Kat Milligan-McClellan

Dr. Kat Milligan-McClellan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology / Microbiology at the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on host-microbe interactions, particularly using threespine stickleback as a model organism to study how host genetic background influences gut microbiota composition and immune responses. She investigates microbiota differences between populations, microbial effects on fish development, and bioremediation potential against ecotoxicants.

Education: Postdoctoral Fellow (Host Microbe Interactions, University of Oregon), Ph.D. Microbiology (University of Wisconsin), and B.S. Medical Microbiology and Immunology (University of Wisconsin).

Her lab emphasizes inclusive science and interdisciplinary approaches, with projects addressing inflammatory bowel disease mechanisms, bioremediation of plastics, and microbiome assembly. Recent student achievements include awards for Sarah Pasqualetti (PhD), Jolie Atwood (Undergraduate), and Caroline Vieira Da Silva (PhD), as well as successful proposal defenses for their doctoral projects.

Contact: kat.milligan-mcclellan@uconn.edu | 91 N. Eagleville Rd, Storrs, CT 06269.