Our lab is currently recruiting postdocs with interest in these areas:

Mechanisms of antibiotic tolerance, and modeling bacterial growth in human secretions

Antibiotic tolerance describes the decreased susceptibility of bacteria caused by phenotypic mechanisms. Tolerance is fundamentally different from resistance, which is due to heritable genes or gene mutations. Bacteria become antibiotic-tolerant when aggregated, nutrient-deprived or subject to stress. Recent work from our lab showed that the bacterial response pathway that senses starvation triggers tolerance that is independent of growth arrest. We are now investigating how in vivo conditions can produce tolerance during infection, and modeling bacterial aggregation in human secretions.

Genetic diversification of bacteria human infections

Our lab identified mechanisms of bacterial diversification in laboratory biofilms, which are surface-attached and matrix-enchased bacterial aggregates. We are now studying genetic diversification of bacteria during chronic human infections. Our data indicate that single P. aeruginosa strains living in in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients extensively diversify during infection, in large part due to the isolation of bacteria in different lung regions. We are currently investigating the effects of pathogen diversification on disease manifestation and drug resistance.

 

Our lab is currently recruiting a laboratory technician

We are looking for a recent graduate in microbiology or other field who is interested in getting more research experience to help further their career goals.