Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., Biological Sciences, 2016, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
B.S., Biological Sciences, 2009, University of California, Davis

Biography
Jessica’s research in the TMS focuses on understanding how rare genetic variants (in MTOR, GPR35, and CXCR6) increase the susceptibility of previously healthy people to fungal infections, particularly those caused by the neurotropic pathogen Cryptococcus. Ongoing experiments using mouse models of disease and clinical samples will further determine the role of these genes in immunity and susceptibility to cryptococcosis in order to facilitate development of personalized therapeutic interventions.