Maria Craig
BS, James Madison University; PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Craig received her BS in Chemistry from James Madison University and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She did postdoctoral training in immunology at the University of Virginia, investigating treatments for autoimmune disorders. During her training, she discovered a love of teaching and mentoring, serving as a teaching assistant and mentoring undergraduate researchers. Dr. Craig teaches Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, and General Chemistry Laboratory and advises an undergraduate research group. She has advised the MBU chemistry club and been active in the Shenandoah Valley “Argentum” Chapter of the Iota Sigma Pi Honor Society for Women in Chemistry. In 2019, she was awarded the national Centennial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from Iota Sigma Pi.
Dr. Craig especially enjoys faculty-student collaborative research, and she has mentored 35+ MBU researchers. Building on her postdoctoral training, her research interests are in cancer immunology and autoimmunity. Her research group studies the LL-37 “cathelicidin” peptide, an immune surveillance molecule that detects cellular debris released due to infection and cell death and modulates immune responses.
Structure of the LL-37 Peptide. Image created by Bethany Taylor (MBU ’20) from the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Databank #2K6O (www.rcsb.org).
LL-37 both promotes immune responses and also tempers them before they become damaging. In the cancer field, LL-37 is receiving attention as an influencer of tumor immune responses, and it may be pro- or anti-tumorigenic, depending on cancer type. Her students have undertaken projects in prostate, breast, and brain tumor cell lines, with a focus on immune suppression in cancer. They are investigating interactions between cancer cells and immune cells, specifically macrophages.
Dr. Craig’s research students have received funding awards from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, and the MBU Capstone fellowship program. They have presented their research at ASBMB and American Chemical Society (ACS) national meetings and many regional conferences. They have followed varied successful career paths, with 12 attending graduate school, 10 attending MD, MD/PhD, or PA programs, seven employed in biotech or academic labs, and two teaching high or middle school.
Created in BioRender (biorender.com) by Adiba Tojimirzaeva (MBU ‘26)
Dr. Craig has received a National Science Foundation Travel Award for undergraduate faculty to speak at the ASBMB National Meeting, and she has also judged undergraduate posters at ASBMB conferences. She has served as a research mentor in the JMU summer research program, held a Visiting faculty appointment at UVA, and spoken on undergraduate research at Stella Maris College in Chennai, India.