Joshua HuffinesJoshua Huffines wears many hats. He is a graduate student, a husband and a father. During the past five years, he has seen many successes as a graduate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, none of which, he says, would have been possible if not for the support of his family.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, Huffines and his wife relocated to Birmingham, where she began her graduate studies while he launched a research career at UAB. Huffines held research technician roles in multiple labs within the Department of Microbiology, where he investigated membrane proteins in Mycobacterium and oral polymicrobial interactions. These formative roles deepened his scientific expertise and inspired him to further his education. He enrolled in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine as a microbiology Ph.D. candidate in fall 2020.
As a graduate student, Huffines spent five years working in the lab of Megan Kiedrowski, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, studying the interactions between Staphylococcus aureus and Corynebacterium species in the nose.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Staphylococcus aureus, more commonly called staph, is a bacterium that resides on the skin and in the nostrils. While approximately 30 percent of the population has the bacterium, most are unaware until an infection occurs. Corynebacterium is another genus of bacteria that resides in the nose and is considered to be part of the healthy microbiome.
“Corynebacteria like to live in large groups called aggregates, and through my research I found that staph produced a peptide that would make the bacterial aggregate dissolve,” Huffines said. “My dissertation focused on the relationship between the two species and uncovering how staph affected Corynebacterium.”
Huffines says he was able to balance working full time in a lab, completing his Ph.D. and growing his family by two children through the guidance of Kiedrowski.
“She was a great mentor and did a wonderful job in helping me through this project, and I cannot thank her and my committee members enough,” Huffines said. “My kids and my wife were huge motivators to overcome any challenges I faced the past five years.”
After Huffines graduates, he will begin a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Michael Gray, Ph.D., a microbiology associate professor at UAB. He is excited to continue his Blazer journey.
“I feel really lucky being here because UAB is one of the premier research institutions in the nation and has so much collaboration across campus,” Huffines said.
Huffines is set to graduate during the UAB graduate commencement ceremony Aug. 16 with his wife and children cheering him on from the stands.