Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson | Source | Associate Professor of Immunobiology at University of Arizona

Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson is a proud product of both the Chicago Public School System and a single parent household (thanks, mom). He received his A.B. in Music from Duke University and “smoothly” transitioned to a PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing his dissertation in bacterial motility and attachment, he went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where he initially worked in the Department of Infectious Disease studying how bacteria process nutrients—specifically metals—during infection. Afterwards, he moved to St. Jude’s Department of Immunology where he spent his time investigating newly discovered modes of bacterial pathogen elimination by the human body. During his postdoctoral fellowship, he also founded Science Sound Bites: a science podcast for kids. Currently, Dr. Johnson is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Immunobiology. There, he studies mechanisms of metal toxicity in bacteria. In short, he’s killin’ it with copper. He is active in science outreach through events like DNA Day, The BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and sci-twitter (@blacksciblog). He is also an active participant in minority scientific affairs through organizations like the American Society for Microbiology.

Dr. Johnson also established the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), the largest virtual, summer research internship program in the nation, designed to create rewarding , remote research opportunities for BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color) and Latinx undergraduate students. He started the program with a team of microbiologists at the University of Arizona who recognized an unmet need for summer research experiences to help traditionally underrepresented students find their passion for STEM and modern scientific research with the goal of helping them pursue higher education degrees or careers in the field.