Jessica Kissinger

Jessica Kissinger is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on parasite genomics, bioinformatics, and host-pathogen interactions, with emphasis on apicomplexan pathogens including Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and malaria-causing Plasmodium species.

Education:
• A.B. cum laude, University of Chicago (1989)
• Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Indiana University (1995)
• Postdoctoral training at NIH/NIAID, FIOCRUZ Brazil, and University of Pennsylvania

Research Focus:
Dr. Kissinger leads projects in comparative genomics, data integration, and systems biology of eukaryotic pathogens. Her lab develops computational tools for analyzing parasite genome evolution and host-pathogen dynamics, supported by NIH funding including the VEuPathDB resource center.

Awards and Honors:

• University Professor, UGA (2025)
• Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award (2024)
• Fellow, AAAS (2021)
• Fulbright Scholar (2022)
• Distinguished Research Professor (2017)

Current Projects:
Her group combines wet-lab and computational approaches to study organellar genome evolution, gene regulation in Cryptosporidium, and multi-omics analysis of host-parasite systems through active NIH grants (R21AI180871, R01AI148667). She advises graduate students and collaborates internationally on parasitic disease research.