Faculty Members

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Shinji Makino, DVM, PhD

Pathogenesis, vaccine development, virology
View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »
We study various aspects of SARS coronavirus-host cell interactions, attempting to understand viral pathogenesis at the molecular level. We also study viral RNA synthesis, assembly, virus-host cell interactions and vaccine development of Rift Valley fever virus, which is highly pathogenic for humans and ruminants.

Junki Maruyama DVM, PhD

Zoonosis, viral hemorrhagic fever, animal model, pathogenicity, host immune response, vaccine/therapeutic development
View Research Experts profile »
My research focuses on zoonotic viruses, such as influenza virus, filovirus, arenavirus, and coronavirus. My research approaches include reverse genetic system, molecular biology, animal model development, and vaccine/therapeutic development.

Jere McBride, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile »
Identification and molecular characterization of protective immunodeterminants of Ehrlichia spp., investigation of pathogenic mechanisms and host-pathogen interactions of Ehrlichia, understanding the molecular mechanisms in the adaptation of Ehrlichia to mammalian and arthropod hosts, and translational research on development of diagnostics and vaccines for the ehrlichioses.

Peter Melby, MD, FASTMH

View Department of Internal Medicine profile »
Dr. Melby is the director of both the Center for Tropical Diseases and the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases. His research focuses on the immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases, particularly leishmaniasis. His laboratory is involved in studies of mechanisms of disease, the impact of malnutrition on host defense, drug discovery, and point-of-care diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases. He is also involved in clinical and research training in tropical infectious diseases.

Mehta, Neil, PhD
https://www.utmb.edu/chi/home
Dr. Mehta is Professor of Epidemiology, Associate Dean for Research at UTMB’s School of Public and Population Health, and Director of UTMB’s Center for Health-System Improvement. Dr. Mehta’s research focuses on the demography and epidemiology of older adults with a focus on cardio-metabolic disease. He also has interests on the health of immigrants in the US.

Vineet Menachery, PhD
Adjunct Associate Professor
View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile
I am interested in emergence of novel coronaviruses and the role of host factors/comorbidities in infection outcomes. The emergence of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV underscores the threat of cross-species transmission events. Our experimental platforms seek to leverage metagenomics data, robust reverse genetic systems, and the CoV life cycle to prepare for future CoV outbreaks. A second research focus considers the impact of comorbidities on specific host factors and infection outcomes.

Terumi Midoro-Horiuti, MD, PhD

View Sealy Center for Vaccine Development profile »
My research focuses on structure and functions of allergens and environmental effects on the development of allergic diseases. We are working on the mechanism of prenatal and early post natal environment, including microbiome on the immune development.

Chad Mire, PhD

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »
My research focuses on understanding host-pathogen interactions of lethal negative strand RNA viruses. Using reverse genetics we characterize viruses in vitro and in vivo elucidating what is important for virus replication thereby potentially revealing pathways for small molecule inhibitors or therapeutics which can be targeted for protective benefit.

Vladimir Motin, PhD

Bacteriology, pathogenesis, vaccine development, systems biology
View Department of Pathology profile »
My major research interest is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underlie the nature of the acute bacterial infectious process caused by Y. pestis, the etiological agent of plague. The unraveling of Y. pestis virulence network will allow us to determine novel targets for therapeutics beyond antibiotics, generation of new vaccines and for development of robust diagnostic assays.

Frederick Murphy, DVM, PhD

Professor Emeritus
Email Dr. Murphy »

Hema Prasad Narra, PhD

My research focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis by Rickettsia and Orientia species. We apply multidisciplinary approaches including genomic, proteomic, and next-generation sequencing to identify virulence and persistence determinants and address the complex interactions of the pathogen with their mammalian host and arthropod vector.
Webpage Link

Surendra Negi, PhD

Bioinformatics, computational biology
My research focuses on: 1) understanding the molecular recognition mechanisms used by proteins to perform various cellular functions and their role in human diseases using computational strategies, 2) use of immunoinformatics for epitope discovery and rational vaccine design, and 3) the development of new strategies to overcome emerging drug resistance.

