Kemardo Henry, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

I grew up in Jamaica and moved to the United States following high school. After completing an associates degree at Baltimore City Community College, I transferred to Syracuse University where I majored in Biochemistry and minored in Women’s and Gender Studies. The microbial world always fascinated me, and to broaden my knowledge, I pursued a PhD in microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Under the supervision of Rick Gourse and Wilma Ross, I found that a majority of Rhodobacter sphaeroides promoters lack the critical thymine found at the last position of the -10 element. I determined that these promoters require the transcription factor CarD in addition to RNA polymerase for transcription. I joined the Hochschild lab in January 2021 to broaden my understanding of bacterial prions. I’m utilizing in vitro and genetic approaches to study bacterial prion formation. When not in lab, I enjoy spending time exploring new places and with my cat, Beaker.