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Dr. Tahmeena Chowdhury

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
300 Longwood Avenue
 

Brief Biography:


I obtained a B.A. from Smith College, MA in 2004 with a major in Biochemistry. At Smith College, I was in the laboratory of Professor Elizabeth Jamieson studying the carcinogenic properties of chromium compounds. While an undergraduate student, I also participated in two summer research programs at the University of Chicago, IL and Princeton University, NJ. I studied the biochemical mechanism of function of the DNA-bending proteins IHF and HU at Professor Phoebe Rice's lab at University of Chicago. At Princeton University, I was at Professor Thomas Silhavy's lab, which investigates regulation of the sigma factor RpoS. I completed a Ph.D. at Professor Tania Baker's laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MA in 2010 where I studied the interaction between the AAA+ protease ClpXP and the adaptor protein SspB to better understand substrate specificity of the protease. I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Dr. Julia Koehler's lab in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. We are investigating role of the Tor signaling pathway in pathogenesis of Candida albicans.
 

Academic positions:


Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2011-present) at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
 

Research interests:


I am interested in understanding how a major human fungal pathogen Candida albicans is able to cause invasive disease. C. albicans is an opportunist with the ability to colonize and survive in diverse environmental conditions, making it a very successful pathogen. It can switch between two distinct cell types: ovoid yeast and filamentous hyphae, both cell types being important for pathogenesis. We are using cell biology and biochemical techniques to investigate role of the major nutrient signaling pathway, the Tor pathway, in this morphogenetic switch.
 

What I think of the idea behind WebmedCentral:


I am a proponent of open access publishing and believe that communication is a key part of conducting scientific research. I like the WebmedCentral philosophy of transparency and hope that it will be encourage scientists to discuss and exchange ideas in an efficient manner. The post-publication reviews by a large and diverse group of readers and reviewers will enable the authors to obtain useful critiques of their research and contribute to advancement of the research field in general.