Thomas P. Burke, PhD – Assistant Professor
tpburke@uci.edu
Dr. Burke attended Indiana University for his undergradate studies where he majored in Biology and Spanish. His undergraduate research with Dr. Roger Innes focused on how plants resist infection by bacterial pathogens. In 2009 he enrolled in graduate school at UC Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology where he joined the lab of renowned microbiologist Dr. Dan Portnoy. In the Portnoy lab, he investigated Listeria monocytogenes lysozyme resistance, pathogenesis and host response to infection. As a postdoc with renowned cell biologist Dr. Matt Welch, he investigated how the tick-borne pathogen Rickettsia parkeri evades innate immunity. Dr. Burke opened his lab in the UC Irvine School of Medicine in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2022. Outside of lab, Dr. Burke spends his time exploring SoCal with his amazing wife and daughters.
Academics awards and honors:
2024 Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center – Anti-Cancer Challenge Team Award
2024 UC Irvine School of Medicine New Investigator Award
2024 American Society of Rickettsiology – Travel Grant Award Recipient
2023 Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center – Anti-Cancer Challenge Team Award
2023 Junior Preceptor – UCI Interdisciplinary Cancer Research T32
2023 American Society of Rickettsiology -Travel Grant Award Recipient
2022 American Cancer Society (ACS) Seed Grant Awardee
2022 UC Irvine School of Medicine New Investigator Award
2019 American Society of Rickettsiology -Travel Grant Award Recipient
2009 Outstanding Honors Thesis Award, Indiana University
2009 Biology Undergraduate Research Award, Indiana University
2010 National Science Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship, Honorable Mention
2009 Howard W. Clark Scholarship ▪ For outstanding work in botany (2 awards / year)
2009 Graduated Summa cum laude, Indiana University
2009 Dean’s list, 2005-2009, all 8 semesters, Indiana University
2007 Fernandus Payne Scholarship ▪ To top 20 outstanding undergrad researchers
2006 Hutton Honors College Research Partnership Grant, Indiana University
2006 HHMI Capstone Research Opportunity Grant, Indiana University
2005 Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences Merit Scholarship
Professional Affiliations
2024-present UC Irvine Microbiome Initiative
2022-present UC Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Member
2022-present UC Irvine Cancer Research Institute, Member
2022-present UC Irvine Institute for Immunology, Member
2015-21 National Postdoctoral Association
2018-present American Society for Rickettsiology
2016 American Society for Cell Biology
2012-present American Society for Microbiology
2009 Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society