Erin Garcia

Erin Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on molecular mechanisms governing bacterial interactions in Burkholderia species, particularly through Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition (CDI) systems and their role in infectious disease.

• B.S., Central Michigan University (Biology)
• Ph.D., University of Michigan (Microbiology and Immunology)
• Postdoc, University of North Carolina

Her lab investigates how CDI systems in Burkholderia cepacia complex species mediate bacterial competition, biofilm formation, and toxin delivery. Key areas include BcpA secretion/import mechanisms, gene regulation, and toxin-immunity specificity.

Selected publications highlight her work on CDI system dynamics in pathogenesis, including interbacterial signaling, biofilm community structure, and Two-Partner secretion mechanisms. Her research bridges molecular microbiology and microbial ecology in Gram-negative pathogens.