Kelly Shepardson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the University of California Merced. Her research focuses on fungal immunology and pathogenesis, working towards determining the lung-specific anti-viral immune mechanisms and damage responses involved in regulating susceptibility to Aspergillus fumigatus infection. Specifically, her research investigates how type I interferon signaling regulation of damage and fungal clearance controls susceptibility to A. fumigatus infection. Dr. Shepardson received her B.A. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Wells College (New York), her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) under the mentorship of Dr. Robert A. Cramer and completed her postdoctoral training at Montana State University (Montana) under the mentorship of Dr. Agnieszka Rynda-Apple.