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

Cate Holmes

Lab Manager

B.A. Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Cate’s research interests include environmental microbiology, antibiotic resistance and phage therapy, as well multi-omic analysis of the microbiome. In her free time she likes road tripping to National Parks, crafting, and catching up on her Goodreads reading challenge.

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

Rotation 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, especially relating to the skin microbiome. She enjoys crocheting, urban gardening, and spending time with her two cats.

Admin Assistant: Nora Oshima (MC 131-24)

Honorary Members

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

Michael Anne is interested in using multi-omic analysis to identify ways of using bacterial communities as biomarkers, both for human and environmental health. When she’s not in the lab, she likes going for long walks and cooking fun gluten-free foods.

Divan Mejia Gonzalez

SURF Student

Current Undergraduate (Electrical Engineering), Caltech

Divan is a rising second year student at Caltech and the lab’s first SURF student. His project goal is to identify phages of interest for targeting antibiotic resistant bacteria. He is also a member of Caltech Track and Field and Cross Country.

Pets