Dr. Rhodes received her PhD in microbiology from Colorado State University where she studied the regulation of antimicrobial resistance in Burkholderia pseudomallei under the mentorship of Dr. Herbert Schweizer. For her postdoctoral training, Dr. Rhodes joined the lab of Dr. Maggie So at the University of Arizona, where she studied commensalism in the Neisseria genus. Dr. Rhodes joined the Immunobiology department as an Assistant Professor in 2023.
Research Interests
The overall goal of the lab is to decipher how bacteria in the Neisseria genus adapt to their hosts. Our research uses animal and tissue culture models, microscopy, and biochemical and genetic approaches to investigate the mechanisms driving Neisseria survival in inhospitable host environments. Answering this basic science question may one day lead to new therapeutic measures which reduce the burden of pathogenic Neisseria on human health.
