Thomas Burke, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, was recruited from UC Berkeley to UC Irvine in the Spring of 2022. Dr. Burke's research program focuses on innate immune responses to tick-borne pathogens. His lab is investigating how interferons restrict the spotted fever group pathogen Rickettsia parkeri, and how virulence factors used by these microbes promote their intracellular growth. His lab is also developing bacterial pathogens that are engineered to activate innate immune receptors as novel microbial cancer therapies.