Swapna Bhat, Ph.D.
Area(s) of Expertise: Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Bacteria Physiology and Genetics (Advising Area of Expertise: Biology)
Courses Taught
- BIOL 1101/L - Introductory Biology: A Human Perspective/Lab
- BIOL 1107K – Principles of Biology I
- BIOL 2260K - Microbiology for Allied Health Professions
- BIOL 3240K - Cell Biology
- BIOL 4435 – Immunology
- BIOL 4380K - Environmental Microbiology
- BIOL 4390K - General Microbiology
Education
- Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Georgia, 2011
- M.S., Microbiology, Maharaja Sayajirao, University, Baroda, India, 2004
- B.S., Biotechnology, Sardar Patel University, India, 2002
Research/Special Interests
Dr. Bhat's research interest is focused on understanding intricacies of a complex bacterial system, Myxococcus xanthus, which require a multidisciplinary approach. M. xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium. It is a wonderful prokaryotic system to understand multicellular development. During vegetative stage, M. xanthus cells swarm together while feeding on other bacteria. Upon starvation, M. xanthus cells aggregate to form fruiting bodies. Inside a fruiting body, rod-shaped cells undergo cellular morphogenesis to form spherical myxospores. M. xanthus fruiting body development is governed by cell-cell signaling. The identities and roles of many of these signals remain unknown. As part of Dr. Bhat's Ph.D. thesis and post-doctoral research, Dr. Bhat's projects involved understanding cellular signaling during fruiting body development.
Publications
S. Bhat, Dauth C, Bode HB, and Shimkets, LJ. mBio. 2014. 5: e00939. Two lipid signals guide fruiting body development in Myxococcus xanthus.
S. Bhat, Zhu, X, Orlando, R, Patel, PR and L. J. Shimkets. PLoS One. 2011. 6:e27475. Bioinformatic and LC-MS/MS analysis of outer membrane proteins in Myxococcus xanthus.
S. Bhat, and L. J. Shimkets. 2009. Cell Morphology; Chemical Composition: Development, Prokaryotic: Variety and Versatility, in The Encyclopedia of Microbiology, 3rd Edition, edited by Moselio Schaechter, Elsevier.
Work Experience
- Postdoctoral fellow, University of Georgia, 2011-2013