Rachel J. Whitaker

Rachel J. Whitaker is the Harry E. Preble Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the Department of Microbiology in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She leads the Whitaker Lab, studying microbial evolution, archaeal biology, and viral symbiosis. Her work focuses on CRISPR-Cas systems, microbial ecology, and infectious disease dynamics.

Education:

• B.A. in Biology and Science in Society, Wesleyan University (1993)
• Ph.D. in Microbiology, University of California, Berkeley (2004)
• Postdoctoral Research in Geomicrobiology, UC Berkeley (2006)

Research Interests: Whitaker’s team investigates archaeal genome evolution, viral-microbe interactions, and the role of CRISPR-Cas immunity in microbial ecosystems. Key areas include:

• Archaeal cell biology and physiology
• Phage-driven evolutionary dynamics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• One Health approaches to infectious disease
• Sulfolobus islandicus as a model organism

Awards & Honors:

• Allen Distinguished Investigator Award (2017)
• University Scholar Award (2020)
• American Academy of Microbiology Fellow
• Co-Director, Microbial Diversity Course at Marine Biological Lab

Advising & Grants: Whitaker oversees the Whitaker Lab and collaborates on initiatives like the Infection Genomics for One Health Theme at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. Her work is funded by grants such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and NIH.

Labs & Teams: Research is conducted in the Whitaker Lab, focusing on experimental evolution, genomics, and molecular biology. Partnerships include the Carl R. Woese Institute and the Marine Biological Lab.