معرفی
Amy J. Karlsson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on protein and peptide engineering to combat fungal pathogens, particularly Candida albicans, with applications in drug delivery and therapeutic design. Her lab employs both rational design and directed evolution to engineer antifungal peptides, aiming to enhance their stability against proteases and efficacy against biofilms.
Recent work includes studies on histatin 5 variants, lipid-binding proteins like Osh4, and the development of peptide-based hydrogels for wound healing. She has also contributed to chemical engineering education, investigating learning outcomes in laboratory courses and integrating process safety education through incident reporting systems. Her lab emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining biochemical experiments with computational modeling to understand protein-membrane interactions.
Key collaborations include work on unit operations laboratory curricula and partnerships with institutions to advance antifungal research. Dr. Karlsson has advised multiple graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have transitioned to industry roles (e.g., Dinara Konakbayeva at Merck). Her lab’s innovations address urgent healthcare needs, such as combating drug-resistant fungal infections and improving laboratory safety standards.
