Irena Kukavica-Ibrulj

Irena Kukavica-Ibrulj

My broad professional experience as a scientist and as a microbiologist can be summarized by being involved in various projects such as foodborne and respiratory virology, bacterial pathogenicity, bacterial genetics, genomics and molecular biology with microbiological, biochemical and basic bioinformatics skills. I completed my PhD in microbiology and immunology in 2007 under Dr Roger Levesque’s supervision. After postdoctoral training with Dr Guy Boivin at the CHUQ, I was recruited as a research associate. I am involved in all research activities in the Levesque laboratory, and more specifically in high level research projects related to functional genomics and pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including the murine model of chronic lung infection. I have developed and refined animal models of infection for studying the role of bacterial virulence implicated in in vivo maintenance, the production of biofilm, quorum sensing and evaluation of novel molecules of high therapeutic value. I’m also responsible for the general management of the laboratory and in training new undergraduate and graduate students, technicians and research assistants.