Germán Vargas

Germán is a Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) graduate student and a Ruth L. Kirschstein NIH/NIDDK pre-doctoral fellow in the Wuest lab. He is from Maricao, Puerto Rico and obtained his BS in Industrial Microbiology in the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. While there, he briefly delved into scientific research under the guidance of Dr. Luis Ríos Hernández studying syntrophic relationships in anaerobic environments. To expand his research experience, he was awarded a competitive Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) fellowship to perform research under the mentorship of Dr. Ralph Isberg at Tufts University School of Medicine at Boston, Massachusetts. In the Isberg lab, he used transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) to explore the landscape of phenotypic and transcriptional responses to ciprofloxacin in A. baumannii. After presenting his research at a STEM symposium at Emory University, he decided to pursue a Ph.D. at this research-intensive institution. Currently in the Wuest lab, Germán is working on several projects to better understand how disinfectants influence virulence in P. aeruginosa,and how this pathogen is able to develop tolerance to this important class of antimicrobials. In addition, he is exploring how to target hydrolytic enzymes important for virulence in several pathogens. Outside of lab, Germán enjoys spending time with his wife and high school sweetheart Paola, and playing with his Boston Terrier, Nova.