Patricia Kiley

Patricia Kiley is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health. Her research focuses on transcriptional regulation in bacterial responses to oxygen, particularly in Escherichia coli.

Education:

• B.S., University of Massachusetts, 1979
• Ph.D., University of Illinois (advisor: S. Kaplan), 1987
• Postdoctoral training, University of Wisconsin (advisor: W. Reznikoff), 1987–1990

Her research centers on oxygen-responsive transcription factors such as FNR and IscR, which use iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters to sense environmental changes and regulate gene expression. She investigates how these systems enable bacterial adaptation to anaerobic environments, including the gut, and how they contribute to virulence in pathogens. Her work combines molecular genetics, genomics, and biochemical approaches to dissect regulatory networks and stress responses.

Her recent publications highlight trends in Fe-S cluster biology, transcriptional control, bacterial stress sensing, and genome engineering in non-model organisms. These works reflect her leadership in understanding global regulatory circuits in bacteria.

Scientific Awards:

• National Institutes of Health National Service Award (1989)
• Shaw Scientist Award, Milwaukee Foundation (1992)
• NSF Young Investigator Award (1993)
• Vilas Associate Award (2004)
• Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (2007)
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2021)
• Robert Turell UWMF Professorship in Biomolecular Chemistry (2022)

Patricia Kiley leads a productive research group and has mentored numerous trainees. Her lab investigates fundamental mechanisms of gene regulation and their implications for microbial physiology and infectious disease. She is actively involved in academic leadership and continues to publish high-impact research.