major goals: 1) impacts of environmental exposures on spermatogenesis and future generations, 2) regenerative medicine by developing stem cell treatment options for male factor infertility, and 3) drug discovery for identifying unique compounds which may serve as male contraceptives.
Assistant Professor
Cellular Biology
We engage in interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects employing various methodological approaches to examine different facets of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues in undergraduate biology and STEM education.
Assistant Professor
Cellular Biology
Deciphering the mechanisms that regulate the diversity of peripheral glial cells to achieve a better understanding of their role in the context of disease and injury.
Assistant Professor
Microiology
Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, dynamics of bacterial nanomachines, microbial subcellular organization.
Assistant Professor
Infectious Diseases
Deciphering the mechanisms of host immune system manipulation by human eukaryotic pathogen – Toxoplasma gondii.
Assistant Professor
Marine Sciences, Bioinformatics
Invertebrate microbiomes; nematode ecology and evolution; benthic and deep-sea habitats; using environmental DNA for biomonitoring.
Assistant Professor
Neuroscience
Develop regenerative therapies for neurological diseases by investigating the pathological and therapeutic roles of extracellular vesicles in cellular and animal models.
Associate Professor
Center for Food Safety
Genomic epidemiology, foodborne pathogens, microbiome, bioinformatics
Associate Professor
Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences
Translational research in biomaterials (antifouling, antiplatelet, antibacterial, and antiviral) for tissue engineering and medical device applications
Assistant Professor
Marine Science, Bioinformatics
Marine microbial ecology; phytoplankton physiology; ocean biogeochemistry; environmental bioinformatics
Neurocognition of creativity & imagination – reality/fiction distinction, self/social cognition, mental time travel, semantic cognition, aesthetics
Functional and structural genomics, metabolism and enzymology of organisms
that grow near 100C.
Ecology of macroinvertebrates in freshwater wetlands and streams.
Genomics and computational biology of plant – microbiome interactions, RNA post-translation regulatory networks, and genome characterization
Structural analysis and characterization of glycosaminoglycans using mass spectrometry
Evolutionary genetics and population ecology of plants; global change biology;
field ecology; seed dispersal ecology; frugivorous fish.
Undergraduate evolution education; instructor experiences, knowledge,
and skills in teaching biology; teaching context and climate in life science departments.
Assessment in large classes; undergraduates as a resource to improve teaching and learning;
promoting active learning in large lectures.
Professor, Genetics; Research interest: Fungal gene regulatory
and biochemical networks, and biological clocks.
Evolutionary significance of genetic exchange; effects of hybridization in natural
populations of plants and animals.
Deciphering the mechanisms that regulate the diversity of peripheral glial cells to achieve a better understanding of their role in the context of disease and injury.
Structural analysis and hands-on training for all glycoconjugates using mass spectrometry and NMR
Ecology, epidemiology and evolution of infectious RNA viruses (Influenza A virus, avian paramyxovirus,
RSV, MERS-CoV) in animals and humans
Molecular cell biology of the wall, Biofuel and BioEnergy, Golgi as model for System biology, Plant Immunity.
Neural mechanisms of goal-directed movement; Functional neuroimaging; non-invasive brain stimulation; neurorehabilitation
Our goal is to define the impact of protein post-translational modifications on structure and function in the immune system.
Crop breeding and genetics.
Website coming
ADME of drugs and environmental toxicants; impact of compounds on memory,
cognition, and neuropathic pain; oligonucleotide therapeutics and biomarkers.
Distinguished Research Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Research interest:
Functional and structural genomics, metabolism and enzymology of organisms that grow near 100C.
Plant genomics and genome evolution, transposable elements,
and regulatory gene evolution.
Genome bioinformatics, ecological and evolutionary genomics of yeast.
We use​ the advanced genetic mouse models to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying
several diseases: obesity, diabetics, muscle and heart diseases.
Invertebrate microbiomes; nematode ecology and evolution; benthic and deep-sea habitats; using environmental DNA for biomonitoring
High throughput genetics to better understand evolution of fungal pathogens and drive antifungal drug discovery.
Meiotic chromosome biology using Drosophila as a model system.
