Keywords:

innate immunology, innate lymphoid cells, ILC2, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, live-cell imaging,, neuroinflammation, aging, sex differences, neurodegeneration, RNA-seq, immune cell communication, immune cell crosstalk, microglia, brain health

Alexis S Mobley, M.S. (she/her/hers)

PhD candidate at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX

Alexis S Mobley, M.S. is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Neuroscience and Immunology programs under the mentorship of Jaroslaw “Jarek” Aronowski, Ph.D. and Louise D McCullough, MD, Ph.D in collaboration with the BRAINS lab located in McGovern Medical School Department of Neurology. Her current work focuses on the communication between microglia and group 2 innate lymphoid cells in rodent brains that are affected by aging and sex differences using flow cytometry, live-cell imaging, and complex in vitro systems. Through collaborations, she also works on mitochondrial dysfunction with the Jung Lab and microbiome in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease with the BRAINS lab.

Alexis received her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at Angelo State University where she worked with Dr. Loren K Ammerman on TP53 mRNA in bats and other mammalian species, discovering a 23 nucleotide insert unique to small bats. This was her first introduction to aging and cancer systems. From there, she completed a Master’s degree in Biotechnology at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center – Abilene under the guidance of Dr. Jon Weidanz and Dr. Devin B Lowe, working on T-cell receptor-like antibody conjugates and elucidating antibody promiscuity by developing labeled and unlabeled screening platforms in collaboration with Experimmune and Resonant Sensors. In her current research, she is investigating the differences in Group 2 innate lymphoid cell responses in aging and sex differences and how these responses change the phenotype of microglia using a combination of techniques. This project is supported by the John J Kopchick fellowship and a Ruth L Kirschstein NRSA Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).You can stay up to date on her publications by visiting her ORCID.

Outside of her research, she enjoys mentoring students, working on effective scientific communication, and advocating for underrepresented groups. She has served as leadership on the LGBTSA group at her school to better serve the queer community within the graduate school and the Greater Houston area. She currently holds a place on the Graduate Student Education Committee that serves the graduate students that have labs in McGovern medical school by planning conferences, seminars, and reporting the general needs of graduate students. She serves on the Board of Directors and sings for International Voices Houston, a non-profit organization that uses choral singing to “create global harmony by celebrating and giving voice to human difference.” She is an active participant within the graduate school and her community. She has given numerous poster presentations, oral talks, and motivational speeches to report her science and lend support to those that wish to get into immunology and advocate for Black students and allies.