Arijit Chakraborty, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

My interest in host pathogen interaction was developed during my undergraduate years when I was introduced to a world of pathogenic diseases by my professors. Current interventions toward most pathogen-borne diseases are the use of antimicrobials which are not only toxic for the pathogens but also have deleterious effects on the host. This fact inspired me to delve deep into the understanding of the basic molecular mechanisms by which a pathogen infects the host and how the host defends against it. During the course of my doctoral study, I encountered an enigmatic pathogen, Leishmania donovani. I tried to understand and uncover its intelligent ability to destabilize the host immune system. As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Rahme’s Lab, I am interested in elucidating the molecular mechanism by which an opportunistic pathogen like Pseudomonas aeruginosa tries to evade immune response and lead to chronic infection. I am particularly interested in studying the process of evasion of immune response brought about by some potent Quorum sensing molecules that is produced by the bacteria.

Shifu Aggarwal

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Filip Kovacic, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist

After completing my undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Zagreb (PMF, Croatia) and earning my Ph.D. through the Marie-Curie early researcher training in molecular biology at the University of Düsseldorf (HHU, Germany), I led the Microbial Enzymology laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology in Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), for 10 years. My research on the notorious human pathogenic bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resulted in the discovery of several lipid-hydrolyzing enzymes and enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of phospholipid remodeling through the Lands cycle pathway, which we identified as crucial for bacterial adaptation and virulence. In January 2024, I joined Dr. Rahme’s Laboratory to study P. aeruginosa-host interactions, focusing on the mechanistic aspects of pathogen-mediated dysregulation of lipid homeostasis, immunometabolism, and epigenetic regulation in hosts. Understanding how these factors benefit bacterial survival in the host will facilitate the translation of discoveries in membrane lipid remodeling during host-pathogen interactions into medical applications. When not engaged in scientific endeavors, I promote good socio-ecological practices and plan my first space travel.

Alexandra Dimitriou

Visiting Researcher

Sujin Cha

Research Technician

Aislinn Mershon

Summer Intern from Colby College