Kelley Gallagher

Kelley Gallagher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Her research focuses on bacterial development and antibiotic production in Streptomyces species, which are soil-dwelling actinobacteria with complex life cycles.

• Education: B.S. in Biological Sciences (2009) from the University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography (2015) from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

Her lab investigates how regulatory cascades coordinate sporulation and antibiotic production in Streptomyces, with broader implications for understanding bacterial evolution and improving antibiotic discovery. Key research areas include cyclic di-GMP signaling, cell division mechanisms, and secondary metabolism regulation.

Kelley's publications reveal consistent themes in bacterial signaling and developmental regulation, particularly focusing on Streptomyces' multicellular differentiation and environmental adaptation. The lab's work bridges molecular microbiology with ecological and evolutionary perspectives to manipulate antibiotic production pathways.

She teaches BIOMI 4850/6850: Bacterial Genetics, and her research has been published in prestigious journals including Nature Communications, Molecular Cell, and Nature Microbiology. The Gallagher Lab maintains active research programs in both fundamental bacterial biology and applied antibiotic discovery.