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My name is Caitlin Kowalski and I am a microbiologist interested in how the skin microbiome impacts overall host health. I am particularly interested in the skin-resident fungi – how they have become specialized to thrive on skin and how they interact with other resident and invading microbes. I use a combination of experimental microbiology approaches, molecular genetics, microscopy, and host models to address these questions. I received my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Dartmouth in 2020 and completed my postdoctoral training at the University of Oregon in the Barber Lab.

In 2023 I was named one of the five L’Oreal For Women In Science (FWIS) fellows. This award supported my research for a year while also allowing me to give back to my community and support a summer undergraduate research. The funds allowed me to develop tools, resources, and preliminary data that will help launch research in my own lab. A longer video of my postdoc work and science career related to the L’Oréal FWIS fellowship can be found here.

 photo credit: Run Riot Films

When I’m not in the lab, you can find me enjoying the outdoors. I love trail running, hiking, and camping with my husband and our shepherd mix Laika. Indoors, I enjoy listening to audiobooks (fiction!), cooking, and occasional watercolor painting. With my family, we are working our way to visiting the US National Parks and so far my favorite is Yosemite.