Medical College of Wisconsin
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CURRICULUM VITAE

Jessica L. Kelliher PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology

OFFICE ADDRESS:
Basic Science Building
8701 Watertown Plank Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226

EDUCATION:
08/2006 - 12/2010 BS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
08/2013 - 08/2015 MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
08/2013 - 05/2019 PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING AND FELLOWSHIP APPOINTMENTS:
02/2019 - 10/2023 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
08/2020 - 07/2023 Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, NIAID

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS:
11/2023 - Present Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

AWARDS AND HONORS:
05/2015 - Present James R. Beck Graduate Research Excellence Fellowship
05/2016 - Present List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students, "outstanding" (top 10% of instructors)
12/2016 - Present List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students, "outstanding" (top 10% of instructors)
05/2022 - Present Leading Edge Fellow
01/2024 - Present Compass Scholar
09/2024 - Present Searle Scholar Nominee, MCW
11/2024 - Present Outstanding Graduate School Educator, MCW

MEMBERSHIPS IN HONORARY AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:
08/2014 - 12/2016 American Society for Microbiology (graduate student member)
01/2016 - 12/2016 American Heart Association (graduate student member)
02/2019 - Present American Society for Microbiology (member)

LOCAL/REGIONAL APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
01/2017 - 06/2017 Secretary, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Molecular & Cellular Biology (MCB) Graduate Student Association
07/2017 - 06/2018 Academic Events Coordinator, UIUC MCB Graduate Student Association
07/2017 - 06/2018 President, UIUC MCB Graduate Student Association
03/2019 - 06/2020 Member, University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Mentoring Committee
06/2019 - 10/2019 Co-Chair, UW-Madison Postdoctoral Association Symposium Committee
07/2019 - 06/2020 Treasurer, UW-Madison Postdoctoral Association
07/2020 - 06/2021 Co-President, UW-Madison Postdoctoral Association
07/2020 - 06/2022 Member, UW-Madison Postdoctoral Association Diversity & Inclusion Committee
05/2022 - 10/2022 Member, Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference Trainee Organizing Committee

RESEARCH GRANTS/AWARDS/CONTRACTS/PROJECTS:
Prior
Peer Review
Title:
cell wall stressors and bacterial countermeasures in the cytosol
Source:
NIH F32
Role & Effort:
Principal Investigator
Dates:
08/01/2020 - 07/31/2023
Direct Funds:
$201,218 (total for all years)
  

INVITED LECTURES/WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS:
Regional
Invited seminar (keynote address), Department of Microbiology Annual Retreat, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 10/2023 - Present
 
Local
Invited seminar, Department of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases Grand Rounds, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 01/13/2025 - Present
 

COMMITTEE SERVICE:
Medical College of Wisconsin
2024 - Present Member, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program Admissions Committee
2024 - Present Member, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Curriculum Subcommittee
2024 - Present Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Seminar Committee
 

MCW TEACHING ACTIVITIES:
Graduate Student Education
05/2024 - Present Responsible Conduct of Research small group discussion facilitator
08/2024 - Present Techniques in Molecular & Cellular Biology (IDP Course), lecturer (1 lecture)
08/2024 - Present Mechanisms of Human Disease (MSTP course), lecturer (1 lecture)
09/2024 - Present Advanced Bacterial Genetics (M&I course), lecturer (1 lecture)
01/2026 - Present Scientific Communication (M&I course), course developer and director
 

EXTRAMURAL STUDENTS, FACULTY, RESIDENTS, AND CLINICAL/RESEARCH FELLOWS MENTORED:
High School Students
2025 - Present Nolan Doherty SUPREMES Program, 2025
 
Undergraduate Students
2015 - 2017 Kevin M. Grudzinski University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015-2017
2017 - 2019 Aleeza J. Leder Macek University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017-2019
2019 - Present Rhiannon R. Abrahams University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019
2019 - 2022 McKenzie E. Daanen University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019-2022
 
Graduate Students
PhD Students Advised
08/2024 - 09/2024 Tyler Harris, rotation mentor
09/2024 - 10/2024 Milcah Puliyelil, rotation mentor
11/2024 - 12/2024 Daniela Wright, rotation mentor
11/2024 - 12/2024 Michael LeClaire, rotation mentor
PhD Committees
09/2024 - Present Tanya Kozlik
 
MD/PhD Students (dual degree/MSTP)
04/2024 - Present Maya Blau, PhD committee member
06/2024 Andrew Miller, rotation mentor
 
Postdoctoral Researchers
12/2023 - Present Carly Mascari, PhD, Postdoctoral mentor
 


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Refereed Journal Publications/Original Papers
1. Kelliher JL, Grunenwald CM, Abrahams RR, Daanen ME, Lew CI, Rose WE, and Sauer J-D. 2021. PASTA kinase-dependent control of peptidoglycan synthesis via ReoM is required for cell wall stress responses, cytosolic survival, and virulence in Listeria monocytogenes. PLOS Pathog. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009881.
2. Kelliher JL, Leder Macek AJ, Grudzinski KM, Radin JN, Kehl-Fie TE. 2020. Staphylococcus aureus preferentially liberates inorganic phosphate from organophosphates in environments where this nutrient is limiting. J Bacteriol. doi: 10.1128/JB.00264-20.
3. Kelliher JL, Brazel EB, Radin JN, Joya ES, Párraga Solórzano PK, Neville SL, McDevitt CA, Kehl-Fie TE. 2020. Disruption of phosphate homeostasis sensitizes Staphylococcus aureus to nutritional immunity. Infect Immun. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00102-20.
4. Radin JN, Kelliher JL, Párraga Solórzano PK, Grim KP, Ramezanifard R, Slauch JM, Kehl-Fie TE. 2019. Metal-independent variants of phosphoglycerate mutase promote resistance to nutritional immunity and retention of glycolysis during infection. PLOS Pathog. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007971.
5. Kelliher JL, Radin JN, Kehl-Fie TE. 2018. PhoPR contributes to Staphylococcus aureus growth during phosphate starvation and pathogenesis in an environment-specific manner. Infect Immun. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00371-18.
6. Kelliher JL, Radin JN, Grim KP, Párraga Solórzano PK, Degnan PH, Kehl-Fie TE. 2018. Acquisition of the phosphate transporter NptA enhances Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis by improving phosphate uptake in divergent environments. Infect Immun. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00631-17.
7. Grim KP, San Francisco B, Radin JN, Brazel EB, Kelliher JL, Párraga Solórzano PK, Kim PC, McDevitt CA, Kehl-Fie TE. 2017. The metallophore staphylopine enables Staphylococcus aureus to compete with the host for zinc and overcome nutritional immunity. mBio. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01281-17.
8. Radin JN, Kelliher JL, Párraga Solórzano PK, Kehl-Fie TE. 2016. The two-component system ArlRS and alterations in metabolism enable Staphylococcus aureus to resist calprotectin-induced manganese starvation. PLOS Pathog. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006040.
 
Books, Chapters, and Reviews
1. Kelliher JL, Kehl-Fie TE. 2016. Competition for manganese at the host-pathogen interface. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2016.05.002.
 
Non-Refereed Journal Publications/Original Papers
1. Kelliher JL, Daanen ME, and Sauer J-D. 2023. GpsB control of PASTA kinase activity in Listeria monocytogenes influences peptidoglycan synthesis during cell wall stress and cytosolic survival. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2023.06.12.544644.