Research Area: Animal Hosts

Parasite life history strategies within the host, especially the timing of replication and transmission, influence disease severity and spread. I study how subtle differences in ecology within and outside the host can generate dramatic differences in parasite strategies. My research program uses two major approaches:[...]

I am a theoretical ecologist working on disease transmission in multi-species communities characterized by functional traits. Students and postdocs in my research group have worked on a variety of projects related to control of invasive species in heterogeneous landscapes.

We study how bacteria respond to and survive stressful conditions, particularly damage to the cell envelope. Students in the Doerr lab learn techniques ranging from microscopy and image analysis to molecular biology. The lab is very active with undergraduate research and has extensive experience in[...]

Our research focuses primarily on three areas: We develop activity-based probes to understand the metabolic activity catalyzed by the gut microbiome during different disease states. We also characterize the small-molecule metabolites produced by the gut microbiota that regulate inflammation during inflammatory diseases and host defense[...]

The Buchon lab focuses on the impact of pathogens and the microbiota on body homeostasis. We use systemic infection as a model for septicemia, and the gut response to infection as a model for mucosal immunity. Genomic and genetic approaches allow us to characterize new[...]

The Blissard lab addresses fundamental questions on the biology and pathology of virus-insect interactions. A primary focus is the study of viral envelope glycoproteins and their interactions with host insect cells and cell proteins during viral entry and egress. Another focus are is understanding the[...]

I study how microbes in the human microbiome are transmitted among individuals, using a wide range of approached including shotgun metagenomics of microbiome communities, culture-based methods, and single-cell analyses. Another main focus is horizontal transmission of genes between members of the microbiome, specifically focusing on[...]

The August lab is interested in infection-based and environment signals that trigger inflammation. We are particularly interested in signals regulated by the Tec family kinases, and how they regulate activation of cells such as mast cells and T cells to drive their differentiation and production[...]

Our research explores the impact of host behavior and nutritional needs on the evolution of intestinal symbionts. Current projects include the study of signals that coordinate the physiology and development of intestinal bacteria with the feeding activity of their host. We are also interested in[...]

The main focus of our research program is to elucidate key mechanistic components in enveloped viruses and their host cells that: 1) mediate viral entry into cells, 2) elicit cell immune responses, and 3) mediate viral egress from cells. These studies are leading to the[...]