Caitlin Murdoch joins the College of the Environment and Life Sciences this fall as an assistant professor of cell and molecular biology.

Q. What is your academic background?
I earned my B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida, where I first discovered my passion for microbiology and gained early research experience investigating how small molecule interactions influence transcription factor activity in environmental bacteria. I then pursued graduate training at Duke University in the lab of Dr. John Rawls. Here, I studied mechanisms by which gut commensal bacteria shape host innate immune development and function. During this time, I also cultivated an interest in pedagogy and completed a Certificate in College Teaching. After earning my Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, I joined the lab of Dr. Eric Skaar at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for my postdoctoral fellowship. In the Skaar lab, I explored cellular mechanisms of zinc homeostasis in eukaryotes using zebrafish and cell culture models. I am now thrilled to be joining the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences at URI, where I will establish my independent research program.

Q. What drew you to cell and molecular biology? 
I’ve always been driven by a curiosity about the molecular foundations that support animal health and development. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to work in a microbiology lab, where I developed and carried out independent research projects. Designing experiments, troubleshooting protocols, and analyzing data gave me hands-on exposure to molecular biology and deepened my appreciation for the complexity of cellular systems. These formative experiences sparked my passion for research and ultimately led me to pursue graduate studies in cell and molecular biology. I’m excited to now offer similarly immersive research opportunities to undergraduates at URI.

What are your primary research interests?
My research is driven by a fascination with animal physiology, specifically, how cells perceive and respond to stimuli to maintain homeostasis in complex and dynamic environments. Throughout my training, I have developed specialized expertise in investigating the role of trace metals, which are widespread elements essential to all forms of life, in maintaining cellular and animal health.

Within a cell, metals interact with a large proportion of proteins, thereby altering their properties to promote catalysis of enzymatic reactions, stabilize protein structure, and/or facilitate electron transport. These metal-associated proteins are referred to as metalloproteins and function in a diverse set of cellular processes, including respiration, transcription, signal transduction, and proliferation. Although trace metals are essential for the maintenance of cellular activities, excess metals are toxic to organisms. Organisms maintain metal homeostasis at the cellular level through tightly controlled mechanisms of uptake, utilization, storage, and export. Because metals are absorbed through the intestinal tract, factors like diet and gut microbiota can significantly influence their distribution and bioavailability. Disruptions in metal balance are linked to growth impairments and diseases including neurodegeneration, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Broadly, my research interests are to uncover the genetic and environmental factors that shape metal metabolism and its impact on cellular and tissue development. My lab will integrate approaches from molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, and host-microbe interactions to explore three key questions:

1. What genetic factors and cellular mechanisms support proper metal homeostasis in animals?
2. How does metal metabolism influence brain development?
3. What environmental factors regulate the uptake and utilization of dietary metals?

To address these questions, my lab will use diverse model systems including zebrafish, cell culture, and commensal bacteria – each offering unique insights into the dynamic interplay between metals and biology.

Q. How do you describe your work to non-academics?
My research explores how cells sense and respond to their surroundings, with a special focus on something most people don’t think about: trace metals. These metals, like iron, copper, and zinc, are found all around us and are essential for life. We cannot synthesize metals, so we acquire them from the food we eat. Inside our cells, metals interact with proteins, allowing them to perform important jobs like producing energy, sending signals, and building structures. But while we need these metals to survive, too much of them can be toxic. That’s why our bodies have evolved many strategies to tightly regulate metal levels. When this balance is thrown off, it can lead to serious health problems like developmental issues, brain disorders, cancer, and digestive diseases. My research aims to uncover how our bodies manage these metals, how they affect brain development, and how things like diet and the environment impact metal utilization. To do this, I use tools from genetics, neuroscience, and microbiology in a variety of model systems including zebrafish and cultured mammalian cells.

Q. Will you be designing any new courses and/or leading a lab for students at URI? 
I hope to design new courses for students at URI as I become more established in my role. One course I’m particularly excited to develop is Environmental Toxicology, which could integrate both lecture and lab components. My research background includes extensive training in metallobiology and the use of zebrafish as a vertebrate model system, which is an ideal organism for toxicology studies due to its genetic tractability and ease of pharmacological manipulation. I intend to continue using zebrafish at URI and hope to establish a hands-on toxicology lab where students can gain experience working with animal models in biomedical research. This lab could focus on investigating coastal contaminants found in Rhode Island’s local waterways, offering students a unique opportunity to engage with regionally relevant environmental health issues.

Q. What are you reading or listening to right now?
In my free time, I’m currently reading the Throne of Glass series. Outside of that, I’m diving into an immunology textbook to prepare for the class I’m teaching this fall.

Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
I’m a lifelong animal lover with a Great Dane named Louis and… let’s just say more than a couple cats. The exact number is classified.