David Asmuth, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine | MED: Internal Medicine
dasmuth@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Research area focuses on immune reconstitution follow intiation of antiretroviral therapy and immunomodulatory therapy including therapeutic vaccines and cytokine therapy
Shota Atsumi, Ph.D.
Professor | Chemistry
satsumi@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Synthetic biology, Systems biology and Metabolic engineering approaches for valuable chemical production
Enoch P. Baldwin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Molecular & Cellular Biology
epbaldwin@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Protein sequence structure-function relationships
Andreas Bäumler, Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
ajbaumler@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Enteric Pathogens, the Host and its Gut Microbiota
Alison M. Berry, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | Plant Sciences
amberry@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Biological nitrogen fixation; root and rhizosphere plant-microbe associations, and applications in agroecology
Charles L. Bevins, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
clbevins@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Innate immunity at mucosal surfaces
Sanchita Bhatnagar, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Medical Microbiology & Immunology
sbbhatnagar@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: My research program is driven to understand the mechanism of epigenetic silencing in mammalian cells. The long-term goal of my research program is to gain valuable insights into the aberrant epigenetic modifications in diseased conditions and use this information to develop novel therapeutics for breast cancer and X-linked neurodevelopmental diseases. We are driven to develop cutting-edge tools, reagents, and therapeutics for key areas of medical research, with an emphasis on Rett syndrome and triple-negative breast cancer.
Heather N. Bischel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Civil and Environmental Engineering
hbischel@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Resource-oriented sanitation; pathogens and micropollutants; wastewater-based epidemiology; rapid detection of viruses; PFAS bioaccumulation; sustainable international development; water quality and reuse; environmental health; natural systems.
Linda F. Bisson, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | Viticulture & Enology
lfbisson@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Carbon utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
C. Titus Brown, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | VET MED: Population Health & Reproduction
ctbrown@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Metagenomic data analysis, gene expression and gene regulatory networks
Barbara A. Byrne, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
bbyrne@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Clinical microbiology and antimicrobial susceptibility, fecal pathogen pollution of the environment, marine mammal bacterial pathogens
Kiho Cho, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Surgery
kcho@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Role of murine endogenous retroviruses in post-injury/stress/sepsis immune disorder and multiple organ failure
Gitta Coaker, Ph.D.
Professor | Plant Pathology
glcoaker@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Research interests focus understanding the interaction between bacterial0 pathogens and plants at a biochemical level
Lark L A Coffey, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
lcoffey@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Mosquito-borne virus ecology, evolution and emergence
Sean R. Collins, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
srcollins@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: How human neutrophils process dynamic extracellular chemical cues to guide their behavior.
Patricia A. Conrad, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
paconrad@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Pathogenesis of Babesia and other tick-transmitted hemoprotozoa
Satya Dandekar, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
sdandekar@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: HIV pathogenesis and mucosal immunology
Scott Dawson, Ph.D.
Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
scdawson@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Cytoskeletal dynamics in the life cycle of Giardia
Samuel L. Díaz Muñoz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
samdiazmunoz@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Our research focuses on the evolution, ecology, and molecular mechanisms of virus-virus interactions using genomics, experimental evolution, and environmental microbiology. The lab currently works on genetic exchange in two segmented RNA viruses: Cystovirus phages that infect Pseudomonas bacteria and influenza A viruses.
Jonathan Eisen, Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
jaeisen@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Microbial communities and molecular evolution
Joanne B. Emerson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Plant Pathology
jbemerson@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: viral community ecology, soil microbial ecology, virus-microbe-plant interactions, omics
Marc T. Facciotti, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Biomedical Engineering
mtfacciotti@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Microbial gene regulatory networks
Bryce Falk, Ph.D.
Professor of Plant Pathology | Plant Pathology
bwfalk@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Virus: plant interactions, RNA interference applications
Rodrigo Gallardo, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl.ACPV
Associate Professor | VET MED: Poultry Medicine
ragallardo@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: My research interests are in the area of the avian virology, specifically in RNA viruses and their capabilities of mutation, recombination and variation making them very difficult to control in productive settings.
