Dr Jessica Kissinger

I am molecular evolutionary biologist who studies the evolution of parasite genomes. The genomes of parasitic eukaryotes are often highly-reduced, devoid of recognizable mobile elements and riddled with intracellular and lateral gene transfers. Our approach is to apply molecular, computational and phylogenomic tools to the analysis of parasite genome sequences. Projects include the development of tools for data integration, data mining, comparative genomics and the systems biology of host-pathogen interactions. Research focuses on Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium among others.