Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, HHMI, University of Washington
Project Title: Translation of Evolution-guided Insights for New Models of Human Infectious Disease
Award Year: 2021
Biography
Dr. Mitchell earned his Ph.D. training with Dr. Harmit Malik and Dr. Michael Emerman at the University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center, where he studies the molecular evolution of host-pathogen interactions. He then completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Russell Vance at the University of California, Berkeley where his research focused on innate immune recognition and microbial pathogenesis. Now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, Dr. Mitchell is focused on understanding the principles that govern innate immune detection of ‘pathogen-specific activities’ – cues that discriminate pathogens from other harmless or helpful microbes. Using an evolution-guided, interdisciplinary approach, their research aims to uncover new biology at the host-pathogen interface that leads to rationalized therapeutic approaches to quell infectious disease and auto-inflammatory syndromes.