Brian Ahmer

Brian Ahmer is a Professor of Microbial Infection & Immunity at Ohio State University. His research focuses on understanding how pathogens like Salmonella interact with host environments and microbiota to cause infections. He completed his B.S. at Colorado State University (1990), Ph.D. at Washington State University (1994), and a postdoctoral fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University (1994–1999).

Research Interests: Ahmer leads three major projects:

• Salmonella detection of AHL signals from co-infecting pathogens to modulate virulence
• Multi-omics analysis of Salmonella infections in collaboration with microbiology and systems biology teams
• Targeting metabolic pathways (e.g., mannitol utilization) to develop novel antibacterial therapies

His work bridges microbial genetics, host-microbe interactions, and translational drug discovery.

Labs & Collaborations: Ahmer collaborates with labs like those of Kelly Wrighton (metagenomics) and Vicki Wysocki (structural biology). His research leverages cutting-edge omics technologies to study infection dynamics and metabolic vulnerabilities.