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Steven K. SchmidtPrincipal Investigator
Steve is a microbial ecologist with a passion for soil, microbes, and mountains. He also imagines himself to be an explorer of remote and extreme places and is never happier than when he is far from the maddening crowd (or working in the garden).
email: steve.schmidt@colorado.edu |
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Pacifica SommersResearch AffiliatePacifica's research interests are how predation, competition, and other species interactions determine biodiversity under different environmental conditions. Learn more about her work at Biodiversity: The Blog.
email: Pacifica.Sommers@colorado.edu website: https://pacificasommers.com/ |
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Adam J. Solon
Postdoctoral Researcher
Adam investigates microbial growth, community assembly and succession, and ecosystem functioning across a spectrum of environments, including some of Earth’s coldest and driest extremes. Currently, he is exploring the impact of herbicides on the composition and structure of soil microbial communities, as well as the effects of water and nutrient availability on extremophile communities of glacial valleys and arid volcanoes. His studies utilize observational and experimental work with soils from grasslands of the United States, glacial watersheds of the Peruvian Andes, mountains in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and volcanoes along the Atacama Andes.
email: adam.solon@colorado.edu |
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Ruth E. Quispe Pilco
PhD Student
Ruth completed her M.S. work in the lab of Dr. Haydeé Montoya Terreros at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru. Her focus is on the study of cyanobacteria, particularly Nostoc sp., in High Andean ecosystems. She is investigating the strategies Nostoc may use to persist through global warming and climate change. Her research includes metagenomic analyses, experiments with UV radiation, and analyses of survival and pigment expression in Nostoc colonies.
email: ruthestefany.quispe@unmsm.edu.pe |
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Emily Vander Pol
Research Technician
Emily is an undergraduate student studying ecology and evolutionary biology. In addition to pursuing her passion of following a marine biology path, she is exploring the importance of planet Earth’s tiniest life forms for the bigger, more visible life they support in the Schmidt lab. In her free time not in the lab you can find her cooking, painting and reading all while she has her bearded dragon, Sir August, on her shoulder where he likes to hang out.
email: emily.vanderpol@colorado.edu |
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Jae Robinson
Undergraduate Researcher
Jae is an undergraduate student majoring in both Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies. Her interests are in plants, algae, and mycorrhizae. She is in pursuit of a career in which she can enjoy and preserve nature.
email: jannetta.robinson@colorado.edu |
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Emma Nickel
Undergraduate Researcher
Emma is an undergraduate student studying ecology & evolutionary biology and computer science. She is interested in pursuing a career in microbial ecology, conservation biology, and bioinformatics.
email: emma.nickel@colorado.edu |
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Melia Scholl
Undergraduate Researcher
Melia is an undergraduate student studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She is passionate about investigating the impact of vital organisms and biological processes on our world. While not in the lab she enjoys working on a variety of projects including woodworking, sewing, and ceramics.
