Dr. Grace Hamilton – What are the limits of life? Is life beyond earth possible? One way to approach these questions is by studying the hardiest, most extremotolerant organisms on earth. That’s what we do in the Hamilton Lab, exploring why and how extremotolerant fungi change their cell shape in response to stress. By examining the genetic and cytoskeletal bases of cell shape plasticity and extremotolerance, we are building and understanding of how eukaryotic cells can adapt to survive and thrive in hostile environments. More About the Hamilton Lab
Dr. Kelsey Kean – Proteins are among the most abundant and functionally diverse biomolecules with the ability to carry out unique and specific functions and chemistries. In the Kean Lab, we are interested in understanding how proteins work – when working correctly, when behaving aberrantly, or when being engineered for a new function – and a key piece of this comes from exploring and understanding protein structure and function on a molecular level. We study a range of different proteins including enzymes from extremophiles such as tardigrades and enzymes involved in human disease.
Dr. Heather Miller – The Miller lab investigates how pathogenic bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be disarmed. We are primarily focused on novel anti-virulence compounds that reduce the ability of pathogens to resist antibiotics and/or form biofilms. To reveal the molecular mechanisms through which these anti-virulence compounds act, our lab uses high-throughput RNA sequencing approaches to measure differential gene expression in bacteria. Lab members gain critical thinking and scientific communication skills, basic and advanced laboratory skills including aseptic technique, mammalian cell culture, RNA purification, real-time PCR, and exposure to bioinformatic tools.