Graduate Students

Mohammad Ruhul Amin, PhD Candidate

My research project is to discover genetic networks involved in multiple facets of Salmonella physiology including antibiotic resistance, survival in acidic conditions and natural competence using the genome-wide transposon mutagenesis and screening technique, INSeq. The antibiotic resistance project also includes identifying the genes responsible for multi-drug resistance in a clinical isolate of Klebsiella.

Kirsten Palmer, PhD Candidate

Bumble bees are proficient pollinators of many natural and agricultural landscapes, however, in recent years some species are experiencing dramatic declines in parts of their ranges. My research focuses on one of the main contributing causes of these declines, pathogens. My research interests include disease prevalence and characterization of novel pathogens using state of the art molecular approaches.

Ashton Sies, MSc Candidate

My research involves the study of bacterial plasmids in coastal marine ecosystems, with a focus on microbes associated with marine animals like shellfish and finfish. I aim to discover what genes are transferred between marine bacteria on plasmids, and if these pose potential threats to animal health and human health.