- Assistant Professor
- Office: 495C Lab: 420
- Email: Bailey.miller@uri.edu
- Office Location: Office location: Avedisian Hall, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881
Research
My research is centered on natural products drug discovery – finding new molecules from unique biological niches that can benefit human health. I am interested in leveraging the chemical diversity and biosynthetic potential of marine microbial symbionts to yield new therapeutics for hard-to-kill bacterial pathogens and disease-causing parasites.
Specifically, the wood-eating marine shipworms and their bacterial symbionts represent a treasure-trove for discovery. My lab seeks to use this system to A) discovery new molecules with therapeutic potential, B) study the fundamental roles of microbial natural products in symbiotic systems, and C) harness the wood-digesting properties of shipworm symbionts for sustainable chemistry and biotechnology.
Education
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. 2020-2021
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philippine Mollusk ICBG, Salt Lake City, UT and Quezon City, Philippines. 2016-2020
Ph.D. Marine Biology, University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CA. 2011-2016
M.Sc. Marine Biology, University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CA. 2011-2013
B.Sc. Biopsychology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA. 2005-2009
Selected Publications
Gerton, M.L., Altamia, M.A., Distel, D.L., Miller, B.W.*, Schmidt, E.W.* Production of high-value antibiotics by Teredinibacter turnerae using paper- and plant-based waste products. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. 2025, 13 (23), 8515-8521. *Indicates co-corresponding authors
Miller, B.W., Schmidt, E.W, Concepcion, G.P., Haygood, M.G. Halogenated metal-binding compounds from shipworm symbionts. Journal of Natural Products. 2022, 18 (3), 479-484.
Miller, B.W., Lim, A.L., Lin, Z., Bailey, J., Aoyagi, K.L., Fisher, M.A., Barrows, L.R., Manoil, C., Haygood, M.G., Schmidt, E.W. Shipworm symbiosis ecology-guided discovery of an antibiotic that kills colistin-resistant Acinetobacter. Cell Chemical Biology. 2021, 28 (11), 1628-1637.
Miller, B.W.*, Torres, J.P.*, Tun, J.O.*, Flores, M.S., Forteza, I., Rosenberg, G., Haygood, M.G., Schmidt, E.W., Concepcion, G.P. Synergistic anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity and absolute stereochemistry of 7,8-dideoxygriseorhodin C. Journal of Antibiotics. 2020, 73 (5), 290-298. *Indicates co-first authors
Boudraeu, P.D.*, Miller, B.W.*, McCall, L, Almaliti, J., Reher, R., Hirata, K., Le, T., Siqueira-Neto, J., Hook, V., Gerwick, W.H. Design of gallinamide A analogs as potent inhibitors of the cysteine proteases human cathepsin L and trypanosoma cruzi cruzain. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2019, 62 (20), 9026–9044.
Miller, B., Friedman, A.J., Choi, H., Hogan, J., McCammon, J.A., Hook, V., Gerwick, W.H. The marine cyanobacterial metabolite gallinamide A is a potent and selective inhibitor of human cathepsin L. Journal of Natural Products 2014, 77 (1), 92–99.