Our laboratory is focused on questions related to pathogen evolution, gene expression, and adaptation to different environments. We are especially interested in understanding how bacterial pathogens disrupt, avoid, or otherwise compromise the innate immune systems of their hosts. We primarily work with bacteria in the genus Yersinia, which includes Y. pestis, the cause of bubonic plague, as well as Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica, which cause food-borne illnesses.
