Dr. Mark Mandel

Biography

Mark Mandel is a Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on beneficial microbe-host interactions, particularly investigating the microbial constituents of animals and how these relationships affect health in both humans and animals. His laboratory studies a model system involving the Hawaiian bobtail squid and its luminous bacterial symbiont, Vibrio fischeri, to explore the molecular communication processes that facilitate colonization. Dr. Mandel’s work delves into the initiation, accommodation, and persistence of symbiotic relationships and aims to uncover the molecular bases that underlie these critical behaviors. His research employs high-throughput genetic approaches to identify and characterize novel factors involved in symbiosis and addresses broader questions related to microbe-host interactions and evolution. He has identified over 200 factors that influence colonization, enhancing our understanding of the dynamics involved in these critical relationships and their implications for the immune system and nutrient acquisition in hosts.

Research Interests