J. Ashton Reece, MS

Ashton received her bachelor’s degree in biology from MTSU in 2019 while working on a project exploring bacterial-fungal interactions of a fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans. This research led to the thesis Ashton completed for her Master of Science degree in which she described an intracellular bacterium that had physiological consequences to the fungal host. Ashton’s research interests include host-pathogen interactions, transcriptomics, and microbiome analyses. In her free time, she takes care of two cats and dozens of house plants. She also enjoys hiking and working with animals, playing games on her PC, and baking.