Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Assistant Professor @ WPI with a passion for mentoring research students in host-pathogen interactions, bacterial genetics, and any other fun science that comes my way. Currently interested in understanding how Borrelia burgdorferi, a Lyme disease spirochete, spreads in nature and how it causes post-treatment disease sequelae in humans. Google Scholar: bit.ly/3Mhtc18
The Bourgeois Lab at the WPI Department of Biology and Biotechnology strives to understand how pathogens and hosts interact. Specifically, we leverage natural diversity (pathogen and host diversity) to try to understand the processes that are important for specific phenomena to occur. Our work primarily involves studying the predominant North American Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Two fundamental questions being addressed by the lab are: (1) How do Borrelia burgdorferi, Ixodes scapularis “deer ticks”, and reservoir hosts interact to propagate B. burgdorferi in nature? (2) Why are clinical manifestations of Lyme disease so variable in human patients? Additional projects seek to investigate basic concepts of B. burgdorferi biology, potential therapeutic interventions for Lyme disease, and disruption of the enzootic cycle. Classroom Teaching: BB2550 - Cell Biology BB561 - Model Systems: Experimental Approaches and Applications
Advisor: Dr. Linden Hu
BIOL1101 Lab: Life on Earth
Advisor: Dr. Dennis Ko
Advisor: Dr. Julia Paxson