Guy Nir, PhD

Research interests: How do genomes reorganize in 3D to regulate functional outputs, specifically during a viral infection? To study that, we are utilizing a recent super-resolution genome imaging technology we developed to explore the structural and transcriptional response of the host genome to viral infections. We believe that our unique approach could uncover novel therapeutic targets.
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Juan Olano, MD

Bacteriology, anatomic and clinical pathology, endothelial pathology, pathogenesis
View Department of Pathology profile »My research interests are focused on the pathogenesis of obligate intracellular bacteria. My long term goal is to study molecular pathogenesis of rickettsioses. I am interested in adherens- and tight junction proteins and the signal transduction pathways involved in their regulation. Another area of focus is the development of ultrasensitive diagnostic methods for rickettsial infections and the development of small animal models.

Andres Oberhauser, PhD

View Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology profile »My research focuses on the dynamics and mechanics of proteins using single-molecule manipulation techniques. My laboratory has developed methods to investigate the effect of disease-causing mutations on the nano-mechanics of muscle and kidney protein complexes. We are also using AFM-based nano-mechanical studies in living cells infected with Rickettsiae montanensis.

Slobodan Paessler, DVM, PhD

Molecular biology, viral pathogenesis, vaccine/antivirals, and diagnostics development
View Department of Pathology profile »My main research interest is in understanding the mechanisms by which emerging RNA viruses cause encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever, or respiratory diseases. Central nervous system (CNS) invasion by RNA viruses is a particularly complex and fascinating process. We seek to elucidate the nature of the neuroinflammatory response to CNS invasion by viruses in diverse families such as Togaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Bunyaviridae and Arenaviridae.

Janak Patel, MD

View Department of Pediatrics profile »
I am engaged in clinical practice of pediatric infectious diseases. My research interest is in the study of respiratory viral epidemiology, host response and complications leading to acute otitis media in children. The roles of host genes of innate immunity, cytokines and viral-bacterial interactions in the nasopharynx are also being studied.

C.J. Peters, MD

Professor Emeritus
Email Dr. Peters »

Vsevolod Popov, PhD, DSc
Bacteriology, pathogenesis, structural biology/imaging, electron microscopy, virology
View Department of Pathology profile »My research interests include ultrastructure of bacteria (especially rickettsia, ehrlichia, anaplasma, and chlamydia), viruses and protozoa pathogenic for humans and animals and their interaction with the host cells at the ultrastructural level in patients and in model systems.

Don Powell, MD

Professor Emeritus
View Department of Internal Medicine profile »My research interests currently include the biology of intestinal mesenchymal cells, including their role in the colon cancer microenvironment and their immunological role in promoting immune tolerance or in the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease and the response to infection.

Brendan Prideaux, PhD

View Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology, & Anatomy profile »
My research interests are the application of mass spectrometry and molecular imaging to the study of neuroscience and infectious disease. I am particularly interested in studying disease pathogenesis via lipid and metabolite imaging by mass spectrometry. Additionally, I am applying mass spectrometry imaging to map drug and metabolite distribution into tissues.

Richard Pyles, PhD

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »
My research group studies viral and bacterial infections of mucosal cells in the context of human microbiomes. Our research efforts are focused on urogenital, nasal and respiratory mucosae that are first exposure sites for the majority of pathogens using small animal models and novel ex vivo human culture systems. My lab group is also involved in clinical research and trials of novel mucosal delivery devices and probiotics.

Krishna Rajarathnam, PhD

Immunology, structural biology, protein engineering
View Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology profile »
Chemokine-mediated recruitment of circulating neutrophils to the site of infection forms the first line in host defense. My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which chemokines (such as CXCL8) interact with their GPCR receptors and glycosaminoglycans for orchestrating in vivo neutrophil recruitment in health and disease.

Ricardo Rajsbaum, PhD
Adjunct Professor

Immunology, host-pathogen interactions
View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »
We study host-pathogen interactions and innate immune responses to viruses. Specifically, we focus on members of the tripartite motif (TRIM) family of E3-ubiquitin ligases, which can have antiviral functions. We hope to identify new innate signaling components and viral proteins that are regulated by ubiquitin and could be targeted for therapeutic intervention.

