We are a laid-back tight-knit group that take cutting edge approaches to understanding Salmonella and Rickettsia pathogenesis. Salmonella sickens hundreds of millions of people each year world-wide, resulting in about three million deaths. In addition to public health concerns, we also study Salmonella because it is a convenient model pathogen to explore the shared, underlying logic through which all pathogens manipulate host cells, potentially with interdisciplinary implications on fields other than infectious disease such as metastasis and autoimmune disorders. We study Rickettsia because it is an important emerging or reemerging pathogen and is a potential bioweapon. Our Rickettsia studies are focused on identifying and characterizing the molecular, functional interface of Rickettsia and its human host with an eye toward developing a vaccine and new anti-microbial therapies.