Current Graduate Students

Aila Inaba

Aila

PH.D student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, started 2022
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: BS in Cell and Molecular Biology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2021
Research Interests: Microbiology of high-temperature deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Lucas Foster

Luke

PH.D student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, started 2022
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: BS in Biology, Allegheny College, 2022
Research Interests: Astrobiology, Extreme thermophiles

Olivia Cannon

Olivia

PH.D student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, started 2021
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B.S. in Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University, 2017
Research Interests: Metaproteogenomic analyses of chemosynthetic microbial biofilms from deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Nick Bergamini

PH.D student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, started 2021
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B.S. in Biology, Union College, 2020
Research Interests: Physiology of chemosynthetic bacteria from shallow-water hydrothemal vents

Avanthika Bharath

Avanthika

PH.D student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, started 2018
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B. Tech. in Industrial Biotechnology, Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, India, 2018
Research Interests: DNA uptake in chemosynthetic Epsilonproteobacteria from deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Former Graduate Students


Ian Schlegel

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PH.D student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2017-2023
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B.S. in Oceanography, University of Washington, 2017
Research Interests: Adaptations to high pressure in chemosynthetic thermophiles

Ben Jelen

Ben

PH.D student, Environmental Science Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2010-2019 (Primary advisor: Paul Falkowski)
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B.A. in Biology, Rutgers University, 2000
Research Interests: Evolution of microbial metabolism and sulfur respiration in chemosynthetic thermophiles

Sushmita Patwardhan

sushmita

Science writer at PRECISIONscientia
Ph.D. student, Oceanography Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2012-2018
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B.S. in Zoology/Microbiology, University of Pune, Pune, India, 2012
Research Interests: Prokaryotic diversity, physiology and function in shallow-water geothermal environments

Ashley Grosche

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Senior scientist at Aviwell, Toulouse, France
Ph.D. student, Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2012-2018
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences & Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Education: B.S. in Marine Biology, Rutgers University, 2010
Research Interests: Chemosynthetic microbial biofilms at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Charles O'Brien

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Ph.D. student, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2009-2013
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences & Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Education: B.S. in Biotechnology, Rutgers University, 2002
Reserch Interests: Mechanisms of biofilm formation in natural microbial communities at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Ramaydalis Keddis

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At Rutgers University as of 2016
Kean University, 2013-2016
Ph.D. student, Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2006-2013
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Department of Environmental Sciences & Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Education: B.S. in Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, 2006
Reserch Interests: Hydrocarbon oxidation in deep-sea geothermal environments

Marie Bolognini

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MS student, Masters of Business and Science in Biotechnology and Genomics, Rutgers University, 2010-2012
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences & Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Education: B.S. in Microbial Biotechnology, Minor in Biochemistry, Rutgers University, 2009

Ileana Perez-Rodriguez

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Photo: Melitza Crespo-Medina (left) and Ileana Perez (right) in the lab on board the R/V Atlantis

At the University of Pennsylvania as of July 2017
University of Southern California, 2015-2017
Barbara McClintock Fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC, 2011-2015
Recipient of the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Scholar Award and of a NSF K-12 Fellowship
Ph.D. student, Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2005-2011
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources & Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Education: B.S. in Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, 2005
Reserch Interests: Anaerobic chemosynthetic bacteria in deep-sea geothermal environments

Melitza Crespo-Medina

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Currently at the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico
Recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Award 2005
Ph.D. student, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2003-2008
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology & Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Education: B.S. in Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, 2002
Reserch Interests: Thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria from deep-sea vents; Microbial resistance to mercury in geothermal environments

Andrew Reed

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Ph.D. student, Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 1998-2008, (Primary advisor: Richard Lutz)
Affiliation: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee
B.S. Organismal and Systems Biology, University of Tennessee

James Voordeckers

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Ph.D. student, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 2001-2007
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology & Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
B.S. Biotechnology, minor in Biochemistry
Research Interests: Thermophilic nitrate-reducing bacteria from hydrothermal vents