Biodiversity; insect ecology; the role of soil microbes and defensive plant chemistry in plant/herbivore interactions, predator/prey interactions; sustainable agriculture
Protein expression, development of commercially relevant monoclonal antibodies.
Factors that motivate undergraduates to learn science; scientific literacy skill acquisition;
and effective methods to provide instructional feedback.
Arenavirus glycoprotein structure and function; virus entry and membrane fusion; emerging virus-host interactions. Functional characterization of viral glycoproteins and host interactions.
Computational Plant Science, Phenotyping, Plant Imaging and Simulation.
Plant genome biology with a focus on crops and medicinal plants; Synthetic biology; Evolution of natural product biosynthesis
Functional and evolutionary genomics of microbial associations with insects; virology, symbiosis, immunity
Nuclear and genome organization; Chromatin structure and function; Gene regulation in Drosophila development.
Post-translational modification including protein acylation, fatty acid metabolism,
prostate stem cell, Src family kinases, prostate cancer, small molecular inhibitor.
Mitochondrial bioenergetics of muscle, brain, and stem cells. Skeletal muscle physiology. Regenerative medicine and rehabilitation following traumatic tissue damage, disease, aging.
Metabolomic approaches applied to drug target selection and validation in human pathogens;
discovery and development of new chemotherapeutic interventions.
Website
Role of arthropod salivary factors in pathogen transmission and immune responses in their vertebrate hosts.
Evolutionary Ecology of flowering plants; Plant mating system evolution.
Plant population and community ecology; plant-microbe interactions, global change biology; microbial ecology
Structural, functional & genetic abnormalities in schizophrenia.
Neurotoxic agents that alter synaptic transmission. The actions of toxins such as
the Clostridial neurotoxins (Botulinum and Tetanus) at the mammalian neuromuscular junction.
Marine microbial ecology; phytoplankton physiology; ocean biogeochemistry; environmental bioinformatics
Organic and medicinal chemistry; carbohydrate chemistry; glycomimetics; drug design and development with emphasis on multi-drug resistant infectious diseases
My research is focused on the use of metacognition to enhance student learning in biology.
Structures and functions of the noncellulosic polysaccharides of plant primary cell walls.
Plant centromere and kinetochore structure and function.
Development and prevention of obesity, gut microbiota, gut-brain signaling, regulation of ingestive behavior
Plant evolutionary ecology; population dynamics; responses to climate change
Genomic epidemiology, foodborne pathogens, microbiome, bioinformatics
Crop genetics, comparative genomics and genome evolution.
Cancer biomarkers, high dimensional data, translational cancer research.
Cellular and molecular biology of acidocalcisomes; the role of polyphosphate in trypanosomatids.
Course-based undergraduate research, student integration into the
scientific community; research mentoring of undergraduate researchers.
Molecular and cellular basis of pattern formation in vertebrates; developmental genetics of zebrafish.
Multi-drug resistance(MDR) causes most cancer deaths(Nat. Rev. Cancer 2018, 18, 452). We use organic chemistry, cell biology and data-science to overcome MDR.
Bacterial physiology and metabolic integration using biochemical, genetic and metabolomics approaches.
Animal biomechanics related to disease, injury, conditioning, and nutrition; functional outcomes assessment related to therapeutics development
Molecular evolution and evolutionary genetics, in particular genetic conflict,
sex chromosome evolution, genetics of adaptation and speciation,
and host-parasite interactions.
Research in the Easley lab focuses on 3 major goals: 1) impacts of environmental exposures on spermatogenesis and future generations, 2) regenerative medicine by developing stem cell treatment options for male factor infertility, and 3) drug discovery for identifying unique compounds which may serve as male contraceptives.
Metabolomics and systems biology of Caenorhabditis elegans using NMR,
mass spec, and computational approaches.
Neural processing of abdominal sensory information. Control of ingestive behavior and autonomic function.
Genetic analysis of mouse development; cell fate specification in the embryonic
central nervous system; patterning of the body plan’s left-right axis.
Fermentation and biotechnology with emphasis on microbial processes to generate fuels and chemicals; nutrient-limited processes; central metabolism and the effect of redox constraints.
Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, dynamics of bacterial nanomachines, microbial subcellular organization.
Prokaryotic metabolism and physiology with emphasis on protein acetylation, toxic metabolites,
and complex metabolic pathway analysis, integration.