email: melia.scholl@colorado.edu |
Lab Alumni
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Kim Vincent (PhD 2023)
Kim’s interest in the ecology of high-elevation aquatic organisms dates back to a career as a wildlife biologist with a variety of Federal agencies, specializing in research of special status, high-elevation toad species (e.g. the Yosemite toad, Wyoming toad, and boreal toad). She conducted her Master’s research at San Francisco State University demonstrating the substantial increase in toxicity of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) to western toad tadpoles when “inert ingredients” are added to the herbicide formulation, but curiosity remained on how the herbicides were affecting other non-target organisms. Returning to CU Boulder for her doctoral research, Kim is currently researching how run-off from the terrestrial environment affects aquatic microbial communities, including herbicides and plant based organic matter. Are you curious who thrives and who is pushed out by the increased hydrocarbons to the system? Stay tuned to find out. email: kimevincent@gmail.com Joseph Marrujo (McNair Scholar 2022)
Joseph is an undergraduate student studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He's also minoring in Space, Geology, and Sociology. He hopes to use all of these fields of study in pursuit of a career in the interdisciplinary field of Astrobiology. He is most curious about the potential for life adapting to various environments and the implications for life elsewhere in our universe email: joseph.marrujo@colorado.edu Anna Vine (undergraduate research assistant 2022)
Anna is a student studying ecology and evolutionary biology and is interested in the little things. She finds the mysteries of the microbial world fascinating and is particularly interested in pathogens. Anna finds herself most at home when she is nowhere near her address and loves to move for miles on foot, bike, and skis. email: anna.vine@colorado.edu Alison Orthel (research technician 2021-22)
Alison is an undergraduate student studying ecology and evolutionary biology and music performance in trombone. She is interested in pursuing a career related to bioinformatics and genetics, and enjoys learning about evolution, microbes, and how ecological systems fit together. email: alison.orthel@colorado.edu Amy Barfield (MA 2021)
Amy's master's thesis examined the effects of glyphosate-based herbicides on soil microbial communities of grassland and alpine environments. Broadly, she is interested in soil biogeochemistry and environmental responses to disturbances, and joined the Schmidt lab because she thought microbes seemed pretty cool and wanted to learn more about them. She currently works in science communication for UCAR. email: Amy.Barfield@colorado.edu Abby Tubman (undergraduate research assistant 2019-2020)
Abby is an undergraduate studying integrative physiology and public health. In addition to learning about the human body, she wants to learn more about microbes. She is interested in applying to medical school where she can apply her knowledge about microbes from the Schmidt lab. email: abigail.tubman@colorado.edu Claire Mastrangelo (research technician 2018-2020)
Claire is a PhD student in the program of Infectious Diseases and Immunity (IDI) at the University of California-Berkeley. email: claire.mastrangelo@colorado.edu Cliff Bueno de Mesquita (post doc 2019-2020)
Cliff is a post doc at the Joint Genome Institute / Berkeley National Lab investigating the microbial ecology/metagenomics of wetlands/salt ponds. He conducted his doctoral research on plant-microbe interactions in alpine environments where he studied how microbes may facilitate plant colonization of unvegetated soils as climate warms. He worked in the Suding and Schmidt labs on the Moving Uphill project. His post doc work focused on how glyphosate affects mycorrizhal associations of native and invasive plants on the Herbicides and Microbes project. Cliff is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Joint Genome Institue/Lawrence Berkeley National Lab email: cliff.buenodemesquita@colorado.edu website: http://cliffbueno.weebly.com/ Lara Vimcercati (PhD 2019)
Lara has a strong interest in astrobiology and her current research focus is on microbial diversity and adaptation to extreme environments considered to be potential analogs for habitable zones on extraterrestrial bodies, in particular high altitude and low latitude. She received both her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Biology at the University of Milano, Italy. Her research experience includes time spent at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute and NASA Ames Research Center where she focused on radiation and desiccation resistant microorganisms. She has conducted fieldwork in a variety of different extreme environments, including the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Andes, Death Valley, and Antarctica. Lara is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow. email: Lara.Vimercati@colorado.edu Eli Gendron (PhD 2019)