Mélanie Gareau, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | VET MED: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology
mgareau@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Microbiota-gut-brain axis. Characterizing the microbiota-gut-brain axis in models of inflammatory bowel disease and following infection with an enteric bacterial pathogen. Determining the mechanisms involved in the development of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in early life.
Angela Gelli, Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Pharmacology
acgelli@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Fungal pathogenesis of the central nervous system
Dennis Hartigan-O'Connor, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
dhartigan@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Immune control over chronic infections including HIV and HCV. Also interested in development of the immune system and how different developmental influences may control later responses to agents of chronic infection
Volkmar Heinrich, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Biomedical Engineering
vheinrich@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Biophysical foundations of cell and molecular behavior, and their role in immunity, infectious disease, cancer metastasis etc.
Rebecca Hernandez , Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Ecology and Earth System Science
Associate Earth System Scientist | AES
rrhernandez@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Her research focuses on two related themes: 1) global environmental change in aridland ecosystems (Aridlab.org), and 2) ecological aspects of energy development (WildEnergy.org).
Matthias Hess, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Animal Science
mhess@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Systems microbiology, microbial processes in natural and artificial ecosystems, microbes and microbial enzymes for agricultural, medical, and industrial applications, microbe-host interaction, gastrointestinal microbiology, biofuels, bioproducts, bioremediation, microbial dark matter
Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, Ph.D.
Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
wdheyer@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Mechanism, regulation, and clinical applications of homologous recombination
Neil Hunter, Ph.D.
Professor | Cell Biology & Human Anatomy; Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
nhunter@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website | Research Profile
Research Interests: Homologous Recombination: The mechanism and regulation of chromosome repair by homologous recombination and its role in chromosome transmission and genome stability
Post-Translational Protein Modification in Meiosis: The nature and function of post-translational modifications of proteins involved in chromosome metabolism during meiosis
Michele Igo, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs and Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
mmigo@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Outer surface properties and sensory transduction in bacteria
Smita S. Iyer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases
smiyer@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Research interests center around delineating immunological and molecular mechanisms of CD4 T cell help
Mary Kable, Ph.D.
Research Molecular Biologist | USDA ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center
Adjunct Assistant Professor | Department of Nutrition
mary.kable@ars.usda.gov | Facutly Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Dr. Kable is interested in the interaction between microbial communities, food and human health. Using in vitro digestion/fermentation models and sequence based characterization of microbial community structures during human dietary interventions, the Kable Lab investigates how foods rich in complex carbohydrates and polyphenols can influence the structure of the gut microbial community and its metabolic products. Dr. Kable collaborates closely with the Lemay and Stephensen labs to characterize how gut microbial characteristics influence human health.
Marcelo J. Kuroda, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology
mjkuroda@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: 1) Determining the role of monocyte/macrophages in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, chronic inflammation and aging; 2) Examining the immunology of aging, and; 3) Assessing the roles of macrophages in the pathogenesis of TB using the macaque model of TB/SIV.
Patrick Leung, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor | MED: Internal Medicine
psleung@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Primary biliary cirrhosis and other autoimmune diseases
Johan Leveau, Ph.D.
Professor | Plant Pathology
jleveau@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Plant-microbe interactivities in the phytosphere; microbial ecology of plants
Su-Ju Lin, Ph.D.
Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
slin@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of longevity
Tiffany Lowe-Power, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Plant Pathology
mtlowepower@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Bacteria-Plant Interactions, Xylem Pathogens & Mutualists, Host Range, Genetics, Metabolism, Microbial Ecology, Microbes
Paul Luciw, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Center for Comparative Medicine
paluciw@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Persistent infection with HIV and herpesviruses
Maria L. Marco, Ph.D.
Professor | Food Science & Technology
mmarco@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Beneficial bacteria associated with plants and animals
Steven McElroy, M.D.
