Dr. Smruthi Karthikeyan

Gordon and Carol Treweek Assistant Professor, William H. Hurt Scholar

Engineering and Applied Science

Affiliated Faculty- Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE)

Grace Solini

B.S. Computational and Applied Mathematics and Statistics, The College of William and Mary (Virginia)

Grace’s research interests span from developmental biology to ecological microbiology, but her unifying focus is to utilize an integrative systems approach to answer complex biological questions.  Outside of work, she enjoys roller-skating and finding any excuse to talk about her three lovely pets.

Graduate Student (Biology)

Zahra Shivji

B.S. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a minor in Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

During her time at Georgia Tech, Zahra studied atmospheric chemistry and low-cost particulate matter sensors under the direction of Dr. Sally Ng. After graduating, she worked at an Atlanta-based solid-state lithium battery company. Now in graduate school, she is interested in exploring the changing dynamics of soil microbial community carbon storage capacities due to climate change. In her free time, Zahra enjoys biking, gardening, thrifting, and crafting.

Graduate Student (Chemical Engineering)

Graduate Student (Biological Engineering)

Sal Ibarra

B.S. Biological Engineering with a minor in Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sal is interested in how microbial communities form and communicate. He wants to focus on the plant microbiome in hopes of more sustainable agricultural practices. In the past he worked in the Chisholm Lab at MIT studying Prochlorococcus, a marine cyanobacteria. His hobbies include rock climbing, hiking, gardening and cooking. 

Sarah Garzione

Graduate Student (Biology)-MD/PhD Candidate

B.A. Global Public Health with a minor in Biology, University of Virginia

Sarah’s research interests center on understanding and utilizing microbial community dynamics to improve human health, and is particularly interested utilizing microbial ecological techniques to identify pathogens and profile their antimicrobial resistance patterns. Sarah is also interested in the skin microbiome. She enjoys crocheting, urban gardening, and spending time with her two cats.

Tristan Caro

co-advised by Alex Sessions

Ph.D. Geology, University of Colorado Boulder
B.A. Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley

During his doctoral work, Tristan developed and deployed novel stable isotope probing (SIP) approaches in order to study the dynamics of microbial activity and carbon cycling in soil, permafrost, and deep subsurface environments. As a postdoc, Tristan is keen to continue studying how microbial activity contributes to soil carbon dynamics and how ’omics and SIP methodologies can be coupled. Before his PhD, Tristan worked in Britt Koskella’s plant microbiology lab and the NASA Aerobiology lab. Outside of the lab, you can find Tristan outdoors, playing DnD, or having a blast with his two cats.

Foster and Coco Stanback Postdoctoral Fellow

Rogelio Avila

B.S Genomic Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico.

His undergraduate research through the SURF program focused on rhizosphere microbial genetic regulation of secondary metabolite production. As a PhD student, he studies plant health and development in the context of environmental sustainability and how microbes influence these processes. During his rotation in the Karthikeyan group he is testing novel protocols to visualize microbial communities across environments.

Rotating Graduate Student (Biology)

Eli Grossman

B.S. Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University

In undergrad, Eli studied the elk gut microbiome and its role in migratory behavior for his thesis under the supervision of Tyler Kartzinel and Bethan Littleford-Colquehoun. During school and after graduating, he also spent the past four years working as a seasonal wildland firefighter and fire effects monitor for the US Forest Service (Cibola NF, NM) and National Park Service (Yosemite NP, CA). Rotating with the Karthikeyan group, he hopes to pursue research at the intersection of microbial, soil, and fire ecology.

Rotating Graduate Student (Biology)
Rotating Graduate Student (Chemical Engineering)

Emma Khorunzhy is a first-year PhD student studying Chemical Engineering with interests in plant-soil interactions and microbial systems. During her undergraduate studies, her research focused on exploring new approaches to biosecurity testing in small-scale mesocosms, efficient nanofertilizer delivery in agriculture, and algal cultivation and transformation.

Emma Khorunzhy

Honorary Members

Cate Holmes

B.S. UC Berkeley

Current: Graduate School (Georgia Tech)

Former Lab Manager

Undergraduates:

Divan Mejia Gonzalez (EAS)

Madison Tongco (GPS)

Admin Assistant: Nora Oshima (MC 131-24)

Sawyer Farmer

B.S. UC San Diego

Current: Medical School (NY)

Former Lab Manager
Rotation Student: Spring, Summer ‘25

Esther Okamoto

Collaborator - Graduate student (Biology) in the Parker Lab

Esther studies the evolution of symbiosis and species interactions. Her research focuses on the genomic underpinnings of complex ant societies that host rove beetle myrmecophiles—beetles that integrate into ant colonies and exploit their social systems.

Nadia Suryawinata

Nadia is broadly interested in how the environment modulates an animal's behavioral resilience. In the Mazmanian lab, she is focused on uncovering gut microbial communities that improve the functioning of antidepressants in mouse models of behavior. Her project couples techniques spanning microbial metabolomics and mouse neurophysiology. Outside of work, Nadia enjoys rock climbing, cooking, scoping out LA's best eateries and tending to her houseplants.

Collaborator- Graduate student (Biology) in the Mazmanian lab

Michael Anne Bolene

B.S. Columbia University

Current: Graduate Student (Bioengineering), UC Berkeley and UCSF

  • churro

    cat.

  • benji

    cat.

  • ranger

    also cat.

  • milo

    not cat.

  • watson

    honorary dog.

  • odysseus

    dog.

  • aspen

    another cat!

  • fig

    aspen's cat.

  • raphael

    yet another cat.

  • shadowkitty

    more cat!

  • selina

    surprise! a cat.

  • reedy beedy

    probably a cat.