Victor Reyes, PhD

View Department of Pediatrics profile »
The focus of my research is on regulation of mucosal immune responses. I have been active in characterizing the underlying immune mechanisms during infection of the gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and how Hp hijacks regulation of host immunity to establish chronic infection leading to gastric cancer. My lab has also been elucidating mechanisms leading to inflammatory bowel disease, a dysregulated response to normal flora. My research involves the use of cocultures of Hp-infected gastric organoids with human T cells to characterize the responses and deep sequencing of Hp isolates from different gastric disease states.

Lauren Richardson, PhD

View Department of OB-Gyn profile »
My research focuses on bridging the gap between bench-to-bedside research by merging advanced engineering and biology concepts. The goal of my research is to develop novel organ-on-chip devices that physiologically recreate in utero pregnancy-related organs and organ systems. Currently, we are focusing on immune cell regulation during physiologic and pathologic pregnancies.

Shannon Rossi, PhD

View Department of Microbiology profile »
My research interests include elucidating the factors that contribute to persistent arboviral infections, understanding how viruses can cause damage in immune-privileged tissues and developing vaccines to combat arboviral diseases. We primarily focus on flaviviruses (Zika virus), alphaviruses (chikungunya virus) and coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2) and animal model development to address these interests.

Richard Rupp, MD

View Sealy Center for Vaccine Development profile »
Dr. Rupp is the Director of Clinical Trials and Clinical Research and a member of the Executive Committee for the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development (SCVD). He leads the SCVD Clinical Trials Group, and is a Principal Investigator for clinical trials, Phase I to IV, in both pediatric and adult populations. Vaccines studied have included those protecting against human cytomegalovirus, seasonal, avian and pandemic influenza, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, Dengue, varicella, Herpes simplex 2, and meningococcal disease.

William Russell, PhD

View Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology profile »
Dr. Russell is an Associate Professor, Director of the Mass Spectrometry Facility, and Director, UT System Proteomics Network in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Russell's interest is in gaining better understanding of the molecular level mechanisms of infection using mass spectrometry-based analysis. To achieve these interests, his team identifies and quantitate metabolites, lipids, proteins, post-translational modifications, and protein complexes.

Abha Sahni, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile »
Dr. Abha Sahni’s primary research interests include delineation of interactions between host endothelium and pathogenic bacteria with emphasis on endothelial pathobiology, pathogen entry mechanisms, and pathogenesis of human rickettsioses. Another area of her expertise is the role of fibrinogen and growth factor interactions in inflammation induced cancer growth and metastasis.

Sanjeev Sahni, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile »
The ongoing research projects in my laboratory are focused on various aspects of spotted fever and typhus group rickettsioses, including activation/subversion of host signaling pathways regulating innate immune responses, apoptosis, autophagy, redox homeostasis, intracellular detection, and vascular inflammation/permeability to understand disease pathogenesis and to identify novel targets for therapeutic interventions.

Omar Abdul Saldarriaga, DVM, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile
My main research interest is to use state-of-the-art technology to understand the immunopathologic mechanisms that drive inflammation and progression of sarcoidosis. My primary goal is to utilize the lung and hepatic microenvironments to determine potential treatment targets, enabling precision medicine approaches and targeted therapies for this complex systemic inflammatory disorder. CV

Catherine Schein, MSc, PhD

View UTMB Researchgate profile »
My research focuses on structure and sequence based design of vaccines, anti-virals and inhibitors of toxins. My research group uses molecular docking tools, assembly of large databases, bioinformatic analytic methods, specialized methods for physicochemical property (PCP-) based consensus and motif identification, and analysis of variance.

Jian Sha, MD, MS

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »My research focuses on studying bacterial pathogens such as Aeromonas, Salmonella, and Yersinia species, particularly host-bacteria interactions and new virulence determinant identifications. I also study brain leukoencephalopathy associated with the mutation of Phospholipase A2-activating protein. We have demonstrated that bacterial products such as cholera toxin and LPS activate PLAA-phospholipase A2 axis that orchestrates production of inflammatory mediators leading to the disease state in the host.

Michael Sherman, PhD

View Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology profile »My research focuses on structure of alphaviruses, protein complexes, and intracellular bacteria (e.g. rickettsia) to study protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. My research approaches include different imaging techniques in electron microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy and (cryo-) electron tomography.

