Cari Vanderpool

Cari Vanderpool is a Professor of Microbiology and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on RNA-mediated genetic regulation in bacteria, particularly small RNAs (sRNAs) involved in stress responses and metabolic adaptation. She leads the Vanderpool Lab, which explores sRNA regulatory networks, membrane structure, and gut microbiota interactions.

• Education:
  • B.S. Microbiology, Purdue University (1998)
  • Ph.D. Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Minnesota (2003)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, National Cancer Institute (2006)
• Leadership Roles:
  • Director of Microbial Systems Initiative
  • Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology affiliate

Her research interests include bacterial sRNA function, membrane lipid modification, and prophage-encoded regulatory mechanisms. Notable contributions include the discovery of SgrS-mediated sugar stress regulation and the development of the SPOT tool for sRNA target prediction.

• Awards:
  • 2018 Charles G. Miller Professorial Scholar
  • 2013 Helen Corley Petit Scholar

Her lab investigates how sRNAs control bacterial physiology, metabolism, and membrane integrity, with applications to infectious disease and gut microbiome research.