Juan Barraza Ph.D.

Juan was born in Mexico City and earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. He started his graduate work in Austin with Marvin Whiteley and moved with his lab to Georgia Tech, where he obtained his PhD. His work focused on the development of tools for characterizing the spatial structure of microbial communities within the context of infectious diseases. In 2022, Juan started his postdoctoral work in a joint venture with the Cassat and Skaar lab at the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation. His project incorporates quantitative imaging, clinical samples and single cells assays to answer basic questions about host-pathogen interactions in the gut. He is an avid cyclist, live music enthusiast and is working towards developing a world-class taco experience from his kitchen.