Jessica Kajfasz, BSc, PhD

Jessica attended Niagara University for her B.S. in Biology, then went on to the University of Rochester for her Ph.D. in Microbiology. She began as a postdoc with Dr. Jose Lemos in 2007 in Rochester. In the early days of the lab, her focus was on SpxA1, a major regulator of the oxidative stress response in S. mutans. A great aspect of working in the lab for so long is the ability to participate, in one way or another, in most of the projects ongoing in the lab. These days as a Research Assistant Professor, she continues to keep her main focus on SpxA1 in the stress response of S. mutans as well as other aspects of bacterial pathogenesis, such as mechanisms of metal homeostasis. She is often involved in training new members of the Lemos-Abranches laboratory.