Maria Hadjifrangiskou, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Maria Hadjifrangiskou, Ph.D., is a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and serves as Senior Assistant Dean for Biomedical Research Education and Training. She came to the United States in 1996 on a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue undergraduate studies in molecular biology. Falling in love with bacterial physiology, she continued her education at the University of Texas-Houston.
Under the tutelage of Theresa Koehler, Ph.D., Hadjifrangiskou delineated transcriptional mechanisms that control the expression of the anthrax toxin genes. During her doctoral work, she developed a passion for bacterial gene regulation, cell signaling and community behavior.
Hadjifrangiskou joined the Hultgren group as a post-doctoral researcher, where she elucidated determinants that influence biofilm formation and bacterial “decision-making.”
Hadjifrangiskou is fascinated with how bacterial pathogens change their transcriptional programs in response to unique micro-environments they encounter in the host. The urinary tract poses a unique niche for such studies: Bacteria encounter pressure changes, nutritional fluxes, oxygen concentration oscillations and other microbes depending on where they are “geographically” found in the urinary tract. Understanding these molecular “tag-and-pulls” is critical for homing in on pathogen programs that facilitate pathogen persistence. Since joining Vanderbilt, Hadjifrangiskou has established a vibrant research group and educational environment that addresses these questions.