Degree
- PhD; Microbiology, Washington State University, 2012
- BS; Microbiology, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2007
Training
- Postdoctoral Research Associate; University of Minnesota, 2013-2014
research Interests
- Environmental antibiotic resistance, specifically in gram-negative bacteria
- Host associated microbiomes
- Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm compounds in plant-derived essentail oils
- Ecophysiology of microbes involved in food and beverage fermentation
Profile
Research in my lab is wide ranging, as I have interests in several divergent areas of microbiology: microbial ecology, microbiomes, microbial physiology, medical microbiology and food microbiology to name a few. Briefly, I study Enterobacterales that are normally host-associated but have adapted to non-ideal conditions in environmental sediments. Some of these bacteria are antibiotic resistant. I also have interests in studying plant rhizosphere-associated microbiomes and fish-associated microbiomes; specifically the microbiome shifts that occur due to significant environmental factors (e.g. drought, pollutants, etc.). Another area of interest is in studying plant essential oils and their effects on pathogenic bacteria, particularly those that form robust biofilms (e.g Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Finally, I have numerous interests in food and beverage fermentations.
If you don’t see a microbiology-specific research area listed above in my research interests there is still a likelihood that I am interested in it, but I don’t have time for everything. So, please reach out to me via email if you are interested in pursuing research in one of the research interests listed above, or if there is another area of microbiology research you are interested in and we can talk about the possibilities!
Currently I teach Medical Microbiology (BIOL 475/575), Microbiology (BIOL 371), and Evolutionary Analysis (BIOL 300). In the future I look forward to teaching Food Microbiology and Sanitation (BIOL 478/578) and Microbial Physiology (BIOL 476/576), in addition to other new and exciting coursework.