Toxoplasma’s Strategies to Manipulate Host Immunity
Protist systematics, cell evolution, and flagellar development.
Major research focus areas: Neurotoxicology; Neuroimmunology; Basal ganglia, Neurodevelopmental, and Metabolic disorders.
The mission of the Household and Structural Entomology program is acquisition of information
on behavior, biology, ecology and evolution of associations with arthropods and human habitation.
Role of microbial diversity in marine environments and the utilization of molecular methods
to investigate microbial diversity, interactions between micro- and macroscopic organisms and
the functioning of marine ecosystems.
Characterization of surface-active organics in marine and anthropogenic aerosol
particles and their effects on particle growth and water uptake
We investigate the development and spread of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella,
which is the most prevalent foodborne bacterial illness in the U.S.
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain tumors; oncohistone mutations; human ES cell-based tumor modeling; tumor heterogeneity and evolution
Molecular cell biology of the cytoskeleton; molecular genetics of ciliates.
Retrovirus-like transposons in budding yeast, control of transposition, restriction factors.
Immunopathogenesis of intracellular pathogens (HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis); non-infectious morbidities in People Living With HIV
Environmental Genomics; Crocodilians; Reptilian Genomics; Molecular Ecology.
Epigenetic regulation in the context of development and cancer. We focus on heterochromatin and primarily use zebrafish as a model system.
Judgment and decision making, especially the role of control in decision making,
Bayesian updating, and cognitive contributors to problem gambling.
Inhibition of glycation and LDL oxidation by natural products and nutraceuticals.
Zooplankton ecology, predator-prey interactions, ocean biophysical coupling, plankton imaging and analysis
Defining the spatiotemporal regulation of kinase pathways and the regulation of GPCR induced
inflammation and proangiogenic signaling, for the development of therapeutic agents.
(Immuno)Toxicology of nanobiomaterials and endocrine disruptors; Diabetes, prostate cancer, asthma, probiotics, microbiome; Translational study (http://www.devertigo.com)
Biological basis of social behavior and emotion processing in humans.
Role of glycosylation in regulating Notch signaling, assisting protein folding, and development.
Translational research in biomaterials (antifouling, antiplatelet, antibacterial, and antiviral) for tissue engineering and medical device applications
Mechanistic analysis of parasite induced immune suppression. Translational research
on immuno-modulation pertaining to inflammation based diseases.
Vaccine development and trials.
Nutrient Regulation of Signaling and Transcription: Mechanisms Underlying Diabetes, Neurodegeneration and Cancer
Interactions between microbial pathogens and host immunity in the
mouse model using bacteria that naturally infect mice and
closely related strains that are important human pathogens.
Paramyxovirus-host interactions, vaccine development, emerging paramyxovirus and onocylytic virus.
Lipidomic and metabolomic analyses of antimicrobial resistant pathogens using ion mobility and mass spectrometry
Behavioral neuropharmacology; neuropeptides and trophic factors; plasticity; stress, depression, and addiction.
G-protein coupled receptors, molecular pharmacology, signal transduction, ovarian cancer, neural stem cells.
Gene regulation in bacteria; regulation of flagellar biogenesis; control of RpoN-dependent transcription in bacteria.
The Huet Lab will use metabolomics and CRISPR-based approaches to understand the mitochondrial and organellar biology of a class of protozoan parasites, the apicomplexans.
Behavioral and evolutionary genetics and epigenetics of social insects.
Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms regulating preimplantation development, pluripotency, differentiation and cellular reprogramming in humans
The role and assembly of transition metal centers in metalloenzymes and metalloproteins.
Biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in aquatic systems (saline lakes, coastal environments,
deep ocean sediments). Biogeochemical and molecular ecological dynamics of microbial
community composition and microbial activity.
All facets of host-parasite interactions during malaria, ranging from molecular pathogenesis to malaria immunology to transmission
Our research is aimed at identifying the principles of neural circuit assembly, which is key
to understanding the treatment of neurological disorders. To achieve this, we develop
imaging toolkits including fluorescent probes and advanced microscopes.
Website
Evolutionary systems biology; protein kinase signaling in plants, pathogens and microbes. Evolution and classification of glycoenzymes.
