Faculty Directory
Mark Brown
Professor, Department of Entomology
Characterize the structure and function of peptide hormones and their receptors that activate key reproductive processes in two mosquito species: the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.
M. Belen Cassera
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology applied to eukaryotic pathogens.
Donald Champagne
Associate Professor, Department of Entomology
Vector biology; salivary factors, particularly polypeptides, which facilitate blood feeding by inhibiting hemostatic defenses in vertebrate hosts.
Daniel Colley
Professor Emeritus, Department of Microbiology; Director, SCORE
Immunology of schistosomiasis and operational research in support of schistosomiasis control.
Roberto Docampo
Barbara and Sanford Orkin – GRA Eminent Scholar in Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases; Professor, Department of Cellular Biology
Metabolic pathways of trypanosomatids and malaria parasites.
Drew Etheridge
Associate Professor, Department of Cellular Biology
The Host-Parasite Interface; Identification and characterization of Toxoplasma gondii parasite effectors used to manipulate host cellular processes.
Stephen Hajduk
Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Molecular and biochemical basis of parasitic diseases
Donald Harn
Professor and GRA Distinguished Investigator, Department of Infectious Diseases
Identification of cell receptors and signaling pathways that drive anti-inflammatory activation of antigen presenting cells; development of vaccines and therapeutics for HIV-1 and schistosomiasis
Diego Huet
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Metabolomics and CRISPR-based approaches to understand the mitochondrial and organellar biology of a class of protozoan parasites, the apicomplexans.
Chester Joyner
Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases and Center for Vaccines and Immunology
Host-parasite interactions in relapsing and chronic Plasmodium infections
Jessica Kissinger
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Genetics; Institute of Bioinformatics
Comparative genomic approaches to address issues relevant to the evolution and biology of the Apicomplexa. Big data and data integration for the solution of biological and host-pathogen interaction research questions.
Samarchith Kurup
Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular Biology
Malaria immunology
Dennis Kyle
Director, CTEGD; GRA Eminent Scholar in Antiparasitic Drug Discovery; Professor, Departments of Cellular Biology and Infectious Diseases
Drug discovery and mechanisms of resistance; malaria, “brain-eating” amoebae, and visceral leishmaniasis
Patrick J. Lammie
Principal Investigator, Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center, The Task Force for Global Health; Adjunct Senior Research Scientist, Department of Cellular Biology
Immunology of human bancroftian filariasis and cryptosporidiosis.
Kojo Mensa-Wilmot
Dean, College of Science & Mathematics, Kennesaw State University
Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and molecular biology of Trypansoma brucei. Discovery of signaling pathways regulating essential processes in the parasite.
Andrew Moorhead
Associate Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases
The role of host-specific cues in development of filarial worms, specifically Dirofilaria immitis and Brugia malayi
Silvia Moreno
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Cellular Biology
Biochemical studies of Toxoplasma gondii: identification of differences in Ca2+ metabolism and function between the host cell and the parasite.
Vasant Muralidharan
Associate Professor, Department of Cellular Biology
Cells in infection and immunity, Cell structure and function
Ynes Ortega
Associate Professor, Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Science & Technology
Detection of human and animal pathogenic parasites in food, biological and environmental samples; pathogenesis of coccidian parasites with emphasis on Crytosporidium parvum and Cyclospora cayetanensis. Methods for parasite inactivation in food products.
Douglas Paton
Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases
The transmission of malaria parasites by Anopheles mosquitoes, host/pathogen interactions, and development of new tools for malaria elimination.
David Peterson
Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases
Role of Plasmodium adhesion proteins in pathogenesis of placental malaria.
Alex Rosenberg
Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases
Host-parasite interaction: Identification of mechanisms that host cells use to inhibit intracellular parasites, and discovery of the molecular mechanisms used by parasites to block these pathways.
Tania Rozario
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics
How stem cells and germ cells are regulated to enable feats of growth, regeneration, and reproduction in the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta
Robert Sabatini
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Antigenic variation in African trypanosomes
Mike R. Strand
Regents Professor, Department of Entomology
Parasite-host interactions with emphasis on the study of parasitic wasps (parasitoids), insect development, and immunity.
Rick L. Tarleton
Regents Professor, Department of Cellular Biology, and UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences
Mechanisms of immunity and disease in Trypanosoma cruzi infections.
Christopher West
Distinguished Research Professor and Department Head, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The evolution and function of parasite glycosyltransferases, utilizing biochemistry in conjunction with gene editing and glycomic profiling to elucidate enzymatic and cellular roles.