Education
PhD, Biomedical Sciences- Microbiology and Immunology
Tulane University School of Medicine
BS, Environmental Health
Western Carolina University
Research Experience
Postdoctoral Fellow, Associate Scientist June 2017-Present
Merck, Biologics and Vaccine Bioanalytics Group
Research projects: Development of flow-cytometry based assays to study the antigen-specific immune response elicited during vaccination with a novel mRNA vaccine platform.
Postdoctoral Fellow Dec. 2016-June 2017
Tulane University School of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology
Research projects: A) Utilization of adoptive transfer models to determine immunological contribution of recent thymic emigrant CD4+ T cells during Salmonella infection B) Determining how adjuvant selection drives lymphocyte homing and maturation in parenteral vaccine models C) Characterization of the immune responses to vaccines using combination adjuvant strategies.
Techniques utilized: Flow cytometry, MHC Class II tetramers, B cell tetramers, In vivo infection modeling, In vivo vaccination modeling
Graduate Student Researcher Aug 2010 – Dec. 2016
Tulane University School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Program
Research projects: A) Determining the contribution of thymic function during chronic Salmonella infections B) Identifying the role of antigen presentation on the functional and phenotypic outcome of CD4+ T cells in chronic Salmonella infection C) Assessing the efficacy of vaccines utilizing CD4+ T cell epitopes from Salmonella secreted effector proteins.
Techniques utilized: Flow cytometry, MHC Class II tetramers, In vitro cell culturing, ELISPOTS, ELISA, Bacterial cloning
Additional Research Projects: Investigating the efficacy of transmission-blocking malaria vaccine strategies; Development of reporter plasmids for the quantification of malaria sporozoite stage parasites; Identification of promoter binding sites for stress-induced transcription factors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Techniques utilized: Hybridoma generation, ELISA, Plasmodium culturing, cloning and plasmid design and mycobacterial culturing systems.
Research Assistant Aug. 2008 – Aug. 2010
Western Carolina University, Department of Environmental Health
Research projects: A) Development of PCR-based assays for identifying container- inhabiting mosquito species B) Assessing the effect of temperature on mosquito larval distribution among competing species C) Assessing the efficacy of various mosquito collection methods and their gonotrophic biases D) Several vector-ecology based research projects.
Techniques utilized: PCR, field collection and identification of mosquito samples, insectary maintenance and rearing of mosquitoes for experimental use.
Teaching Experience
Biology Teaching Assistant Aug. 2010 – Aug 2013
Tulane University Biomedical Sciences Program
Courses Taught: CELL 2115 General Biology Lab; CELL 1030 Heredity and Society
Responsible for generation of lecture materials, in-class assessments and midterm and final examinations. Facilitate hands-on laboratory exercises for classes of 15-25 college freshmen and sophomores.
Relevant Work Experience
Jr. Environmental Health Officer May 2009 – Sept. 2009
U.S. Public Health Service, CDC National Centers for Environmental Health
Responsibilities: Inspections of restaurants, recreational water facilities, cruise ships, slaughterhouses and water treatment facilities under the supervision of a senior environmental health officer
Professional Development and Training
Selected Participant, American Society for Microbiology Capstone Institute 2016, 2015
Selected Participant, American Society for Microbiology Scientific Writing Institute 2015
Selected Participant, American Society for Microbiology Science Teaching Fellows 2014
Awards & Honors
Judge’s Travel Award, Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students 2017
Travel Award, ThymUS 2016 International Conference 2016
Best Overall Platform Presentation, Tulane University BMS Program Annual Retreat 2015
Fellowship Recipient, Intramural NIH Research Opportunities (INRO) Fellow 2015
Fellowship Recipient, American Society for Microbiology Watkins Fellowship 2014
Honorable Mention, Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program 2014
Outstanding Senior Award, Western Carolina University College of Health Sciences 2010
Scholarship Award, Western Carolina University College of Health Sciences 2009
AEHAP National Student Research Competition Scholarship 2009
Publications
“Adjuvant Selection regulates gut migration and phenotypic diversity of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells following parenteral immunization”
D. Frederick, J. Goggins, L. Sabbagh, L. Freytag, J. Clements and J. McLachlan
Mucosal Immunology, Aug 2017
“Salmonella infection: Interplay between the bacteria and host immune system”
J. Goggins, J. Kurtz and J. McLachlan
Immunology Letters, July 2017
“Exploring the role of thymic output and recent thymic emigrants during Salmonella
infection”
J. Goggins, J. Kurtz and J. McLachlan
PLOS Pathogens (In Progress)
Academic Presentations
“Recent Thymic emigrants and chronic Salmonellosis: How new T cells combat an old infection”
American Society for Microbiology Microbe Conference; Boston, MA, 2016
“Determining the contribution of antigen-specific, CD4+ recent thymic emigrants to Salmonella persistence in vivo”
ThymUS 2016 International Conference; Maui, HI, 2016
“Vaccination with a Single CD4+ T cell Epitope from a Salmonella-Secreted Effector Protein Accelerates Time to Death and Increases Bacterial Burdens After Challenge”
American Society for Microbiology General Meeting; New Orleans, LA, 2015
“Determining the contribution of antigen-specific, CD4+ recent thymic emigrants to Salmonella persistence in vivo”
American Association of Immunologists General Meeting; New Orleans, LA, 2015
“Targeted deletion of a Plasmodium metabolite membrane transporter inhibits malaria parasite transmission to the mosquito vector”
Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology- Malaria; New Orleans, LA, 2013
“A GFP-Luciferase based method for the quantification of oocysts and sporozoites in malaria infected Anopheline mosquitoes”
Tulane University Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program Retreat; New Orleans, LA, 2012
“Risk Assessment Symposium: La Crosse Encephalitis Risk in Western North Carolina”
78th Annual American Mosquito Control Association Meeting; Austin, TX, 2012
“Investigating the transmission blocking efficacy of antibodies against Plasmodium vivax surface antigen PVS48/45”
Tulane University Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program Retreat; New Orleans, LA, 2011
“Thermal Conditions Influence the Relative Abundance of Aedes atropalpus and Aedes japonicas in the Southern Appalachians”
Society for Vector Ecology Annual Meeting; Flagstaff, AZ, 2011
“Surveillance in a La Crosse Virus Endemic Area: An Evaluation of Four Mosquito Traps and their Gonotrophic Biases”
The American Mosquito Control Annual Meeting; Anaheim, CA, 2011
“Historical La Crosse Encephalitis Cases in North Carolina”
North Carolina Public Health Association Annual Educational Conference; Asheville, NC, 2009
“Container-Inhabiting Aedes Mosquitoes on Western Carolina University’s Campus”
National Environmental Health Association Annual Educational Conference; Atlanta, GA, 2009
Professional Memberships
American Association of Immunologists 2014 -Present
American Society of Microbiology 2014 -Present
Young Leadership Council 2011- Present