About

• Mentorship Training Completions:
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• Department Affiliations:
• Biology; Microbiology & Immunology

• Other UNC PhD Program Affiliations:
• Neuroscience; Microbiology and Immunology; Cell Biology and Physiology; Quantitative Biology (Biology)

My Research

Macrophages are dynamic and versatile innate immune cells that are strategically positioned in virtually all the organs of the body, yet many important questions about macrophages remain open. We integrate state-of-the-art technologies in live imaging, genetics, genome editing, functional genomics, and cell biology to uncover and understand in-depth innate immune functions in tissue development and homeostasis. From genes to single cells to whole organism, we are tackling questions using primarily the zebrafish model system to reveal and connect mechanisms at multiple scales. We will use cross-species experimentation to address evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. Current major directions are: development and function of tissue macrophages; cell-cell interactions between macrophages and other systems along the brain and digestive tract; regulatory mechanisms of macrophage states.