People

Faculty

Ben Montpetit, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor (Yeast Biology)
  • Viticulture and Enology
  • Food Science and Technology
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.

Richard V. Pereira, D.V.M., Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of Clinical Livestock Herd Health
  • Associate Agronomist
  • VET MED: Population Health and Reproduction
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

Jeroen Saeij, Ph.D.

  • Professor
  • VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
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.