Rasika M. Harshey

Rasika M. Harshey is Professor and Mary M. Betzner Morrow Centennial Chair in Microbiology at UT Austin's Department of Molecular Biosciences. Her dual research programs investigate transposable phage Mu dynamics in E. coli, and bacterial signaling mechanisms governing motility and antibiotic resistance.

Harshey's laboratory explores how flagellar rotation induces mutagenesis, iron homeostasis memory systems, and swarm-mediated necrosignaling. Recent discoveries demonstrate physical links between bacterial motility and DNA damage, revealing new evolutionary adaptation pathways.

She mentors graduate students including Suvadip Bhattacharyya and Niru Bhattarai, with collaborative projects spanning biophysics, genetics, and microbial ecology. Laboratory facilities include single-cell tracking microscopy and microfluidic swarm assay platforms.