Dr. Sunny Shin

Biography

Sunny Shin is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She obtained her B.S. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2004. Her research focuses on uncovering innate immune mechanisms employed by hosts to defend against bacterial pathogens and understanding how these pathogens evade host immunity to cause disease. She studies various gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including Legionella pneumophila and Salmonella Typhimurium, using both mouse and human model systems to identify features of innate immunity and bacterial virulence. Dr. Shin aims to define the additional mechanisms the immune system uses to detect and overcome pathogen virulence, enhancing our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis and aiding in the design of effective antimicrobial therapies and vaccines. She actively encourages prospective students and postdocs to engage with her research.

Research Interests