Paul Dunman

Paul Dunman is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). His research focuses on bacterial pathogenesis, particularly targeting Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii, to develop novel antimicrobial strategies. Dunman's lab explores post-transcriptional regulation of virulence factors through mRNA turnover mechanisms, with a focus on RNA-binding proteins, non-coding RNAs, and ribonucleases as drug targets.

• Education: PhD in Microbiology (1999, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), BS in Arts & Sciences (1992, Delaware Valley College).

Research interests include drug discovery against antibiotic-resistant pathogens, efflux pump inhibitors, and combinatorial antibiotic therapies. His lab has identified small molecule inhibitors targeting RnpA and penicillin-binding protein 4 (PBP4) to combat MRSA. Dunman has published over 120 articles, with recent work on phenyl urea adjuvants and efflux pump modulation in A. baumannii.

Awards include the Distinguished Investigator (2010) and Joseph P. Gilmore Outstanding Investigator Award (2009).

Lab projects include the Luedemann Natural Product Discovery initiative screening desert bacteria for novel antibiotics and collaboration with the Quave Lab (Emory) to identify antimicrobial molecules. Dunman’s team also investigates radioprotective drugs using tissue chips and combinatorial therapies for ocular infections.