First year students in the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) are required to take three five-week rotations during their first semester. Students are encouraged to consult with their Track Directors based on their research interests before reaching out to their prospective mentors.
Interested M.D./Ph.D. students are also encouraged to reach out to the faculty below for potential summer rotations.
Below are faculty who are accepting students for rotations in AY 2026-2027 (as of August 3, 2026).
Immunology
Dr. Craig Forrest (jcforrest@uams.edu)
1. Restriction of gammaherpesvirus infection and tumorigenesis by the tumor suppressor p53
2. Lymphomagenesis by co-infection of gammaherpesvirus and malaria parasite.
3. Vaccine development
4. Basic biology of gammaherpesvirus infection
Dr. Jason Stumhofer (jstumhofer@uams.edu)
1. Antibody glycomics
2. Organoid co-infection model of Epstein-Barr virus and Plasmodium falciparum
3. In vivo co-infection model of gammaherpesvirus and Plasmodium
4. Adoptive T cell therapy model
Microbiology
Dr. Matthew Jorgenson (MAJorgenson@uams.edu)
Defining novel mechanisms of bacterial cell envelope assembly
Dr. Miranda Wallace (mwallace5@uams.edu)
1. Antibiotic resistance in Bacteroides fragilis group (BFG) bacteria
2. Saccharomyces boulardii as a carrier for antimicrobial therapies
Dr. Ryan Allen (rmallen2@uams.edu)
1. Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in Staphylococcus auereus osteomyelitis
2. LDL in multiple myeloma progression and therapeutic resistance
Virology
Dr. Craig Forrest (jcforrest@uams.edu)
1. Restriction of gammaherpesvirus infection and tumorigenesis by the tumor suppressor p53
2. Lymphomagenesis by co-infection of gammaherpesvirus and malaria parasite.
3. Vaccine development
4. Basic biology of gammaherpesvirus infection
Dr. Mark Manzano (mmanzano@uams.edu)
1. Control of chromatin organization of the latent viral genome
2. Viral co-infections in cellular transformation
3. Genome-wide CRISPR screens to study host-pathogen interactions
Dr. Zhiqiang Qin (zqin@uams.edu)
1. Novel therapeutic agents against viral cancers
2. Co-infections of KSHV and periodontal bacteria, opportunistic pathogens, and HPV in immunocompromised patients