Pei-Yong Shi, PhD
Adjunct Professor

View Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology profile »
My research focuses on flavivirus replication, diagnosis, antiviral, and vaccine. We take a multidisciplinary approach (structural, molecular, and chemical biology, and animal model) to unravel disease mechanism and develop countermeasure. Many of our projects are highly collaborative with both academic and pharmaceutical partners around the world.

Xuan-Zheng “Peter” Shi, MD, MS

View Department of Internal Medicine profile »
My lab has research interests in gut inflammation and immunity, and the role of gut microbiota in the development of gut dysfunctions and immune impairments.

Mark P. Simons, PhD, D(ABMM), MSCPH

Email Dr. Simons »
Dr. Simons is the director of the Navy Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory and an adjunct member of the IHII. Research interests include interactions/impacts of wound microbial ecology and host immune responses on wound infection clearing and healing, as well as diagnostic assay development, epidemiology of emerging infections and antibiotic resistance, and the public health impact of novel interventions and therapeutics.

Lynn Soong, MD, PhD

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »
My research focuses on immune regulation and mechanisms of pathogenesis following Orientia or Leishmania infection. Using genetic and immunological approaches, we examine how these intracellular pathogens establish the infection at skin inoculate sites and alter innate or adaptive immune responses, leading to acute tissue damage and persistent infections.

Heather Stevenson-Lerner, MD, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile »
My primary research focus is to determine how dysregulated hepatic immune responses lead to fibrosis development and cirrhosis. We are using multispectral imaging to phenotype hepatic lymphocytes, macrophages, and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in human liver tissue to determine their role in liver injury and improper wound healing. Our IRB-approved clinical study currently has 99 HCV-infected patients enrolled from which we are collecting blood and liver biopsy samples before and after treatment with the recently developed IFN-free, direct-acting antivirals.

Jiaren Sun, MD, PhD

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »
My research focuses on the immunological mechanisms during viral hepatitis and other liver diseases. Our research approaches include the generation of transgenic mouse systems, molecular and cellular manipulation and intervention in vivo, and advanced analytic methodologies to gain an insight to the complexed virus host interaction in the liver. 

Kaori Terasaki, DVM, PhD

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile
My primary research interest is studying the mechanisms of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) genome packaging and vaccine development. Our research on vaccine development is focused on generating novel single cycle replicable RVFV as safe vaccine candidates.

Robert Tesh, MD

Email Dr. Tesh »

Tracy Toliver-Kinsky, PhD

View UTMB Research Expert profile » Current research efforts are focused on the use of a dendritic cell (DC) growth factor, fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 ligand (Flt3L), as a prophylactic treatment after burn injury to enhance immune function and decrease susceptibility to infections. Current projects are investigating the cellular and molecular responses of DCs to Flt3L signaling, and the mechanisms by which DCs enhance neutrophil migratory capacity.

Alfredo Torres, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile »Dr. Torres is interested in the mechanisms used by diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains to adhere to and colonize intestinal epithelia. His laboratory is also investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of Burkholderia mallei and B. pseudomallei, with the goal of developing novel vaccines and therapeutics.

Chien-Te "Kent " Tseng, MS, PhD
Pathogenesis, immunology, vaccine development, virology
View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »My research focuses on the pathogenesis of emerging RNA viruses, especially SARS-CoV and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Current projects include identifying innate signaling molecules and events relevant to immune evasion or protection, and establishing preventive and therapeutic strategies against aforementioned viruses. My approaches include reverse genetics, genomics and proteomics, gene knock-out/down, or constitutive expression to verify the roles of selected genes in viral pathogenesis.

Nikos Vasilakis, MA, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile » My research interests involve basic research on evolution and pathogenesis of arthropod-borne viruses, virus – mosquito, and virus – host interactions utilizing sylvatic dengue virus (DENV) as a model.

Kathleen Vincent, MD

View Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology profile » My research interests revolve around women’s health, particularly reproductive health related to STI/HIV and pregnancy prevention and pelvic floor disorders. I have led efforts to incorporate emerging imaging techniques and the sheep vaginal model for toxicity and pharmacokinetic evaluations. I currently am funded to conduct clinical studies that include microbiome and inflammatory markers to study the use of intravaginal rings to prevent HIV and for medical treatment of urinary incontinence.

