Bayleigh Benner (she/her)

Bayleigh.Benner@jwu.edu

Biography and Expertise

Bayleigh Benner is a molecular virologist and microbiologist who is interested in uncovering the viral diversity present in marine and freshwater ecosystems with a particular emphasis on RNA viruses that are currently missing in our conceptual framework for these ecosystems.

Currently, Benner studies virus-host interactions at spatially and geochemically distinct hydrothermal vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Atlantic) and Axial Seamount (Pacific). She collects ‘viromes’ and microbial fractions from vent plumes for downstream metagenomics and microscopy. Her research ultimately aims to provide insights into how these viruses can survive in extreme, primordial environments and impact microbial adaption through modulation of host metabolism and horizontal gene transfer. Part of her research involves collecting, dissecting and sequencing deep sea invertebrates found at hydrothermal vent sites to identify viral interactions taking place within invertebrate hosts. This work will shed new light on the prevalence of viral infections within invertebrate populations and the distribution of these viruses across vent sites.
Prior to joining Johnson & Wales University as an assistant professor of biology, Benner was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Julie Huber at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) in the Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry. At WHOI, her research focused on utilizing genomic-based approaches to identifying viral populations and virus-host interactions present within deep sea ecosystems in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans as well as local freshwater ecosystems. She aims to characterize the poorly understood roles that viruses play in global biogeochemical cycling, microbial adaption, modulation of host metabolism, and the evolution of life on earth.

Benner received her B.S. in Marine Science and Biology with a minor in Chemistry at The University of Tampa where she conducted research studying the feeding biomechanics of deep sea squaliform sharks and gene expression changes resulting from Theiler’s Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV) infection in mice. Following undergrad, she merged her dual degrees and new-found love for viruses to utilize metagenomic approaches to elucidate ssDNA viruses in both marine and terrestrial invertebrates. Benner received her Ph.D. in 2020 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving an NSF GRFP and NIH T32 training grant to study how retroviral RNAs function to regulate translation of essential proteins through strong cis-acting RNA structural elements. During her thesis work, she applied state-of-the-art live-cell imaging and super resolution microscopy to study virus-host interactions within HIV-1 and other virus models (SARS-CoV-2, Epstein-Barr).

Education

PhD
University of Wisconsin

BS
University of Tampa