Research focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration, identifying novel druggable targets, discovering prodromal biomarkers and novel reengineered gut microbiome based therapeutics for treatment of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and related dementia.
Research focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration, identifying novel immunomodulatory drugs, discovering biomarkers for diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases related dementia.
Mechanisms for microbial adaptation and virulence; specialized
DNA recombination in Neisseria meningitidis & N. gonorrhoeae;
sigma54 regulon in Salmonella Typhimurium.
Developing Translational Glycomaterials for Neural Tissue Repair and Neural Interfacing.
Chemical biology, kinase signaling, cancer, signal transduction, drug discovery.
Mechanisms of disease and immunity in the rice blast system; Fungal effector proteins; Nutrient uptake in fungi.
Regulation of the cell cycle; ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and development.
Parasite genomics and the biology of genome evolution.
Development and regulation of immunological memory.
Basic immunology of the liver and blood stages of malaria
Molecular genetics of DNA repair and mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene regulation in E. coli.
Molecular mechanisms of plant immune action and bacterial pathogen virulence in model and crop pathosystems. Tool/technique development for phytopathogenesis systems biology and translational research.
The discovery and development of new drugs to prevent or treat malaria and diseases
caused by brain-eating amoebae. Elucidating mechanism(s) of resistance
and discovering new drug treatment regimens, combinations, or strategies to overcome resistance.
Bacterial pathogenesis; role of adhesins in virulence; vaccine development.
Evolutionary toxicology, disease ecology, impacts of natural and anthropogenic stressors on freshwater vertebrates.
The mechanisms of metalloproteins involved in radical generation, oxidative stress protection,
as well as heme synthesis, sensing, aquisition and transport.
Developmental neurobiology: molecular genetic mechanisms of vertebrate eye and forebrain development.
Mass spectrometry, imaging, glycosylation, metabolism, environmental exposure (infectious disease, ionizing radiation, emerging pollutants).
Cell Biology of Cilia; Cilia-related diseases, Intracellular Transport.
My research is focused on determining key molecules and their intrinsic mechanisms
in neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases.
Phylogenetics, genetics of diversification including speciation; molecular basis of adaptation;
evolutionary genomics; evolution of plant reproduction; organismal and molecular coevolution.
My research investigates problem solving among biochemistry undergraduates and the process
college science instructors go through as they innovate their teaching.
Chromatin structure and function; Epigenetics; Eukaryotic genome stability; Histone H1.
Human fungal pathogens, sexual reproduction and development in fungal pathogenesis
Environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, marine systems, water quality and public health, disease ecology
Gene therapy, obesity, drug delivery, gene drug discovery.
Sensory organs of taste: development, maintenance, and molecular regulations using genetically modified mouse models.
Phylogenetics, evolutionary biology, statistics.
Multiscale and multimodal brain mapping with applications to brain diseases.
Our research is focused on functional polymer interfaces. We are
currently developing methodologies and platforms that can be used
to study biological lubrication, patterning of cellular components in
two and 3 dimensions, patterning of glycosaminoglycans to study
nerve regeneration, 3D printing of biodegradable scaffolds, and antimicrobial coatings.
A bacterial pathogenesis/food safety lab that specializes in the detection and characterization of pathogens from food animal sources that impact human and animal health.
Fertilization, and early cell-fate decisions in plant embryos.
Micro- and nano-technology, lab-on-a-chip systems, microfluidics,
single cell study, cancer diagnostics.
Ecological genetics of plants; invasive plants; genetics of adaptation.
Schizophrenia, psychosis, cognitive control, plasticity, saccades, ocular motor system,
exercise, f/MRI, DTI.
Fungal telomere structure and function, and their cellular role(s).
Understanding intracellular and intercellular heme transport.
Biogeochemical nutrient cycling in porous media and aquatic systems, reactive transport modeling of microbially mediated processes.
Developmental Regulation of Gene Expression; Evolution of Vertebrate Morphology.
My recent laboratory work focuses on aspects of working memory, executive function,
and older adult cognition using structural and functional neuroimaging and neuropsychological tools.
We use genetic and genomic approaches to understand mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis and drug resistance.
