Pountain Lab

 

 

My research program aims to identify principles underlying microbial transcriptional biology. Gene expression is shaped by multiple interconnecting factors from the transcriptional regulatory network, to the physiological state of a cell in its environment, to stochastic events at the molecular level. My goal is to develop frameworks that enable understanding of these complex factors at a systems level and their relationship to cellular physiology and decision making. Building on my background in microbial pathogens, transcriptional technologies, and systems biology, my research interests lie in two main areas:

1. Modeling the drivers of transcriptional variation: Our goal is to identify how global factors, such as replication and division patterns, and local effects such as transcript stability and transcription factor binding, shape expression at a single cell level. This enables us to use transcriptional “noise” as a powerful lens into the cellular biology of microbial populations.

2. Dissecting phenotypic heterogeneity in microbial pathogens: We study how a single pathogen can adopt a range of states at the level of individual cells, such as highly cytotoxic or drug-tolerant forms, with consequences for infection progression and treatment.