Gene E. Michaels Distinguished Professor in Medical Mycology Adjunct faculty of Plant Biology, Infectious Diseases Research in Lin laboratory focuses on medical mycology: We study the molecular mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis and fungal development. We also investigate targeted drug delivery (DectiSomes) and antifungal vaccine development (mRNA vaccines). The long-term goal of our research is to seek better approaches for the management of fungal diseases and to advance our knowledge about fundamental eukaryotic microbiology. Please click "RESEARCH" below to learn more about our research projects. Positions: Highly motivated and qualified individuals with strong interests in genetics, fungal immunology, and fungal biology & pathogenesis are encouraged to send your request about potential positions in Lin lab to Xiaorong.Lin@uga.edu (postdoctoral fellow, graduate student, or undergraduate researcher positions). Prior experience in fungal biology is not required. Potential Graduate Students: For individuals interested in becoming a graduate student in Lin lab, please apply for graduate admission through either the Integrated Life Sciences/ILS umbrella program (https://ils.uga.edu/) or the Integrated Plant Sciences/IPS umbrella program (https://ips.uga.edu/). Education: Ph.D., Fungal Genetics and Molecular Biology (Plant Biology department), University of Georgia (2003) M.S., Chemical Engineering, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (1999) B.S., Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology (1996) Service: Associate Editor: PLoS Genetics; PLoS Pathogens; mBio Director (2015-2019): MBL summer course on Molecular Mycology: Current Approaches to Fungal Pathogenesis Member (2019-2026): Fungal Genetics Policy Steering Committee Honors: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) Fellow BWF Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease, Burroughs Wellcome Fund ICAAC Young Investigator Award, American Society of Microbiology (ASM) Research Research Areas: Microbe-Host Interactions Molecular Microbiology Microbial Physiology Bioinformatics and -omics/Computational Biology Research Interests: Cryptococcus neoformans is the causative agent for cryptococcal meningitis. This disease is the most common fungal infection of the central nervous system (CNS) and the third most frequent neurological complication in AIDS patients. Cryptococcal meningitis claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually and is responsible for ~19% of deaths in AIDS patients. Human infection is acquired by inhalation of airborne cryptococcal cells from environment and asymptomatic carriage of this fungus is common in the human population. Infection is typically cleared or the fungus can stay dormant (latency). When the host immunity is compromised (due to HIV infection or organ transplant), dormant fungal cells can be reactivated and disseminate hematogenously to cause systemic infection, with a propensity to the CNS. (1) We are interested in cryptococcal life cycle and how it contributes to the progression of cryptococcal disease. (2) We are also interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying cryptococcal morphogenesis as morphotype is tightly linked to cryptococcal virulence. (3) We are interested in discovery molecular mechanisms underlying cryptococcal adaptation to host physiological conditions. (4) We are developing mRNA vaccines against cryptococcosis and other fungal diseases. (5) We are developing targeted antifungal drug delivery system (DectiSomes) to improve the efficacy of antifungal drug therapies. Student Awards Graduate student Benjamin Chadwick won Paper of the Year Award. UGA Plant Biology. 2022 Graduate student Amber Matha won Outstanding Teaching Assistant award. UGA Center for Teaching and Learning. 2024 Graduate student Nhu Pham won the 2024 ARCS Foundation Scholarship (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) https://arcsfoundation.org/ 2024 Graduate student Ran Shi won Dr. Juergen Wiegel Award. UGA Microbiology. https://mib.uga.edu/wiegel-award 2024 Lab Alumni Nathan Glueck (former postdoctoral fellow, currently an assistant professor at Mercer University, Georgia) Amber Matha (former PhD student, currently an assistant professor at Wilson College, Pennsylvania) Benjamin Chadwick (former PhD student, currently an assistant professor at University of Macau) Yumeng Fan (former PhD student, currently a postdoc at Chinese CDC) Fanglin Zheng (former postdoctoral fellow, currently a professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University) Jianfeng Lin (former PhD student, currently a professor at West China Hospital/HuaXi Hospital) Kenton Hipsher (former MS student, currently a staff scientist at Zymergen) Bing Zhai (former PhD student, currently a professor at Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Rachana Gyawali (former PhD student, currently a senior scientist at Dept of Defense, Maryland) Linqi Wang (former postdoctoral fellow, currently a professor at Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Nadia Chacko (former postdoctoral fellow, currently a scientist at LifeMine Therapeutics, Massachusetts) Xiuyun Tian (former postdoctoral fellow, currently a staff scientist at Peking University Health Science Center) Xinping Xu (former postdoctoral fellow, currently a professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University) Yunfang Meng (former visiting MD/PhD student, currently a physician at Jinan Hospital) Srijana Upadhyay (former research associate, currently a research scientist at Texas A&M Vet school) Of note: Lin lab, summer of 2018 Lin lab potluck 09/2018 Lin Lab, summer of 2022 Lin Lab, Fungal Genetics Conference, March 2022 Ben's Paper of the Year Award (PBIO)-Jan 2023 Lin lab, Fungal Genetics Conference at Asilomar. 2024 Lin Lab, Spring 2023 Lin lab, spring 2025 Courses Regularly Taught: MIBO 8150 MIBO 4700/6700