Neuroendocrinology Reproductive Aging, Stress Axis and Metabolic Function,
Neuroendocrine-Immune Interactions, Prenatal Programming and its Neuroendocrine Consequences,
Neuroendocrine Effects of Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Chemicals
Neuroendocrine immune interactions in the context of
Reproduction and Stress; Prenatal Stress and programming
of obesity; Environmental exposures and their impact
on Stress and Reproduction; Biomarker development for
various human diseases.
Biosynthesis and function of the plant cell wall polysaccharide pectin.
Anti-cancer effects of pectin.
X-ray crystallography of macromolecules, prokaryotic transcriptional regulators.
Cellular and molecular biology of polar growth in fungi.
The role of developmental mechanisms in sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive strategies in insects.
Establishment of the parasite/host niche by filarial worms, specifically Brugia malayi, one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis.
Ecology of marine bacteria in the carbon and sulfur cycles;
application of ecological functional genomics techniques to marine microbes.
Biochemistry, molecular, and structural biology of mammalian glycoprotein biosynthesis and catabolism.
Metabolism and drug development against protozoan parasites.
Calcium signaling and storage in Toxoplasma gondii.
Development of synthetic organic methodologies to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Microwave-promoted synthesis of bioactive amines.
In vivo optical microscopy for bone and tissue regeneration.
Human antibody-mediated immunity to inform next-generation
vaccine development; focus on immunity to major viral, bacterial,
and fungal human pathogens using multidisciplinary approaches in
immunology, structural biology,and biochemistry to study
antibody-antigen interactions at the molecular level.
Use bioinformatics and comparative genomics to study
relationships between the genomic DNA sequence and the
organism’s physiological characteristics,and regulatory
processes that govern the flow of genetic information.
Molecular and cellular biology of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.
We use the easy genetic system of a  soil bacterium, Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1,to study diverse
aspects of gene expression and chromosomal rearrangements.This research has implications
for medical issues (gene amplification), environmental issues (bioremediation),
biotechnology/bioenergy (conversion of lignin to biofuels), and evolution (new methods for experimental evolution).
Cell differentiation during plant reproduction, genomics and gene regulatory networks, single-cell RNA-sequencing, reprogramming cell fate
Central regulation of feeding behavior, diet and cognitive function, the gut microbiome-brain connection, exercise and brain energy metabolism
Vaccine dev for prevention of PCP and COPD, RSV infection, COPD; Immune Activation
and Aging, PAH; Immune-mediated mechanisms of pathogenesis, Type 2 diabetes and
metabolic syndrome, therapeutic testing; chronic immune activation/inflammation.
Ecology and evolution of heritable symbiosis in insects.
Solving biological/biomedical problems with mass spectrometry.
Youth and Family Resilience: how neurobiological and socioemotional systems adapt to psychosocial stress using multi-level methods (e.g., fMRI, psychophys, observations)
Ecology and physiology of environmental microbes. The use of community genomics and
transcriptomics to examine microbial behavior in natural systems.
CORPUS Education Lab: Collaborative Opportunities for Research in Physiology and Under/Graduate Science | DBER | Curriculum Studies | Equity & Inclusion
Transient evolution of pathogens. Evolutionary processes involved in cross-species transmission. Evolutionary constraints in viral epidemiology.
Environmental and ecological influences on development, reproduction,
and aging in wildlife and humans.
My unit’s work addresses dimensions of plant genome biology relevant toward a more bio-based economy, linking increased fundamental knowledge to improved human lives.
Dr Peach’s research interests are in the field of vector ecology, with a focus on behavioral and sensory ecology. He is primarily focused on how arthropod vectors, such as mosquitoes, find and interact with resources such as the hosts they bite, the flowers they nectar-feed from (and pollinate) or the breeding sites they use, and the implications of this information for mosquito management and pathogen transmission as well as understanding species and disease distributions..
Response and vulnerability of forests to natural (e.g. wind, fire) and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g. salvage logging),
and geographic patterns of disturbance severity.
Characterization of adhesion proteins which mediate host-parasite interactions in Plasmodium falciparum.
Enzymes involved in amino acid, especially tryptophan, metabolism which may be drug
targets for cancer, hypertension and neurodegenerative diseases.
Development of biorothogonal protein modification techniques, novel caging groups, and photoactivatable antitumor antibiotics.
Application of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to the characterization of biologically important systems.
