Justine Murray

Ormond Beach, Florida

Research interests

I am interested in how bacteria interact in polymicrobial infections, especially in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Pa is a gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen that causes chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients as well as chronic wound infections. These infections are usually polymicrobial, which make treating them a complicated process. The goal of my research is to gain a better understanding of how bacteria interact in polymicrobial infections so that new methods of treatment can be developed.

Personal Background/Interests

I was born and raised in Florida and received my bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of South Florida. Then, I worked for the medical supply manufacturer, Covidien, as a quality control microbiology lab technician for two years. After that, I was a laboratory manager and microbiology lab instructor at Daytona State College for two years. Now I am pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. I like listening to good music, drinking tea, and hiking around the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Publications

Turner, K.H., Wessel, A.K., Palmer, G.C., Murray, J.L., Whiteley, M. (2015). Essential Genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis sputum. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 112(13): 4110-4115.

Murray, J.L., Connell, J.L., Stacy, A., Turner, K.H., Whiteley, M. (2014). Mechanisms of synergy in polymicrobial infections. J Microbio. 52(3): 188-199.