James A Imlay

James A Imlay is the Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, serving as Associate Head of the department. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry and English from Duke University (1981), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley (1987), and completed postdoctoral training at Duke University (1987-1992).

• Research Focus: Molecular mechanisms of oxidative damage, cellular defenses against oxidants, and obligate anaerobiosis
• Primary Model: Escherichia coli, with studies on Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron for anaerobic systems
• Key Topics: Superoxide/H₂O₂ toxicity, iron-sulfur cluster damage, microbial oxidative stress adaptation

His work elucidates how reactive oxygen species (ROS) arise during metabolism, damage cellular components like enzymes and DNA, and how microbes counteract this via enzymatic scavenging, iron metabolism shifts, and stress-induced gene expression. Recent studies address ROS production sources, membrane barriers to oxidative stress, and manganese substitution as a defense strategy.

Publications span 123+ peer-reviewed articles, including recent work on membrane barriers to oxidative stress, antioxidant misapplication, and fatty acid dehydrogenase ROS generation. His lab also explores anaerobic survival mechanisms and pathogen resistance to phagocyte oxidative bursts.

Notable recognition: Swanlund Endowed Chair (premier academic honor at UIUC). Research supported by grants addressing iron homeostasis, enzyme metalation strategies, and microbial stress resilience.

Laboratory activities include genetic screens, enzymatic assays, and metabolic profiling, with collaborations on microbial ecology and human health implications of oxidative stress.