Walsh, Dr. Jacob
Post-doctoral Fellowship (McMaster University under Dr. Gerry Wright), PhD Analytical Chemistry (University of Western Ontario), BSc Biochemistry (University of Ottawa)
Biography
Dr. Jacob Walsh is an analytical and natural product chemist whose research interest is in microbial chemical ecology, focusing on competitive environments and pathogenesis. His research uses mass spectrometry and metabolomics to identify biologically relevant compounds, understand these secondary metabolites' roles in the environment, and identify virulence factors. Dr. Walsh acquired his PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Western Ontario, where he worked with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, where he studied mycotoxins and fungal agriculture diseases. He then pursued post-doctoral studies at McMaster University, where he studied preclinical antibiotic discovery and antibiotic resistance. His post-doctoral work was on applying mass spectrometry to mine extract libraries of actinomycete bacteria for potentially novel antibiotics.
Research and Expertise
The Walsh lab uses mass spectrometry and metabolomic techniques to research and understand the roles and interactions of natural products produced by fungi and bacteria. We wish to explore critical molecules' roles during infection and environmental competition. We are especially interested in understanding the role of metal-coordinating natural products, specifically siderophores (iron-binding molecules). These molecules are produced abundantly in nature and are primarily used for nutrient acquisition and uptake. Metals are critical to metabolism, acting as election donors and acceptors in many biological redox reactions. However, there is growing evidence that siderophores and other metal chelators are much more active in microbial chemical ecology.
Some major project themes the Walsh Lab is interested in are:
- Identifying situations where siderophores are upregulated in competitive environments and understanding the mechanisms they use to interact with other microorganisms.
- Understanding the interactions siderophores have during infections and their interaction with the host immune response for both human health and agricultural diseases.
- Producing semisynthetic metal chelators combined with antibiotics to create new therapeutics that help combat antibiotic-resistant organisms.
Due to these projects' multidisciplinary nature, the Walsh lab uses analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology techniques. We are actively recruiting graduate and undergraduate students. If you are interested in pursuing science covering many disciplines and building a dynamic skill-set, you are encouraged to contact Dr. Walsh about current opportunities with us.
- Agriculture
- Biomedical
- Chemistry
- Health Sciences
- Soil Science