Alison Kraigsley

Research Interests

• Biofilm evolution
• Biofilm-material interactions
• Development of long-term in vivo biofilm-host model
• Biofilm response to mechanical, chemical and antimicrobial agents
• Symbiotic relationship of non-pathogenic biofilms and host, and potential applications.
• In-vivo and in-vitro biofilm imaging
• Human Microbiome

My current research focus is based on Biofilm research. Biofilms are dynamic, evolving communities of bacteria that are poorly understood. I hope to help better understand how biofilms form, evolve, and interact with materials (dental materials) and how they develop in confined geometries. When the community is presented with a mechanical (ex. Shear stress) or chemical (antimicrobial) challenge, how do they respond? How do the cells within the community modify to adapt and evade the stressor and what role does the surface or geometries of the material play?

Awards/Honours

Invited speaker, “Dynamics of Biofilm Formation and Evolution” UCLA School of Dentistry (2009)

William E. Trusten Award (most accomplished grad student in Biological Sciences) - USC (2008)

Invited panelist, ASM Biofilms Conference, Quebec City (2007)

International Women in Science and Engineering travel grant (2007)

Invited panelist, Global BioBusiness Initiative, American BioBusiness Award Ceremony (2005)

Invited speaker, “Dynamics of Propagating Fronts of Bacteria and Biofilms” USC Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2005)

Awarded 1st place in poster competition (88 entrants) - Dynamics Days Conference Spain (2003)

Non-NIST Publications

Kraigsley A., Finkel S.E., “Adaptive Evolution in Single Species Bacterial Biofilms”, FEMS Microbiology Letters. 2009. 293:135-40

Kraigsley A., Finkel S.E., “In situ monitoring of Biofilm Development and Evolution”, Manuscript in preparation

Kraigsley A., Ronney P. D., “Self-propagating frontal polymerization in water at ambient pressure”, Manuscript in preparation

Kraigsley, A., Chang I., Wong A., Finkel S.E., Ronney P.D., “Self-propagating fronts of motile bacteria”, Manuscript in preparation