Jennifer Kerr

Dr. Jennifer Kerr is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU), holding the Dr. Mary Kay Shartle Galotto '64 Endowed Chair in Biological Sciences. She concurrently serves as a Visiting Faculty member at the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)-HIVE group and a Visiting Scientist at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory (ABBL). Her research focuses on antimicrobial strategies, antibiotic resistance, and microbiome dynamics.

Education: Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (University of Texas Health Science Center Houston), B.A. in Biology and Chemistry (Wesleyan College). She is a Tiny Earth Instructor Trainer and holds certifications in DataCamp's R and data science courses.

Research Interests: Dr. Kerr's work addresses global health challenges such as antibiotic resistance and access to treatment. Her projects include validating antibiotic resistance detection pipelines at the FDA, analyzing poultry microbiomes at the USDA, and developing bioinformatics-driven undergraduate curricula through the C-MOOR Science Program. She emphasizes collaboration across institutions to advance antimicrobial stewardship and equitable education.

Awards: Includes BEIC Fellowship (2023–2024), Leading Women Award (2022), and leadership roles in the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Maryland Branch and International Association for Dental Research (IADR).

Professional Contributions: Co-Principal Investigator for the C-MOOR initiative, promoting bioinformatics education via course-based research experiences. Active in science education equity through AJEDI initiatives.