Katrina T. Forest

Katrina T. Forest is the EB Fred Professor of Bacteriology and Chair of the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds affiliations with the Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Responses Group, Microbial Symbiosis at UW-Madison, Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program, and Chemistry Department as an Affiliate Faculty. She previously served as Co-Director of the Women in Science and Engineering Residential College and the Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies (CIFS).

Education: B.S. from MIT (1987), Ph.D. from Princeton University (1993), and postdoctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute. Her research focuses on structural biology of pathogenesis, particularly Type IV pili and bacteriophytochromes. Key areas include pilus dynamics, light-sensing mechanisms in bacteria, and applications in nanotechnology and biomarkers.

Research interests emphasize structural microbiology and protein engineering. Her work on Type IV pili explores their role in bacterial movement and pathogenesis, while bacteriophytochrome studies aim to develop near-infrared biomarkers for in vivo imaging. Recent articles highlight structural biology, enzyme function, and microbial ecology.

• Awards: Vilas Associates Award (2018), Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (2015), and Keck Foundation Distinguished Young Scholars Award (2001).
• Teaching: Microbiology 470, 612, and 668 courses on microbial genetics, molecular machines, and structural biology.

Laboratory personnel include graduate students Chris Dade, Archishman Dakua, Xiaotian Gong, and David Hardy. Ongoing projects include pilin maturation, bacteriophytochrome engineering, and bacterial secretion systems.