She received her Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University in 1997 and did postdoctoral work in Biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Kanipes’ research interests include microbial genomics and lipid enzymology. Her current research focus involves developing rapid molecular genotyping technologies for identifying potentially harmful strains of Campylobacter and her research program is currently funded by the Department of Defense and NIH. She serves on the Committee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities (CMIIM) of the American Society for Microbiology’s Public and Scientific Affairs Board. She enjoys mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students on how to be successful in reaching their goals in scientific fields.