معرفی
Dr. Sampriti Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on understanding how bacteria decode and integrate self-generated and environmentally-derived stimuli to control transitions between individual and collective behaviors, particularly in the context of biofilm formation and bacterial pathogenesis.
Dr. Mukherjee received her BS and MS in Microbiology from the University of Calcutta (2007 and 2009), followed by a PhD in Microbiology from Indiana University (2014). She completed her postdoctoral training in Molecular Biology at Princeton University in 2020. Her laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach combining bacterial genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, microfluidics, fluorescence microscopy, and genome-scale studies to investigate bacterial signal detection, relay, and integration mechanisms.
Her research has significant implications for developing strategies to combat antibiotic-resistant infections by targeting bacterial communication systems rather than bacterial growth directly. The work has revealed novel mechanisms of bacterial communication, including the discovery of new quorum-sensing autoinducers and their receptors, the integration of photosensing with quorum sensing, and the regulation of biofilm development through combinatorial control of multiple signaling pathways.
Dr. Mukherjee's research has been recognized with several prestigious awards:
- Searle Scholars Program (2022-2025)
- NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00, 2018-2023)
- Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016-2019)
She currently leads multiple NIH-funded research projects as Principal Investigator, including R35GM150803 "Probing the role of sensory cues in the regulation of bacterial biofilm development" (2023-2028) and R00GM129424 "A New Quorum-Sensing Autoinducer Acts with the RhlR Receptor to Control Virulence and Biofilms in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa" (2018-2023), demonstrating her significant contributions to the field of bacterial signal transduction and pathogenesis.
Dr. Mukherjee's lab is part of the vibrant research community in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Chicago, collaborating with researchers studying bacterial pathogenesis, signal transduction, and microbial communities to advance our understanding of bacterial collective behaviors and their implications for human health.