Chief of Neonatology | Professor of Pediatrics
sjmcelroy@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Our long-term research goals are to understand the injury and repair mechanisms of the immature intestine. We are specifically focused on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) which is a devastating disorder that predominantly effects preterm infants. The laboratory has made seminal discoveries linking Paneth cells and goblet cells to the protection of the immature intestinal tract, has developed several complementary novel models of necrotizing enterocolitis that are shedding light on alternative pathways to develop NEC-like injury, and has begun to investigate the link between maternal chorioamnionitis and subsequent intestinal disease of offspring.
Stephen J. McSorley, Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology
Center for Comparative Medicine
sjmcsorley@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Innate and adaptive immune responses to Salmonella and Chlamydia infection; Mucosal Immunology; Vaccination against Salmonella
John C. Meeks, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
jcmeeks@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Sensory transduction and differentiation in cyanobacteria
Christopher J. Miller, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
cjmiller@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Pathogenesis and vaccine development in HIV and influenza
David A. Mills, Ph.D.
Professor | Food Science & Technology
damills@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Influence of diet on gut microbiota; food fermentations
Ben Montpetit, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (Yeast Biology) | Viticulture and Enology
benmontpetit@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Nuclear RNA processing and export is an essential task in all eukaryotes, but despite the vital significance of this process, many basic fundamental questions remain. These include: How does an RNA transit through a nuclear pore complex? How is RNA export altered in response to stress or viral infection? How do mutations in RNA export machinery contribute to disease? The Montpetit Lab is studying these cell biology questions with the goal of describing how components of nuclear pore complexes (NPC) direct and regulate RNA export at a cellular, molecular, and atomic level. Ultimately, this will allow us to better understand the interplay between nuclear RNA export, gene expression, and disease.
Douglas C. Nelson, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
dcnelson@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Biology of microbial sulfur transformations
Rebecca Parales, Ph.D.
Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
reparales@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Bacterial degradation of environmental pollutants
Niels Pedersen, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
ncpedersen@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Immunopathogenesis of feline retroviruses
Bennett Penn, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
bhpenn[at]ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: My laboratory uses proteomics and molecular genetics to elucidate how M. tuberculosis disrupts the host immune system
Richard V. Pereira, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Livestock Herd Health | VET MED: Population Health and Reproduction
rvpereira@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Antimicrobial resistance in cattle, with a focus on enteric and zoonotic pathogens, the microbiota, and applied management practices to improve stewardship of antimicrobial drug use
Katherine S. Ralston, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
ksralston@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Parasitology and host-pathogen interactions. Pathogenesis of Entamoeba histolytica infection. Host and amoeba cell biological pathways including phagocytosis, cytotoxicity, cell death and repair
Jorge Rodrigues, Ph.D.
Professor | Land, Air & Water Resources
jmrodrigues@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Soil microbiology, biological regulation of biogeochemical cycles, microbial diversity, land use change, tropical forest conservation and ecology, C and N turnover in termite hindguts
Pamela Ronald, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor | Plant Pathology & the Genome Center
pcronald@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: The role that genes play in a plant's response to its environment
John Roth, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
jrroth@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Origin of mutations during selection in Salmonella
Stefan Rothenburg, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
rothenburg@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Virology, Innate Immunity, Host-Virus Interactions, Host-Virus Evolution
Jeroen Saeij, Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
jsaeij@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: We study host-parasite interactions between the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii and its hosts. Toxoplasma can cause severe disease but its virulence differs, often quite dramatically, depending on the infecting strain and the host. Our focus is to identify genes of Toxoplasma that modulate the host cell and/or determine virulence, host genes and pathways that determine resistance/susceptibility, and to characterize their specific interactions.
Michael A. Savageau, Ph.D.
Distinguished Research Professor | Biomedical Engineering
masavageau@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Function, design and evolution of gene circuitry
Barbara Shacklett, Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
blshacklett@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Cell-mediated immune responses to HIV and other viruses in mucosal tissues
Priya Shah, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Chemical Engineering, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
prsshah@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Mosquito-borne flaviviruses such as dengue virus and Zika virus are a source of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. We study how these viruses hijack host machinery through virus-host protein interactions to better understand their replication and develop therapeutics. We use complementary techniques of global proteomics, genetics, and high-throughput sequencing to tackle these questions.
