Current Faculty Areas of Research
Jeffrey M. Becker, Professor and Head of Microbiology. Office: F339 WLS, jbecker@utk.edu
membrane transport, structure and function of peptide pheromones/hormones and their receptors, signal transduction pathways, fungal virulence factors, and antifungal drug development.
Gladys Alexandre, Assistant Professor. Office: F425 WLS, galexan2@utk.edu
chemotaxis signal transduction and motility in plant-associated bacteria.
Alison Buchan, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Office: 639 S&E, abuchan@utk.edu
roles of microbes in natural environments, linking microbial taxa to critical ecosystem processes, functional gene diversity and biogeochemical processes, and enzymes and catabolic pathways.
Igor B. Jouline, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Office: F423 WLS, ijouline@utk.edu
reconstruction of regulatory networks from completely sequenced genomes. Prediction of protein-protein interactions and molecular evolution of signal transduction pathways.
Robert N. Moore, Professor of Microbiology; Associate Dean for Research, College of Veterinary Medicine. Office: VTH A102, rmoore1@utk.edu
Thandi Onami, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Office: F409 WLS, tonami@utk.edu
viral immunology and memory T cell differentiation; role of glycosylation in T cell function and migration; mucosal memory, apoptosis.
Todd Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Microbiology. Office: F321 WLS, treynol6@utk.edu
formation of multicellular, surface-attached microbial communites called biofilms, and fungal pathogenesis.
W. Stuart Riggsby, Professor Emeritus, sriggsby@utk.edu
Mark Y. Sangster, Assistant Professor of Microbiology. Office: F419 WLS, msangste@utk.edu
viral immunology, particularly B cell responses to influenza infection and vaccination and the nature of B cell memory.
Gary S. Sayler, Beaman Distinguished Professor of Microbiology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Director of the Joint Institute for Biological Sciences and Director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology. Office: 676 Dabney, sayler@utk.edu
analysis of biodegradative microbial community structure and function, genetic engineering strategies for biodegradative and biosensing organisms.
Pamela L. C. Small, Professor of Microbiology. Office: F323 WLS, psmall@utk.edu
bacterial pathogenesis, lipid-based virulence determinants in mycobacterial species, ecology of infectious diseases.
Tim E. Sparer, Assistant Professor of Microbiology. Office: F417 WLS, tsparer@utk.edu
cytomegaloviruses' modulation of the immune system, cytomegalovirus pathogenesis and dissemination, viral chemokines in atherosclerosis, the evolution of viral chemokines in cytomegaloviruses, chemokine receptors and their role in tumorigenesis.
Chunlei Su, Assistant Professor of Microbiology. Office: F409 WLS, csu1@utk.edu
virulence and population genetics of Toxoplasma gondii.
Steven W. Wilhelm, Professor of Microbiology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Office: 637 S&E, wilhelm@utk.edu
marine and freshwater microbial ecology and diversity, harmful algal blooms, aquatic biogeochemistry and aquatic viral ecology.
Erik Zinser, Assistant Professor of Microbiology. Office: 640 S&E, ezinser@utk.edu
molecular ecology, genetics, and genomics of marine and freshwater cyanobacteria.