Tuberculosis pathogenesis; host-pathogen interactions.
Biomedical imaging and large graph mining in public health applications.
Role of reactive oxygen species in host-microbe interactions of the respiratory mucosa,
neutrophil biology, pathomechanism of Pseudomonas infection in cystic fibrosis.
Visual neuroscience; risk for neurodegenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and Alzheimer’s and related dementias
Regeneration and development; understanding cellular/molecular mechanisms that underlie neural regeneration in planarians.
Development of high-throughput structural biology tools, biophysical methods,
NMR, and computer-aided drug-design to investigate drug-protein
interactions and human disease.
The ecology and evolution of infectious diseases, including measles, pertussis, avian influenza, dengue and polio using computational modeling.
X-ray structural biology, the mitochondrial inner membrane space transport system,
structure based vaccine and therapeutic design, improved/automated methods for
synchrotron SAD data collection and structure determination.
Deciphering the mechanisms of host immune system manipulation by human eukaryotic pathogen – Toxoplasma gondii.
Population biology, evolutionary genetics, molecular systematics, and comparative
genomics of social insects (fire ants) with an emphasis on studies of genetic variation.
We engage in interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects employing various methodological approaches to examine different facets of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues in undergraduate biology and STEM education.
Hemodynamic and electrocortical measures of emotional scene perception.
Molecular and biochemical parasitology: DNA modification, homologous recombination
and the regulation of antigenic variation in Trypanosoma brucei.
Computational ecology; ecology and evolution of infectious diseases;
evolutionary dynamics; animal movement.
Veterinary diagnostics; emerging clinical problems; antibiotic resistance;
epidemiology of diseases with special emphasis in zoonoses.
Marine microbial ecology and evolution; oceanography, biogeochemistry, astrobiology, bioinformatics, big data analytics in environmental science
The role of stress and neuropeptides in drug seeking behavior using behavioral pharmacology,
neuroanatomy, and molecular neuroscience.
My research group develops statistical and and computational approaches to better extract
information from biological data, particularly in the genotype-phenotype relationship.
Molecular cell biology and biochemistry of proteases associated with isoprenylated protein
maturation and amyloidogenic peptide degradation; cancer; Alzheimer’s disease.
Population epigenomics and mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance.
Tissue replenishment from stem cells, Drosophila genetics.
Computational biology, functional genomics, kinetics of biochemical reaction networks.
Molecular epidemiology of bacterial pathogens using metagenomics; ecology of Salmonella serovars in host animals and environments.
Molecular and Cellular Basis of Brain Functions and Development in the Drosophila Model.
Coastal ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry; ecosystem resilience to and recovery from disturbances; global change; carbon cycling
Phylogeny and Signal Evolution in Fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae); Science education research.
Bacterial modulation of eukaryotic membrane dynamics for intracellular survival;
SNARE-dependent membrane fusion biochemistry.
We are developing stem cell approaches to repairing bone and nerve injury in addition to
use of stem cells as a tool to screen toxins and potential drug therapies.
Molecular and evolutionary biology of insect parasites; virology, immunology, symbiont evolution, reproduction.
Protein design and engineering, design of anti-virals and immunogens,
protein chemistry and re-purposing of viral surface proteins,
computational biology
Environmental stress biology, using biochemical, biophysical, and ‘omics approaches to define
the roles of toxic metal exposure in chronic and infectious diseases.
Evolutionary genetics and genomics of natural plant populations.
Microbial glycobiology lab characterizing bacterial glycoconjugate pathways, bacteriophage interactions with their hosts, and benefits of human milk oligosaccharides to develop novel vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention of diarrheal diseases and post-infectious neuropathies such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Computational Science and Parallel Computing; Bioinformatics: Involved in a project called: Computing Life: to solve system of differential equations that model biochemical reaction networks by using efficient/parallel numerical methods.
Mechanisms of immunity and disease in Trypanosoma cruzi infection (Chagas Disease); Basic and applied biology of T. cruzi.
We study CRISPR-Cas immune systems that protect prokaryotes from viruses and provide
powerful research tools for important biotechnology and biomedical applications.
Mechanisms that regulate the expression, function, and structure of tissue-specific glycans.
