Predoctoral IRTA Fellow
Education:
B.S. and M.S., Microbiology (Oregon State University)
Biography
Using a combination of computational network analysis and systems biology principles we aim to understand how the underlying mechanisms of specific host-microbe interactions drive or protect against disease. This approach has led us to investigate how dietary fatty acids and microbes stimulate certain macrophage populations via the TLR pathway to promote inflammation in adipose tissue and decrease systemic insulin sensitivity, leading to onset of metabolic disease.