Dr. Ekaterina Semenova is an Assistant Research Professor and Lab Director at the Waksman Institute. She graduated from Novosibirsk State University in Russia and earned her PhD in Genetics from the Russian Academy of Sciences, where she studied the genetic diversity of freshwater microbes. Her research spans bacterial transcription, antibacterial agents, bacteriophage infection, and prokaryotic defense mechanisms. Currently, she focuses on CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity and phage counter-defense strategies, exploring their potential applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.