Doctoral Student

Brett earned his BS in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology at UNC Charlotte.  He is continuing research in Dr. Oliver’s lab that he started as an undergraduate.  Brett is studying the estuarine bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, a human pathogen.  His areas of focus are the molecular and physiological mechanisms of virulence in V. vulnificus, specifically phase variation of the polysaccharide capsule, and the link between mannitol fermentation and the ability to colonize human blood.