Cheryl Nickerson

Dr. Cheryl Nickerson is a Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) and a member of the Biodesign Center for Fundamental & Applied Microbiomics. Her research integrates microbiology, tissue engineering, and physics to study host-pathogen systems biology under terrestrial and spaceflight conditions. She focuses on biomechanical forces like fluid shear to understand microbial virulence and develop 3-D tissue models for biomedical applications.

Education: B.S. in Biology (Tulane University), M.S. in Genetics (University of Missouri), Ph.D. in Microbiology (Louisiana State University), with postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis.

Research interests include mechanobiology of infectious disease, 3-D tissue modeling, and microbiome studies in space habitats. Her work has led to spaceflight experiments on the International Space Station and collaborations with NASA via a Space Act Agreement. Notable contributions include discovering fluid shear's role in Salmonella virulence and pioneering 3-D tissue models for pathogen studies.

Awards include PECASE, NASA medals, and leadership roles in ASM and NIH panels. Her grants focus on spaceflight biology, pathogen virulence, and microbiome research.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Nickerson Lab at ASU, collaborating with NASA and institutions globally to advance space microbiology and translational biomedical research.