Morris Co. Educator Competes On 'Jeopardy!' For 2nd Time; How Did She Do?

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County College associate professor appeared on “Jeopardy!” for a second time on Dec. 1.

Brianne Barker, a Drew University associate professor and chair of the biology department, first competed on the game show in July 2022, donning lucky virus-themed earrings.

She won in her debut after a strategic Final Jeopardy! wager, when host Ken Jennings read the clue, “COVID variant names skipped nu and this 14th Greek letter,” Barker, a virology expert, broke into a big smile, correctly answering, “What is xi?”

This time around, Barker competed in the Wildcard Champions Tournament.

“The experience was amazing and also stressful,” said Barker, who taped during the fall 2023 semester in November. “I definitely didn’t have time to do any prep while managing the semester.”

Barker was excited she could bring friends and family this time around after being unable to do so in 2022 due to COVID-19 protocols.

“This time, we had a full studio audience, including my mom and my college roommate, who both made the trip to LA with me. Not being able to have friends or family in the audience really was the one thing I felt I had missed out on last time, so it was especially great to have them there.”

Her most recent appearance on the show last week was hosted again by Jennings, the show's highest-winning player-turned-host. Jennings won 74 consecutive games for a total of more than $2.5 million.

According to box scores posted on the “Jeopardy!” website, Barker answered 83 percent of all of her clues correctly. She ultimately came in third place, winning a total of $4,399.

As a researcher at Drew, Barker focuses on immunology; specifically, she is focused on understanding how PRR recognition of HIV and related viruses leads to the T cell death and immune dysfunction seen in AIDS.

Barker also works as a co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology. She received her undergraduate degree from Duke and her PhD from Harvard.