Kat Webb

Biomedical Engineering, ℅ Spring 2022

Minors in Chemistry

Hometown

Future Plans

I am currently deciding between different PhD programs for Biomedical Engineering. I plan on pursuing Academic or working for a Government research lab after my PhD.

Background

Kat is currently in her senior year at the University of Florida where she is planning on graduating in Spring 2022 with her BS in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Chemistry. Previously, Kat worked NeuroProstheses Lab under Dr. Kevin Otto at UF working on the TEENI (Tissue-Engineering Electronic Nerve Interface) project. This past summer, Kat worked at the University of Alabama in a chemical engineering lab synthesizing piezoresistive polymers. Next year, Kat will be starting her PhD in Biomedical Engineering and hopes to go into academia or work for a government research lab.

Research

Kat is currently working on a project examining the Influence of the BCG vaccine on co-infection of Tuberculosis and HIV. Previous research has not fully examined the role of the macrophage in mediation of increased HIV risk observed in BCG vaccination. This is through increased pathways for HIV inflammatory factors and upregulated receptors for HIV entry. This is an applied proteomics, cell culture, and systems biology approach where my end goal is to use bioinformatic analysis to reveal specific biomarkers correlated with increased HIV susceptibility.