Richard Schargel is an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Biology Department, University of Texas at Arlington. He is currently studying for a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Biology, and his goal is to pursue a Ph.D. Molecular Microbiology.
Schargel's research focus encompasses the broad theme of antibiotic resistance and tolerance in gram-negative pathogens. As an undergraduate in Joseph Boll's lab, he studied novel carbapenemase inhibitor peptides as well as genes crucial for tolerance in Acinetobacter baumanii. He is currently elucidating the mechanisms and factors mediating spheroplast-mediated bacterial tolerance as a McNair Scholar.