Kirsten Hanson

Kirsten Hanson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), within the College of Sciences. Her research lab focuses on the cellular and developmental biology of Plasmodium parasites, particularly during the asymptomatic liver stage of malaria infection. She uses rodent models such as P. berghei and P. yoelii to study host-parasite interactions and conduct high-content phenotypic screens for novel antimalarial compounds.

Her research interests include:

• Antimalarial drug discovery
• Automated high-content imaging
• Host-parasite interactions
• Plasmodium cell and developmental biology

The trends in her research, though specific publications are not listed, center on understanding the early lifecycle of malaria parasites in hepatocytes, where a single sporozoite replicates into thousands of progeny within a protected vacuole, ultimately leading to blood-stage infection and disease symptoms. This work has strong implications for early intervention strategies and drug development targeting the pre-symptomatic phase of malaria.

Dr. Hanson has supervised doctoral students and research associates, contributing to training the next generation of scientists in infectious disease research.

• Daniel Ferguson – Doctoral Student
• Jim McLellan – Doctoral Student
• William Sausman – Research Associate
• Fabrice Ntalindwa – Undergraduate Student

She is supported by institutional resources at UTSA and collaborates within the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (STCEID). There are no listed scientific awards in the provided texts.

Dr. Hanson earned her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and completed her M.S. and B.A. at the University of Chicago. Her lab is located in BSE 3.408, and she can be reached at 210-458-5221 or via email at Kirsten.Hanson@utsa.edu.