Faculty
Areas of Specialization
- Coxiella burnetii Evolution and Virulence
- Microbial Genomics
- Regulatory RNA Evolution and Function
- Tick Endosymbionts Evolution and Function
Research Interests
Research in the Raghavan lab combines molecular microbiology with evolutionary genomics to investigate how changes in proteins and non-coding RNAs facilitate bacterial adaptation. Three main avenues of current research are:
- Utilize tick-associated Coxiella and Francisella to uncover how pathogens and symbionts rewire their physiologies to thrive in disparate environments
- Determine the roles bacterial and human regulatory RNAs play during Coxiella burnetii infection
- Discover how new regulatory RNAs originate and gain functions in bacteria
The long-term goal is to use this information to develop innovative therapies that target pathogen-specific RNAs and metabolites to control infections that are difficult to treat with currently available antibiotics.
Publications
