Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D.

Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D.

Georgia Tech

Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and the Bennie H. and Nelson D. Abell Chair in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Georgia Tech. Whiteley earned his B.S. in zoology from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Iowa. His numerous accolades include the ASM Merck Irving Sigal Memorial Award for research excellence, the Burroughs Wellcome PATH Award, recognition as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, multiple teaching excellence awards and election to the American Academy of Microbiology. 

Whiteley's research focuses on understanding how bacterial interactions and the infection environment influence antimicrobial tolerance and infection severity. His work in developing in vitro models that replicate human infection environments led to the founding of SynthBiome Inc., a company dedicated to creating advanced model systems for antimicrobial development and testing. The Whiteley lab also investigates how microbial communities establish micron-scale spatial structures to enhance their fitness during infection and examines the role of small RNAs in polymicrobial infections. 

The Whiteley lab studies diverse microbial communities, including those found in the oral cavity, chronic wound infections, cystic fibrosis lung infections and wine fermentations, providing insights into both human health and industrial microbiology.