Welcome to the lab!

You’ve reached the website for the Morehouse Laboratory at UC Irvine in southern California. We are a team of research scientists investigating the ancient and conserved immune defense strategies that living organisms use in their never-ending quest for survival.

Our research primarily focuses on specialized cyclic nucleotide signaling pathways in bacteria and animals that contribute to innate immunity against viral pathogens. We use the tools of structural biology to visualize and elucidate the molecular details of these pathways.

What new mechanisms of defense remain to be uncovered? How might these processes be activated through pathogen detection and regulated by nutrient or stress responses, and what counter-defense strategies might viruses have evolved? Our lab seeks to answer these and many other questions in molecular detail!

Interested in joining the team? We are actively recruiting for all positions and we’d love to hear from you. Please see the contact section for more details.

Poster text reads:
In this lab, we believe: science is real (microscope image), love is love (rainbow anatomical heart), black lives matter (brown raised fist), feminism is for everyone (female symbol), microbes are cool (image of a bacterium), immigrants are welcome (statue of liberty).

These posters are meant to show that racial justice and support for marginalized communities cannot be separated from the practice of science. We must actively work to recognize the obstacles that scientists (and potential scientists) from marginalized communities face, and dismantle structures of power that prevent them from succeeding. We must also consider the effects of our research and research choices on marginalized communities. Download your own and agree to the pledge at: https://sammykatta.com/diversity