Transmission and pathogenicity of zoonotic influenza virus infection and development
of vaccination and the prevention and treatment of viral infections.
Evolutionary biology and population genetics of natural plant populations, specifically evolutionary
factors that shape patterns of genetic variation and mechanisms for partitioning and maintaining species-wide diversity.
Characterizing the assembly of bacterial surface structures, Development of vaccines for viral
and bacterial pathogens, Systems approaches to understanding microbial diseases
Disease intervention strategies for important human pathogens and emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin;
mechanisms of immunity; virus-host interface.
Growth-defense tradeoff, phenylpropanoid metabolism and carbon allocation,
gene family evolution and functional diversification, alternative splicing and gene duplication.
Structure and function of enzymes involved in plant polysaccharide biosynthesis and modification with the long term goal to develop pathway engineering or targeted genomics approaches for enhanced production of bio-materials, -products, and -fuels.
Structural biology of transcription regulation, steroid hormone activation and breast cancer.
The regulation of fruit shape and size of tomato and other Solanaceous crops
Our lab seeks to uncover novel regulatory mechanisms of biofilm formation to undermine bacterial survival in chronic infections.
Mammalian germ cell and early embryonic development; meiotic chromosome segregation in oocytes;
genomic instability; impact of age and environment on meiotic division.
Integrating physiology, genomics, evolution, and microbial symbiosis to understand the biology of insect vectors of disease.
Neurophysiology of the hippocampus, cellular mechanisms of learning and memory, neuropharmacology of drugs of abuse and rodent models of addiction.
Quantitative genetics, crop genomics, crop-microbiome interactions.
Structure-function studies by X-ray diffraction, transcription proteins,
structural genomics, phasing methods.
Regulation of host defense and tolerance by Stat transcription factors.
Investigating the regulatory mechanisms of glycosylation using genomic, chemical, and genetic approaches with particular focus on the discovery of novel drugs and targets to treat human diseases.
Role of protein glycosylation in intellectual disability, congenital muscular dystrophy, cancer, and viral infection.
Oxygen- and glycosylation-dependent regulation of polyubiquitin ligases in Dictyostelium and Toxoplasma gondii;
Glycobiology of protozoa.
Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. We explore the potential of neural stem cells
and other regenerative therapies to recover lost and damaged brain tissue. We utilize a novel
pig ischemic stroke model in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging, cognitive,
motor function testing and histology.
Molecular genetics of Steptomyces metabolic developmental processes; enhanced biofuel product by bacteria.
The influence of gender on the disposition of drugs and drug carriers,
and their subsequent therapeutic or toxic outcomes, and the physiological-based
pharmacokinetic modeling for utilization in predicting toxicity and exposures.
Evolutionary Genomics and Sex Chromosome Evolution.
X-ray crystallographic and biochemical studies of nucleotide sugar metabolism.
Immunological carbohydrate-protein interactions studied by computational simulation and experimental methods.
Nanoparticle-based imaging and drug delivery; radiation therapy and photodynamic therapy
Computational drug discovery, simulation model, new computational tools for drug design
Biomaterial-based systems in the area of iron chelation therapy, biological metal sensors,
overcoming antibiotic drug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria,
and chelation of transfusional iron overload.
Identify behavioral, cognitive, and neural mechanisms for dexterity; learning and control principles for skilled movement; rehabilitation after neuromuscular injuries.
Marine microbial ecology and biogeochemistry; climate change.
Develop regenerative therapies for neurological diseases by investigating the pathological and therapeutic roles of extracellular vesicles in cellular and animal models.
Nutritional Genomics; Human Genetics; Population and Quantitative Genomics;
Gene-Diet Interaction during human evolution and in metabolic diseases;
Molecular mechanism of embryo implantation. Endocrine disruptors on puberty and early pregnancy.
Stem cell biology, brown fat development and induction, non-coding
RNA, development of novel therapies for human obesity and type 2 diabetes
Transport, micronutrient, hypoxia, cancer.
Effects of pathological stress on cells of the peripheral nervous system and the adrenal gland. In vitro disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells.
Cancer genomics; human junk DNA; genomic instability.
Drug Development, Chemical Biology, Cancer Disease Mechanism, Epigenetics and Genetics, Histone Modifications, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Enzymology, and Biophysics.