12/06/2021
By Daniel Dacey

The Applied Biology program, through the Department of Biological Sciences, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Daniel Dacey on "Improving taxonomic identification of bacterial amplicon sequences and meta-analysis defining mosquito gut microbiome diversity."

Candidate Name: Daniel Dacey
Defense Date: Friday, Dec. 17, 2021
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact student Daniel_Dacey@student.uml.edu and committee advisor Frederic_Chain@uml.edu at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee Chair (Advisor): Frédéric Chain, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Committee Members:

  • Alison Hamilton, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Jessica Garb, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Shannon Kelleher, Ph.D., Professor, Biomedical & Nutritional Sciences, Center for Pathogen Research & Training, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
The mosquito causes hundreds of millions of infections and over 1 million deaths annually, indirectly, by transmitting disease causing pathogens to humans. Their sustained lethality is in part due to increasing resistance to insecticides globally. Mosquito gut bacteria may be responsible for this resistance when a mosquito's genetics cannot explain this phenomenon. In another light, specific gut bacteria have been identified that are able to block human pathogens from inhabiting the mosquito, therefore making it impossible for transmission to humans to occur. I will present improved bioinformatic methods for investigating microbial populations, as well as results from meta-analytical microbial diversity investigations aimed at identifying bacteria relevant to disease control.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend the online defense via remote access.