Eli is a post doc investigating nematode microbiomes in the Porazinska Lab at the University of Florida. Eli's dissertation focused on gaining a broader understanding of high elevation aquatic microbial communities in the Colorado Rockies, and how they are structured by both abiotic and biotic interactions. email: eli.gendron@colorado.edu Dorota Porazinska (research associate 2015-2018)
Dorota is an Assistant Professor of Nematode Ecology and and Soil Microbiomes at the University of Florida. She is a soil microbial ecologist interested in patterns of biodiversity, plant-soil biotic interactions, and linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem function. By training, nematodes are her first love, but microbes and fungi keep catching up. In other words, she loves to play with dirt, wherever her research takes her. Porazinska Lab. email: dorotalp@ufl.edu Michelle Hollenkamp (undergraduate research assistant 2018)
Michelle is studying for her Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (D.M.D.) at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. email: Michelle.Hollenkamp@colorado.edu John L. Darcy (PhD 2017) Post Doc, University of Colorado- Anschutz Medical Campus
http://amo.colorado.edu/jld/index.html Zack Schubert (honors 2014) Working in private industry schuberz@colorado.edu Nuttapon Pombubpa (honors 2014) Grad Student, fungal genomics, UC Riverside ab.stajich.org/home/people/nuttapon-pombubpa/ Bryan Todd (honors 2013) Working in private industry tryanbodd@gmail.com Ken Wilson (M.S. 2013) Fellow, Western Resources Advocates http://westernresourceadvocates.org/staff/ken-wilson/ Margaret Mitter (MS 2012) PhD student, University of Colorado Margaret.Mitter@Colorado.EDU Robert L. Wagner (honors 2012) PhD student, UC Davis robertleafwagner@gmail.com Michael S. Robeson (PhD 2011) Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences https://microbeson.wordpress.com Moshe Rhodes (postdoc 2011) UCHSC, Denver moshe.rhodes@gmail.com Andrew Wuu (honors 2011) MD, University of New England andrew.wuu@colorado.edu Andrew J. King (PhD 2010) Oak Ridge National Lab drewmicro@gmail.com Sarah R. Frankel (honors 2010) Registered Nurse, Seattle Sarah.Frankel@Colorado.EDU Elizabeth K. Costello (PhD 2009) Stanford University https://profiles.stanford.edu/elizabeth-costello Barbara-Lynn Concienne (MS 2009) Denali National Park barbaralynn.concienne@gmail.com Kristen R. Freeman (PhD 2009) US Forest Service, Hawaii KFreeman02@fs.fed.us Sasha C. Reed (PhD 2008) Director, USGS Lab Moab, Utah https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/dr-sasha-reed-1 Marcus Carr (Honors 2009) MD (address unknown) Marcus.carr@colorado.edu Katherine F. McCormick (Honors 2008) (address unknown) katherine.f.mccormick@colorado.edu Meghan M. Gebauer (Honors 2007) (address unknown) Meghan.M.Gebauer@colorado.edu Michael N. Weintraub (postdoc 2004-2006) Professor, University of Toledo www.eeescience.utoledo.edu/Faculty/weintraub Cheyenne L. Wiseman (honors 2005) MD, Columbia St. Mary's http://physicians.columbia-stmarys.org/details/65696/cheyenne-wiseman-emergency_medicine-milwaukee Monte Pescador (M.A. 2005), High School teacher, Denver Colorado) http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/EEBprojects/schmidtlab/personnel/pescadormy.htm Diana R. Nemergut (PhD 2004) Professor, Duke University http://sites.biology.duke.edu/nemergutlab/ Allen F. Meyer (PhD 2004) Retired MD allen.meyer@colorado.edu Chris W. Schadt (PhD 2002) Senior Scientist, Oak Ridge National Lab https://schadtlab.wordpress.com Ruth E. Ley (PhD 2002) Director, Max Planck Institute, Tübingen, Germany www.leylab.com/ David A. Lipson (postdoc 2000-2001) Professor, San Diego State University http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~dlipson/ David K. Oline (postdoc 2001) Professor, Southern Oregon University https://inside.sou.edu/biology/faculty/oline.html Ann E. West (PhD 1999) Missouri University of Science and Technology westa@mst.edu Greg M. Colores (PhD 1998) Professor, Central Michigan University http://people.cst.cmich.edu/color1gm/?_ga=1.162824249.484347203.1477948768 Kimberly Wickland (M.S. 1998) (Lead Scientist, USGS, Colorado) http://www.colorado.edu/cwest/kim-wickland Melanie C. Fisk (PhD 1997) Professor, Miami University (Ohio) http://www.units.miamioh.edu/melanyfisklab/ Reneé B. Mullen (PhD 1997) Professor, Eureka College https://www.eureka.edu/academics/rmullen/ Paul D. Brooks (PhD 1996) Professor, University of Utah https://faculty.utah.edu/u0982409-PAUL_D_BROOKS/biography/index.hml Petra Radehaus (Ph.D. 1995) Professor, Mittweida University, Germany petra.radehaus@hs-mittweida.de |
