Nathan Weyand

Nathan Weyand is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio University. He serves as the Director of Molecular & Cellular Biology and conducts research on bacterial pathogenesis, particularly focusing on Neisseria gonorrhoeae. His lab is located in the Life Science Building on the Athens Campus.

His research interests include understanding how N. gonorrhoeae recruits human proteins to evade innate immune defenses like the complement cascade. He also develops animal models—especially in rhesus macaques—to study bacterial colonization, transmission, persistence, and horizontal gene transfer related to antimicrobial resistance. These models help investigate host-pathogen interactions that are difficult to study in vivo.

The recent publications highlight a strong focus on molecular mechanisms of infection, immune modulation via host receptor manipulation (e.g., CD46), and genomic analysis of virulence gene exchange among Neisseria species. His work bridges microbiology, immunology, and molecular biology, contributing significantly to understanding asymptomatic bacterial carriage and resistance spread.

Nathan Weyand earned his Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

• Ph.D. – University of Utah

He teaches undergraduate courses including BIOS 3210: General Microbiology and BIOS 4270: Mechanisms of Gene Regulation. While no formal advisees or awards are listed in the provided text, his research program includes an active laboratory (Life Science Building 240) focused on molecular and cellular aspects of bacterial infection. Future work is likely to expand on animal modeling and immune evasion strategies of pathogenic Neisseria.