Jessica Kennedy Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program B.S., Medical Technology, University of Massachusetts at Lowell Email: jessica.m.kennedy@drexel.edu Status: 1st Year Ph.D. Student

Background and Interests:

I am a transfer student from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. There, my research was conducted in the Infectious Diseases Department of St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I was interested in the IL-10 signaling pathway, via TLR4. Due to personal reasons and my future plans as a scientist, I made the decision to transfer to Drexel.

My main area of research interest is in immunology. I have always been fascinated by the body’s ability to first recognize a foreign pathogen or cell, and then deal with it properly. I truly feel that understanding the immune system and its response to foreign invasion is the key to combating many of the infectious diseases that plague the world today.  

After earning my degree I hope to explore other avenues of science that extend beyond bench work. I am very interested in the business side of pharmaceutical companies, as well as the later stages of drug development.  

My hobbies include spinning and taking my dog, Minion, to the park. I love going home to sunny Venice, Florida and enjoying the beach and free parking…..EVERY WHERE!