Victoria Zalutskiy

Victoria graduated from the University of Washington – Tacoma with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and is continuing her education as a PhD student of the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program (MDTP) under Dr. Gustavo Caballero-Flores mentorship. Her previous research in Dr. Sarah Alaei’s lab on microbiome characterization of freshwater lakes in relationship to Arsenic contamination, led her to develop a general interest in the mechanisms bacteria use to survive in their respective niches. In the Caballero-Flores Lab she is investigating the major virulence factors that Citrobacter rodentium, an analog of Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), utilizes to colonize and persist at different stages of infection. Concurrently, she is investigating metabolic host-pathogen-microbiota dynamics in the gut that may mediate and/or prevent pathogenesis in vivo.

Outside the lab: Running, soccer, and volleyball are her favorite activities. Coming from Washington, she also enjoys hiking, camping, and a really good cappuccino.

Guilty pleasures: Peanut butter and watching Psych.