Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology
eric.helm@medicine.ufl.edu
PO Box 110880
2015 SW 16th Ave
Gainesville, FL 32611-0880
352-294-8290
Education
- PhD, University of Florida, 2021
Research Interests
My fundamental interests lie in investigating the regulatory networks that control gene expression. Specifically, I am interested in understanding transcriptional and epigenetic control of immune cell function and how we can utilize that information to inform therapies. To this end, I utilize in-depth mechanistic studies in conjunction with wet-lab studies to investigate the transcriptional regulation of immune cells.
I received my PhD from the University of Florida’s Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences in 2021 in Dr. Dorina Avram’s laboratory. There, I studied the transcriptional regulation of CD8+ T cells by the transcription factor Bcl11b. Through the integration of mechanistic high-throughput sequencing experiments with in vivo infection models, we elucidated the specific transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms by which Bcl11b regulates CD8+ T cell differentiation in mucosal tissues.
Upon completion of my PhD, I began a postdoctoral position in Dr. Liang Zhou’s lab. Here, I aim to continue investigating the transcriptional regulation of immune cells, particularly those localized in mucosal tissues. Further, I aim to integrate how environmental signals can impact the transcriptional and epigenetic profiles of different immune cells in the intestine.
