Directory
Administrative Core
Director

Karl Klose, Ph.D.
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Email: Karl.Klose@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Klose’s lab is interested in bacterial pathogenesis; they are researching Vibrio cholerae and Francisella tularensis.
Associate Director

Jose Lopez-Ribot, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
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Email: Jose.Lopezribot@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Lopez-Ribot's lab studies fungal infections, with an emphasis on the opportunistic pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.
Parliamentarian

Neal Guentzel, Ph.D.
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Email: Neal.Guentzel@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Guentzel’s research interests are in the area of infectious diseases, specifically microbial pathogenesis and immunity to infectious diseases.
Faculty

Astrid Cardona, Ph.D.
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Email: Astrid.Cardona@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Cardona’s lab is interested in immune responses that develop in the central nervous system. She studies fractalkine and its role during multiple sclerosis inflammation, utilizing experimental models of brain autoimmunity.

James Chambers, Ph.D.
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Email: James.Chambers@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Chambers’ research interests focus on biosensors, influenza epidemiology, and Francisella tularensis. He seeks to understand the processes that make it possible to develop new and novel treatment regimes, with special regard to treatments for illness associated with F. tularensis.

Ashok Chaturvedi, Ph.D.
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Email: Ashok.Chaturvedi@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Chaturvedi’s primary research interests lie in fungal proteomics, fungal biofilm, and immunology.

Mark Eppinger, Ph.D.
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Email: Mark.Eppinger@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Eppinger's research activities are aimed at the understanding of the pathogenome evolution and pathogenic potential of various human infectious microbes, their extant ecological diversity, and individual interplay of host and infectious agent.

Thomas Forsthuber, M.D., Ph.D.
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Email: Thomas.Forsthuber@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Forsthuber’s lab researches the role of the immune system in human diseases, in particular on T lymphocytes in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and in infectious diseases.

Kirsten Hanson, Ph.D.
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Email: Kirsten.Hanson@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Researech in Dr. Hanson’s lab focuses on the cellular and developmental biology of Plasmodium parasites and host-parasite interactions, particularly in the asymptomatic liver stage of the parasite lifecycle.

Hans W. Heidner, Ph.D.
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Email: Hans.Heidner@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Heidner’s research focuses on the replication of alphaviruses in vertebrate and mosquito cells, as well as the use of alphavirus-based vectors for cell targeting and vaccine applications and development.

Chiung-Yu Hung, Ph.D.
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Email: Chiungyu.Hung@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Hung’s research focuses on the mechanisms of fungal virulence and on the development of a vaccine against the human respiratory disease coccidioidomycosis (San Joaquin Valley fever).

Soo Chan Lee, Ph.D.
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Email: Soochan.Lee@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Lee's lab focuses on medical mycology and fungal pathogenesis, primarily mucormycosis, an emerging fungal infection that poses serious threats to public health.

Robert Renthal, Ph.D.
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Email: Robert.Renthal@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Renthal’s research involves protein biochemistry, cell membranes, and insect pheromone signaling.

Stephen Saville, Ph.D.
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Email: Stephen.Saville@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Saville’s lab focuses on the genetic regulation of Candida albicans cell shape and determining how morphological changes impact the ability of the fungus to cause disease in both mucosal and disseminated infection models.

Janakiram Seshu, Ph.D.
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Email: J.Seshu@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Research in Dr. Seshu's lab is deals with bacterial pathogenesis, Lyme Disease, Q fever, and the biology of Spirochetes.

Yufeng Wang, Ph.D.
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Email: Yufeng.Wang@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Research in Dr. Wang's lab focuses on the comparative genomics, molecular evolution, and population genetics of gene families.

Jieh-Juen Yu, Ph.D.
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Email: Jiehjuen.Yu@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Yu’s research interests are in the development of vaccines against respiratory bacterial pathogens and the elucidation of host immune responses to bacterial infection.

Guoquan Zhang, DVM, Ph.D.
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Email: Guoquan.Zhang@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of protective immunity against aerosolized intracellular bacterial pathogens and developing novel approaches for discovery of safe, effective vaccines and immunotherapeutic strategies against aerosol-transmitted intracellular bacterial pathogens.

Yan Zhang, Ph.D.
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Email: Yan.Zhang@utsa.edu |
Research Interests: Dr. Zhang’s research interests involve the mechanisms of host cell-microbial pathogen interaction and developing vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases.
Staff
Sara Eppinger, MS
Laboratory Manager - Mark Eppinger Lab
Lab: BSE 3.410
Phone:
Email: Sara.Eppinger@utsa.edu
Ildiko Forsthuber
Research Scientist Associate I - Thomas Forsthuber Lab
Lab: BSE 3.250
Phone: (210) 458-5499
Email: Ildiko.Forsthuber@utsa.edu
Elizabeth Morris
Research Scientist Assistant I
Lab: MBT 1.202
Phone: (210) 458-7025
Email: Elizabeth.Morris@utsa.edu
Christopher Pierce, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Office: MBT 1.240
Phone: (210) 458-7023
Email: Christopher.Pierce@utsa.edu
Cheryl Sandoval
Senior Administrator Associate
Lab: MBT 1.202
Phone: (210) 458-7016
Email: Cheryl.Sandoval@utsa.edu