Karen Shapiro, D.V.M., M.P.V.M., Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Associate Agronomist | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Center for Comparative Medicine
kshapiro@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Justin B. Siegel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Chemistry
jbsiegel@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Computational enzyme design & engineering novel biosynthetic pathways
Christopher W. Simmons, Ph.D.
Professor | Food Science & Technology
cwsimmons@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Energy, water use and quality, food processing, genetics, microorganisms, soil science, sustainability, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, microbial communities, lignocellulose deconstruction, biofuels, bioenergy
Carolyn Slupsky, Ph.D.
Professor | Nutrition
cslupsky@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Dr. Slupsky's research includes understanding the impact of diet on human health from the perspective of nutrition, the gut microbiome, and host-microbial co-metabolism. She uses a multi-discplinary research approach that integrates metabolomics with clinical measures, global gene expression profiles, as well as microbial community analysis to understand the intimate link between our gut microbiome, metabolism, and health.
Wourtrina (Miller) Smith, Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Medicine & Epidemiology
wasmith@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Uses One Health approaches to investigate the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of zoonotic pathogens locally in California as well as internationally at multiple project sites in Africa and Asia
Esteban Soto-Martinez, Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Medicine & Epidemiology
sotomartinez@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Main research interests are to understand the pathogenesis of important infectious diseases of aquatic animals, and to develop strategies to protect animals from these diseases
Ellen (Liz) Sparger, Ph.D.
Associate Adjunct Professor | VET MED: Medicine & Epidemiology
eesparger@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Retroviral pathogenesis and vaccine development; AIDS vaccine development; Tumor immunology
Jeffrey Stott, Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
jlstott@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases in ruminant, equine and marine mammals
Dawn Y. Sumner, Ph.D.
Professor | Earth and Planetary Sciences
dysumner@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Evolution and ecology of microbial communities throughout Earth history and the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis
Ilias Tagkopoulos, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Computer Science
iliast@cs.ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Multi-omics integration, microbial evolution, systems and synthetic biology, bioinformatics and machine learning
Loubna Tazi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
ltazi@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Evolutionary genetics and population dynamics of pathogens; Host-pathogen interactions; Evolution of drug resistance in pathogens
George Thompson, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
grthompson@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Current research focuses on the host-pathogen interaction of humans and both Coccidioides spp. (the agent of "Valley Fever"), and Cryptococcus spp
Jose V. Torres, Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
jvtorres@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Tumor immunology and vaccine development
Renee Tsolis, Ph.D.
Professor | MED: Microbiology & Immunology
rmtsolis@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Immune evasion and Type IV secretion in Brucella
Rachel L. Vannette, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Entomology & Nematology
rlvannette@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Understanding and predicting how microbial communities influence interactions between plants and insects.
Luxin Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Food Science and Technology
lxwang@ucdavis.edu | Lab Website
Research Interests: Ecology of foodborne pathogens, Impact of product shelf life on food safety, antibiotic-resistant genes and pathogens in food production chain
Bart C Weimer, Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Population Health & Reproduction
bcweimer@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Microbial physiology, genomics, and stress of industrial and foodborne pathogens
Sebastian Winter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Infectious Diseases | Internal Medicine
Center for Comparative Medicine
sebwinter@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Host-microbe interactions, enteric pathogens, microbial and host metabolism, role of microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease, role of microbiome in the context of colorectal cancer
Lifeng Xu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
lfxu@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Mechanisms of human telomere length regulation and end protection
Tilahun Yilma, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor | VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
tdyilma@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Vaccine development in AIDS and smallpox
Glenn M. Young, Ph.D.
Professor | Food Science & Technology
gmyoung@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page
Research Interests: Type III protein secretion in Yersinia
Huaijun Zhou, Ph.D.
Professor | Animal Science
hzhou@ucdavis.edu | Faculty Page | Lab Website
Research Interests: Research in immunogenetics, molecular genetics, functional genomics, and bioinformatics in poultry