Lawrence Aaronson

Lawrence Aaronson is a Distinguished Professor of Biology in the School of Arts & Sciences at Utica College. He earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Rutgers University and conducted postdoctoral research at Yale School of Medicine.

• B.S. in Biological Sciences (Florida State University, 1979)
• Ph.D. in Microbiology (Rutgers University, 1984)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship (Yale School of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics)

His research focuses on antifungal defenses in animal skin, particularly sphingolipid-mediated barriers and antifungal bacterial flora. Key projects include studying sphinganine’s effects on fungal pathogens, biodiversity of bacteria in PCB-contaminated sediments, and swarming behavior in Bacillus cereus.

Recent work highlights antifungal mechanisms against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, calcium ionophore activity in Pseudomonas secretions, and educational innovations using popular fiction. He has mentored over 78 students in research.

• Crisafulli Distinguished Teaching Award (1996)
• Harold T. Clark Award for Research (1997)
• ASM/Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award (2007)
• Harold T. Clark, Jr. Professor of Microbiology (2010-2015)

Students in his lab have secured grants from ASM, The Microscopy Society of America, and Sigma Xi. His lab team investigates fungal membrane regulation and environmental microbiology.