My research interests are in immunology and host-parasite interactions. I first was introduced to T cell immunology and host-parasite interactions at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology where I performed my Master’s thesis in the laboratory of Professor Eli Sercarz under Dr. Claudia Raja-Gabaglia. There I studied how altered peptide ligands could be used to skew CD4 T cell effector decisions during Leishmania major infections. My Ph.D. work was done in the laboratory of Professor Yueh-hsiu Chien, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine. There I studied how thymic development and ligand recognition shaped the biological function of γδ T cells – uniquely positioning them for initiating inflammation. I did my postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Professor Jeroen Saeij, Department of Biology MIT. There I explored host-parasite interactions of Toxoplasma gondii and studied how the Toxoplasma virulence factors ROP16, GRA15 and ROP5 impact host immune responses. Ultimately, the Jensen lab desires to generate immune based therapies, including vaccines, for parasites and understand why certain immune evasion strategies used by Toxoplasma gondii lead to disease.

I am an Associate Professor in and current Chair of the Molecular and Cellular Biology department. Currently, I teach undergraduate courses in Human Parasitology [BIO123] and Molecular Immunology [BIO151]. I also served as the Chair of Admissions for the QSB graduate program between 2015-18. I’m married to a lovely wife and have 3 energetic sons.

For a list of other professional activities see my CV.