Michael McAteer

michael.mcateer@stonybrook.edu
Advisor: Dr. Nicole Sampson

B.S., 2016, Saint Joseph's College

Following my graduation from St. Joseph's College in May 2016, I enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Chemistry at Stony Brook University. I was interested in studying infectious bacteria and drug discovery, and after my rotations I joined the laboratory of Dr. Nicole Sampson in the Department of Chemistry and Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery. My research focuses on the persistence of the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis (Mtb) is a highly infectious bacterium that currently infects approximately 1/3 of the world's population. I am studying the role of the Mel2 operon and Mce3R regulon in detoxifying reactive oxygen species and contribution of persistence in Mtb. I am interested in elucidating the mechanism of the proteins encoded by this operon for development of proper drug targets and understanding how Mtb can survive in a human host for years due to this regulon and operon. In addition, I seek to determine the substrate specificity for the genes encoded by the Mel2 operon. I chose to conduct my thesis work at Stony Brook University because of the Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery and its strength in developing discovering new drugs for treatment of infectious pathogens. When not in the lab I enjoy being spending time with friends, playing video games, playing and listening to music, and visiting new places.