Biography
Presently, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. Training at the Rockefeller University (PhD, 1998) with Peter Model and Harvard University (1999-2004) with Richard Losick.
Research interests: Mechanisms of entry and exit from dormancy in bacteria; organization & regulation of peptidoglycan synthesis; function of Ser/Thr phosphorylation in bacteria; interaction of bacteria with animals.
Seminar abstract
The ability of bacteria to enter into a state of dormancy is key to surviving states of environmental challenge including exposure to antibiotics. We have identified a conserved mechanism involving Thr phosphorylation of an essential translational GTPase that results in the inhibition of protein synthesis.