Thesis Advisor: Julia Willett
Research: My work will focus on applying co-culture techniques to study host-pathogen interactions in a variety of settings. As a member of Ryan Hunter's Lab I studied how airway epithelial cells responded to infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa under anaerobic conditions. I applied bulk RNA sequencing to study how P. aeruginosa virulence and the accompanying host response was affected by the presence and absence of oxygen, as well the impact of the normal versus cystic fibrosis epithelial environment. Going forward in the Willett Lab, I will be applying my experience with co-culture systems to investigate key genes utilized by Enterococcus faecalis to colonize the gastrointestinal tract as well as key virulence factors used when it adopts a pathogenic lifestyle.
