PhD student
Research Areas
Microbial and Viral Ecology, Molecular Defense Systems
Biography
I originally hailed from Michigan State University and received a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/ Biotechnology, but an interest in computers also led me to getting a minor in Computer Science. My interest in microbial ecology was first generated by working with Dr. Jeffery Morris, a post-doc in the Lenski lab at the time and Erik’s first graduate student.
With a reticulated academic tree, I now take an interdisciplinary approach to microbiology by integrating it with mathematics and computer science in the Zinser lab as a PhD student. I try to tackle biological questions regarding the distribution of molecular defense systems in prokaryotic genomes by using publicly available data at NCBI in tandem with my own computational pipelines and software.
When I am not in the lab writing code for analysis or to assist in data-wrangling large datasets, I like to get out and have fun in Knoxville too.
Research
My research is aimed in understanding the distribution of Restriction Modification (RM) Systems in prokaryotic genomes. Specifically, I am trying to understand the selective pressure that lead an organism carrying multiple RM in different environments. To accomplish this, I take an interdisciplinary approach by integrating microbiology, viral ecology, mathematics, and bioinformatics to address hypotheses.
Education
2015 – B.S., Michigan State University (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Minor in Computer Science)
Publications
Lenski, R. E., Wiser, M. J., Ribeck, N., Blount, Z. D., Nahum, J. R., Morris, J. J., Zaman L., Turner, C.B., Wade B.D., Maddamsetti R., Burmeister A.R., Baird E.J., Bundy J., Grant N.A., Card. K.J., Rowles, M., Weatherspoon K., Papoulis S.E., Sullivan R., Clark C., Mulka J.S., Hajela N. 2015. Sustained fitness gains and variability in fitness trajectories in the long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli. Proc Biol Sci. 282:20152292. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2292.
Morris J.J., Papoulis S.E., Lenski R.E. 2014. Coexistence of evolving bacterial stabilized by a shared Black Queen function. Evolution 68: 2960-2961. doi 10.1111/evo.12485
