Mark E. Shirtliff, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis in the School of Dentistry with his secondary appointment as Professor in the School of Medicine. Dr. Shirtliff began his training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology where he received his PhD in 2001 with his thesis titled "Staphylococcus aureus: Roles in Osteomyelitis." He then traveled to the international training center for biofilm research, the Center for Biofilm Engineering in Montana, as a postdoctoral fellow to continue his work on biofilms and biofilm-related diseases. Dr. Shirtliff became an assistant research professor in 2003 in the Department of Microbiology at Montana State University and later that year accepted a position as assistant professor - tenure track at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Since arriving in Maryland, Dr. Shirtliff continues his research and teaching interests in biofilms and was promoted to Full Professor with tenure in 2017.