Our overarching goal is to understand how bacteria decode and integrate self-generated and environmentally-derived stimuli to control transitions between individual and collective behaviors. Bacterial responses to self-generated and exogenous stimuli influence their survival, persistence in particular niches, and lifestyle transitions, such as alterations between being free-swimming (individual behavior) or existing in structured antibiotic-resistant communities called biofilms (collective behavior). How the information encoded in multiple sensory inputs is extracted and integrated to drive transitions between individual and collective behaviors is largely mysterious. We use bacterial genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, microfluidics, fluorescence microscopy, and genome-scale studies to study fundamental questions about bacterial signal detection, signal relay, signal integration, and the consequences to collective behaviors. Ultimately, understanding how information encoded in diverse sensory inputs drives collective behaviors will be foundational for designing successful synthetic strategies to enhance or to inhibit biofilms and for developing novel therapeutic interventions.
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ , USA
Postdoctoral Fellow - Molecular Biology
2020
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN, USA
PhD - Microbiology
2014
University of Calcutta
Kolkata, India
MS - Microbiology
2009
University of Calcutta
Kolkata, India
BS - Microbiology
2007
Intraperiplasmic Predatory Bacteria: Diversity, Mechanisms, and Application as Alternatives to Antibiotics.
Intraperiplasmic Predatory Bacteria: Diversity, Mechanisms, and Application as Alternatives to Antibiotics. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2026 Aug 19.
PMID: 42617060
Bonnie Bassler: From Eavesdropping to Rewriting Our Understanding of Bacterial Communication.
Bonnie Bassler: From Eavesdropping to Rewriting Our Understanding of Bacterial Communication. ACS Infect Dis. 2026 Aug 14; 12(8):2409-2412.
PMID: 42599402
The FleQ-FleN circuit balances flagellar number against fitness in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The FleQ-FleN circuit balances flagellar number against fitness in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. mBio. 2026 Sep 09; 17(9):e0036026.
PMID: 42554464
Functional analysis of natural variation in the RNA-binding protein CsrA across the bacterial domain predicts regulatory activity.
Functional analysis of natural variation in the RNA-binding protein CsrA across the bacterial domain predicts regulatory activity. Nucleic Acids Res. 2026 Jul 17; 54(14).
PMID: 42559685
A light-induced microprotein triggers regulated intramembrane proteolysis to promote photo-sensing in a pathogenic bacterium.
A light-induced microprotein triggers regulated intramembrane proteolysis to promote photo-sensing in a pathogenic bacterium. Nat Commun. 2025 Dec 06; 17(1):182.
PMID: 41353338
Regulatory Plasticity and Metabolic Trade-offs Drive Adaptive Evolution of Alternative Flagellar Configurations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Regulatory Plasticity and Metabolic Trade-offs Drive Adaptive Evolution of Alternative Flagellar Configurations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. bioRxiv. 2025 Jul 29.
PMID: 40766384
Swarm-seq Reveals Functional Divergence in CsrA Homologs Across Bacteria.
Swarm-seq Reveals Functional Divergence in CsrA Homologs Across Bacteria. bioRxiv. 2025 May 06.
PMID: 40654832
Combinatorial control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development by quorum-sensing and nutrient-sensing regulators.
Combinatorial control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development by quorum-sensing and nutrient-sensing regulators. mSystems. 2024 09 17; 9(9):e0037224.
PMID: 39140783
Searching for the Secret of Stickiness: How Biofilms Adhere to Surfaces.
Searching for the Secret of Stickiness: How Biofilms Adhere to Surfaces. Front Microbiol. 2021; 12:686793.
PMID: 34305846
Another battle won in the phage-host arms race: Pseudomonas phage blocks quorum sensing regulator LasR.
Another battle won in the phage-host arms race: Pseudomonas phage blocks quorum sensing regulator LasR. Mol Cell. 2021 02 04; 81(3):420-422.
PMID: 33545057
Searle Scholars Program
2022 - 2025
NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
2018 - 2023
Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
2016 - 2019