Dr. Smruthi Karthikeyan

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

Engineering and Applied Science

Affiliated Faculty- Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE)

more info

Grace Solini

Graduate Student (Biology)

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.

Sal Ibarra

Graduate Student (Biological Engineering)

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.

Zahra Shivji

Graduate Student (Chemical Engineering)

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.

Tristan Caro

Foster and Coco Stanback Postdoctoral Fellow

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.

Sarah Garzione

Graduate Student (Biology), MD-PhD Program

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 in culture-independent techniques to identify pathogens and profile their antimicrobial resistance patterns. She enjoys crocheting, urban gardening, and spending time with her two cats.

Admin Assistant: Nora Oshima (MC 131-24)

Honorary Members

Cate Holmes

Former Lab Manager

Current: Graduate Student at Georgia Tech

Nadia Suryawinata

Collaborator- Graduate student (Biology) in the Mazmanian lab

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.

Sawyer Farmer

Former Lab Manager

Current: Medical School

Michael Anne Bolene

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

Divan Mejia Gonzalez

former SURF Student

Current Undergraduate (Electrical Engineering), Caltech

Esther Okamoto

Rotation Student: Spring, Summer ‘25

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.

Pets