Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunolgy

Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?

During my interview, I was impressed with the comradery of the faculty, staff, and students. When I visited to interview, my flight home was cancelled because of a snowstorm, but the organizers of my visit calmly arranged to get me home the next day. So, the excellent administrative support was also very apparent.

What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?

I won a travel grant from the Graduate School to present my research at an international conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada. It was three awesome days of science and fun in the Canadian Rockies, and I am extremely grateful for that opportunity.

What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?

Indianapolis is the best of both worlds. I have all the access to cutting edge research tools and expertise and all that life in the city has to offer yet cost of living has allowed me and my wife to own a home in a great neighborhood just five miles from campus.

Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.

I study allergic asthma development in children. I am especially interested in factors that predispose children to allergy while still in the womb. I am also interested in host-microbe interactions and am seeking to understand how children sometimes are predisposed to pathogenic bacterial colonization in the lung. I am an avid runner and posted a 3-hour 12-minute time in the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in 2022. I am also a dad, and I care deeply about increasing resources and awareness for the unique needs of graduate and professional students who are parents.