Soledad Soverina awarded Barnett Rosenberg Endowed Research Assistantship
MGI doctoral candidate Soledad Soverina has been awarded the Barnett Rosenberg Endowed Research Assistantship for the 2026–27 academic year, a prestigious, university-wide honor that recognizes outstanding graduate student researchers at Michigan State University.
Soverina’s research focuses on immune responses in the lungs to Mycobacterium abscessus, a bacterium that can cause serious and difficult-to-treat respiratory infections.
“My PhD thesis focuses on a crucial question: Why do different patients respond differently to the same pathogen?” said Soverina. “Some develop severe respiratory disease, while others effectively control the infection. I investigate how immune cells in the lungs respond to various M. abscessus isolates to understand what helps protect individuals and what leads to more severe disease. The goal is to enhance our ability to predict, prevent, or treat lung infections.”
Her research has important implications for improving patient outcomes. Infections caused by M. abscessus can vary widely in severity, making them particularly challenging to manage.
“This research is vital because lung infections caused by this bacterium can be challenging to treat and can become serious quickly, especially in vulnerable patients,” said Soverina. “Not all versions of the bacterium perform the same way—some trigger much worse disease than others. By exploring how the immune system reacts to different strains early in the infection, we aim to identify factors that contribute to protection versus harmful inflammation. Ultimately, this understanding could help doctors predict who is at risk of severe disease and guide more effective treatments.”
The Barnett Rosenberg Endowed Research Assistantship provides critical support for students conducting innovative and impactful research across the university. For Soverina, the award represents both recognition and an opportunity to continue pursuing fundamental questions in immunology and infectious disease.
“Winning this research award is deeply meaningful to me, both personally and professionally. It validates the hard work and curiosity that motivate my science, and it offers support to continue exploring fundamental questions about early interactions between pathogens and the host in the lungs. I believe this work can significantly contribute to the biological sciences by enhancing our understanding of the immune system during infectious diseases.”
Soverina conducts her research in the laboratory of Andrew Olive, and according to
him, her insights have changed the trajectory of his lab.
While she was working on her first research project, Soverina was concerned that the
laboratory strain of M. abscessus was not reflective of clinical disease. She was so compelling in her arguments that
Olive set up a collaboration to obtain clinical samples for her to study.
“Soledad has shown herself to be an elite student and scientist who is making major contributions to MSU and the MGI department,” said Olive. “Since we received these clinical isolates, all I can say about Soledad's productivity using isolates as a tool is: WOW. Soledad turned this important concept into a full-blown research program integrating pathogen diversity with host diversity with the potential to have a MAJOR long-term impact on the field… I have no doubt that Soledad will reach all her goals and be a major contributor to our understanding of important respiratory infections.”