David Walker, MD

View Department of Pathology profile » My research interests focus on arthropod transmitted-obligately intracellular Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, and Orientia. Excellent mouse models and state-of-the-art immunologic approaches are employed to elucidate mechanisms of immunity and pathogenesis and vaccine development.  Other key activities include international collaborations in Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, and Cameroon.

Hui Wang, PhD

My research focuses on the immunotoxicity of environmental pollutants in autoimmune-prone individuals. My current work is to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of the bidirectional relationship between the gut and microbiome, and its impact on liver (gut-liver axis) in autoimmune hepatitis.

Tian Wang, PhD

View Department of Pathology profile »
My research focuses on understanding of immune response to West Nile virus infection in protection and pathogenesis. West Nile virus, a vector-borne pathogen, has resulted in annual outbreaks of viral encephalitis in North America since 1999. Using a murine infection model, my current work explores immune factors contributing to the development of long-lasting protective immunity against West Nile virus.

Scott Weaver, PhD

Pathogenesis, structural biology/imaging, vaccine development, vector biology, virology

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile » My research focuses on arboviruses, including mechanisms of emergence from enzootic cycles, evolution, mosquito-virus interactions, and vaccine development. My research approaches include reverse genetics to identify adaptive mutations that mediate host range changes, and field studies in Africa and Latin America to understand the ecology and epidemiology of emerging arboviruses.

Courtney Brooke Woolsey, PhD

Assistant Professor, Non-Tenure Track
Research focuses on understanding the immunopathology of emerging and re-emerging viruses requiring maximum biocontainment (BSL-4). She employs advanced immunological tools such as spectral cytometry/sorting and spatial biology to dissect natural and vaccine-mediated host immunity to these pathogens. The overall objective is to harness this knowledge to improve medical countermeasures. Her specific interests include 1) generating rapid-acting and durable vaccines against high containment pathogens, 2) characterizing how these vaccines elicit early and sustained protection, and 3) exploring mechanisms of virus persistence and sequelae.

John E. Wiktorowicz, PhD

Adjunct Professor

Ping Wu, MD, PhD

View Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology profile »I am interested in neural infection, which includes using human neural stem-derived neurons and astrocytes to study the neural effect of various viruses, including HIV, Nippa and Hendra viruses, and Zika virus. I am also interested in studying viral infection of murine neural stem cells during neural development.

Min Kyung Yi, PhD

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »I am interested in dissecting the mechanisms of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication and HCV-induced pathogenesis. My current research interests are focused on the roles of HCV proteins involved in viral replicating organelles generation and virus particle assembly as well as their roles in pathogenesis including hepatic steatosis and fibrosis.

Qing Yang, MD, MS

View Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile »The work in my laboratory seeks to understand mechanisms underlying chemotherapy and traumatic injury-induced neuropathy, with a major goal to identify potential therapeutic targets that can be used to effectively treat chemotherapy- and traumatic injury-induced complications. At present, I seek to deconstruct the role of ion channels in spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced secondary degeneration and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) to gain new insight into improved treatment.

Whitney Yin, MD, PhD

View Department of Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology profile »My research focuses on antiviral drug toxicity for inhibitors against HIV reverse transcriptase. Our goal is to rational design drugs that are potent and low toxic using combination methods of structural biology, biophysics and molecular biology.

Zizhen Wu, PhD

Assistant Professor

View Department Profile»
Key words: Mechanotransduction, pain, neuropathy, hearing loss

My long-term research goals are to understand sensory perception and related disorders, developing new treatment methods. I will focus on identifying molecules involved in mechanotransduction in sensory neurons and defining the plasticity mechanisms in diseases like deafness and mechanical pain.

Wenbo Zhang, PHD

View Department Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences profile »
My research has focused on the study of vascular biology in retinal diseases, including diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. More recently, I have studied mechanisms of retinal neuronal and vascular injury and retinal neovascularization in ischemic retinopathy. Currently, I plan to bring my expertise in retinal neuronal injury and inflammation to elucidate how and why ZIKV infection causes retinal neuronal damage in collaboration with Dr. Tian Wang, an expert in virology.

Yingxin Zhao, PhD

View Department of Internal Medicine profile »My research interest is to use systems biology approach to better understand the innate immune response and to develop novel methodologies for quantitative proteomics profiling and protein posttranslational modification analysis.