Dr. Irina Kirpich joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology as tenure-track Associate Professor on July 1, 2022. She received her PhD from the Pomor State University in Russia and her MPH in Management and Administration from the University of Louisville. Dr. Kirpich is NIH funded investigator with the research interests in alcohol-associated liver disease, bioactive lipid mediators in liver injury and resolution of inflammation, and the gut-liver axis with a focus on intestinal barrier, gut microbiome and bacteria-derived molecules. Dr. Kirpich has a history of successfully mentoring young scientists toward independence. Welcome Irina!

Dr. Sharmila Nair joined Microbiology and Immunology as tenure-track Assistant Professor on July 1, 2022.  Sharmila received her Ph.D in viral immunology from Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Germany and then received a post-doctoral fellowship from the German Research Foundation to pursue research in Dr. Michael Diamond’s laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. Sharmila’s research program explores leveraging the unique tropism of Zika virus to target glioblastoma tumors as well as understand how ZIKV when therapeutically administered can improve anti-tumor immune responses. She has published her research findings in top tier journals including Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigations, Plos Pathogens and Journal of Virology. Welcome Sharmila!