Research
Bacteriology
- Biofilms and gene regulation in Gram-positive cocci; and infective endocarditis
- Pathogenesis and animal modeling of Neisseria gonorrhoeae; and vaccine development
- The molecular genetic basis of human-adapted bacterial pathogens such as Chlamydia and Helicobacter
- The roles of Shiga toxins produced by E. coli in pathogenesis; and studies on the pathogenesis of enteroaggregative E. coli
- Host-pathogen interactions with Helicobacter pylori, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii and the identification of genes that play roles in host-adaptation and antimicrobial resistance
Virology
- Virus-host cell interactions of negative-sense RNA viruses including Nipah and Hendra. Vaccine development and antiviral discovery. Serological based surveillance of wildlife and livestock and human populations targeting henipaviruses and filoviruses
- Human retroviruses and oncoviruses, including HTLV-1, and how viral genes such as Tax play a role in malignancy and cellular senescence
- Therapeutics and vaccine development strategies against HIV using animal modeling
- Development and use of models for Zika and Dengue virus infection to evaluate vaccines and antiviral countermeasures
Parasitology
- Host-parasite interactions and immune response to Schistosoma helminth infections and the role(s) of helminth factors that influence the host immune response
- Filarial nematodes and filariasis, and animal modeling of pathogenesis to evaluate mechanisms and assess antiparasitic treatments and vaccine development strategies
- Studies on the development and maturation of the host immune response and immunity to malaria; anti-malaria drug and vaccine development
Molecular Mechanisms of Immunity
- Discovering and understanding the mechanistic connections between host cell signaling pathways and immune cell functions, such as T cell receptor signaling
- Deciphering the role(s) of inflammation in responses to infection, traumatic brain injury, and the role of inflammatory cells in immunosuppression in lung cancer