Amanda Wollenberg

Amanda Wollenberg is an Associate Professor of Biology at Kalamazoo College, MI. She holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA from St. Olaf College. Her research focuses on molecular interactions between nematodes and bacteria, particularly studying innate immune responses in Caenorhabditis elegans and symbiotic relationships in parasitic nematodes like Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacterophora.

Education: PhD (Cellular and Molecular Biology, UW-Madison), BA (St. Olaf College). Research emphasizes host-microbe interactions, immune tolerance, and pathogenesis. Courses taught include Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Topics in Symbiotic Biology.

Publications span topics like bacterial community dynamics in insect cadavers and immune gene expression in nematodes. Awards include the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2005-2008) and NIH Molecular Biosciences Trainee (2008-2011). Her lab investigates how immune systems adapt to non-pathogenic bacteria, with implications for understanding symbiotic and pathogenic relationships.

Advising includes undergraduate researchers like M.E. Hoinville and T. Jagdish, co-authors on key studies. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms and ecological contexts, contributing to both fundamental and applied microbiology research.