Gregory P Donaldson, PhD, Assistant Professor at MIMG (starting January 2025)

MIMG is thrilled to announce that Gregory P Donaldson, PhD, will join our department on January 2, 2025.

Dr. Gregory P. Donaldson earned his Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his PhD in microbiology from Caltech. He then joined Rockefeller University as a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, working with Dr. Daniel Mucida in the Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology. 

Dr. Donaldson's research has uncovered new mechanisms that maintain the spatial and temporal stability of the microbiome, as well as the host's homeostatic response to these microbes. Specifically, his work has identified novel functions of immunoglobulin A, the most abundant antibody isotype in humans, in facilitating the symbiotic relationship between the microbiota and the epithelial cells lining the intestines. 

Intestinal epithelial cells play a crucial role in balancing nutrient absorption with barrier function, and they have evolved alongside gut microbiota. While bacterial proximity has traditionally been viewed as undesirable, epithelial cells can tolerate colonization by commensal microbes through mechanisms that are not yet fully understood. The Donaldson Lab investigates how epithelial cells and microbiota sense and respond to one another, how these interactions shape the composition of our microbiome, and how these molecular conversations affect gut health.

Dr. Donaldson's interest in bacteria began during his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he collaborated with Dr. Vincent Lee to explore the biochemical mechanisms of cyclic-di-GMP signaling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He then pursued his PhD under Dr. Sarkis Mazmanian at Caltech, focusing on the bacterial genetics of mucosal colonization by gut microbiota, particularly Bacteroides fragilis. To examine these commensal bacteria in relation to their mammalian hosts, Dr. Donaldson joined Dr. Daniel Mucida’s Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology at Rockefeller University as a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow, studying how adaptive immune responses to gut microbiota can influence mammalian biology. 

In January 2025, Dr. Donaldson will assume the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA.