John Psonis

john.psonis@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Graduate Program: Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Advisor: Dr. David Thanassi

B.A., 2013, University of Pennsylvania

I am an MD/PhD student aspiring to a career that combines clinical practice with research in academia. My broad research interests include studying protein-protein interactions and structure-function relationships in the context of microbial pathogenesis. I am currently a first year graduate student in Dr. David Thanassi's lab. I'm using lipid nanodisc technology to elucidate the mechanism of pilus biogenesis via the chaperone/usher pathway in uropathogenic Escherichia coli as well as identify possible targets and mechanisms of drugs that interfere with pilus assembly. I chose Stony Brook because it fosters a strong sense of community and collaborative spirit. Moreover, the Center for Infectious Diseases provides interdisciplinary research opportunities that are motivated by problems in medicine and thus hold great potential for clinically applicable contributions. My interests outside academics include flamenco guitar, soccer, and ping pong.

Select Honors and Awards:
John C. Makris Research Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, 2012
Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, 2010
Benjamin Franklin Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, 2009

Select Publications:
Emerson DJ, Weiser BP, Psonis J, Liao Z, Taratula O, Fiamengo A, Wang X, Sugasawa K, Smith AB 3rd, Eckenhoff RG, and IJ Dmochowski. 2013. Direct modulation of microtubule stability contributes to anthracene general anesthesia. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 135:5389-5398. [PMCID: PMC3671381]