The faculty members in the Microbiology and Immunology PhD Program belong to the outstanding community of scientists that includes Stony Brook University and nearby Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Faculty Research interests span a wide range of topics and experimental approaches. To find out more about the faculty and their research interests, search by research area or use the alphabetical list for a comprehensive list of program faculty.
Primary Faculty
Partha Biswas
Renal Immunology
Nicholas Carpino
Regulation of host responses to pathogen infection
Carol Carter
Retroviral assembly and post-assembly
Maurizio Del Poeta
Fungal pathogenesis
Priyadharshini Devarajan
Respiratory immune responses, immune responses in the elderly
Bruce Futcher
Cancer, cell cycle, microarrays, computational biology, yeast genetics
Ketaki Ganti
Influenza A virus (IAV) infections
Galadriel Hovel-Miner
Drug resistance and functional biology in trypanosomatid parasites
Hwan Kim
Tick-borne diseases
James Konopka
Signal transduction, morphogenesis and genetics of pathogenic fungi
Pawan Kumar
IL-17 signaling in human health and disease
Janet Leatherwood
Cell cycle control of DNA replication, cell cycle transcription, meiotic RNA processing
Erich Mackow
Determinants of viral pathogenesis, hantaviruses, rotaviruses, Dengue viruses, influenza viruses, coronaviruses
Nancy Reich Marshall
Signaling switches in gene expression by hormones and viral infection
Daniel Salamango
Virus subversion of host antiviral responses, HIV-1, influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2
Brian Sheridan
T cell memory and mucosal immunity, cancer vaccines
David Thanassi
Bacterial virulence factor secretion, E. coli pilus biogenesis, F. tularensis virulence mechanisms
Adrianus van der Velden
Host interactions with Salmonella
Training Faculty – Alphabetical List
| Partha Biswas | Renal immunology |
| Elizabeth Boon | Prokaryotic nitric oxide biology, biofilm formation and dispersal |
| Nicholas Carpino | Regulation of host responses to pathogen infection |
| Carol Carter | Retroviral assembly and post-assembly |
| Maurizio Del Poeta | Fungal pathogenesis and antifungal drug development |
| Priyadharshini Devarajan | Respiratory immunology, immune responses in the elderly |
| Josh Dubnau | Retrotransposons and neurological disease |
| Bettina Fries | Pathogenesis of Cryptococcus neoformans chronic infections; staphylococcal enterotoxin B |
| Bruce Futcher | Cancer; cell cycle; microarrays; computational biology; yeast genetics |
| Ketaki Ganti | Influenza virus spread; impact of host immunity on influenza virus transmission and genetic variation |
| Yusuf Hannun | Lipid mediators of cancer cell signaling |
| Galadriel Hovel-Miner | Drug resistance and functional biology in trypanosomatid parasites |
| A. Wali Karzai | Structure and function of RNA-binding proteins; SmpB¥SsrA quality control system |
| Hwan Kim | Tick-borne diseases |
| James Konopka | Signal transduction, morphogenesis and genetics of pathogenic fungi |
| Adrian Krainer | Posttranscriptional gene regulation by pre-mRNA splicing; RNA splicing in cancer and genetic diseases |
| Pawan Kumar | IL-17 signaling in human health and disease |
| Janet Leatherwood | Cell cycle control of DNA replication; cell cycle transcription; meiotic RNA processing |
| Erwin London | Membrane protein structure and function; cholesterol-rich membrane domains |
| Erich Mackow | Determinants of viral pathogenesis; Hantaviruses, Rotaviruses, Dengue viruses, influenza viruses |
| Ute Moll | Role of the p53/p73/p63 gene family in human cancer; transcription-independent mitochondrial apoptosis program of p53 |
| David Montrose | Understanding and modulating host intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the GI tract to prevent and treat colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease |
| Aaron Neiman | Molecular mechanism of spore formation |
| Nancy Reich Marshall | Signaling switches in gene expression by hormones or viral infection |
| Daniel Salamango | Virus subversion of host antiviral responses; HIV-1, influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2 |
| Jessica Seeliger | Synthesis and assembly of cell membranes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
| Brian Sheridan | T cell memory and mucosal immunology |
| Bruce Stillman | Mechanism and control of eukaryotic DNA replication |
| David Thanassi | Bacterial virulence factor secretion, E. coli pilus biogenesis, F. tularensis virulence mechanisms |
| Peter Tonge | Enzyme mechanisms and rational drug design |
| Christopher Vakoc | Chromatin regulatory pathways in the pathogenesis of cancer |
| Adrianus van der Velden | Host interactions with Salmonella |
| Charles Vorkas | Innate lymphocyte biology of infections and cancer |
| Michael Wigler | Molecular basis of cancer |
Professors Emeriti
Several of our retired professors in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology have been honored with the emeritus title for their distinguished service and contributions to research, education and the academic community. Though retired, they often remain engaged in scholarly activities, mentoring and departmental events for the department and the Renaissance School of Medicine.
Jorge Benach
Pathogenesis of spirochetal infections and host responses
James Bliska
Molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis
Nicholas Delihas
Control of gene expression, noncoding RNAs
Michael Hayman
Signal transduction in cell growth, differentiation and cancer, nuclear and membrane oncoproteins
Janet Hearing
SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug development
Patrick Hearing
Adenovirus-host cell interactions; viral vectors for human gene therapy
Eugene Katz
Dictyostelium discoideum developmental biology
Eckard Wimmer
Molecular biology of poliovirus replication, picornavirus pathogenesis
