Embedded Files
Current Projects
Current Projects
From Pollution to Possibility: Investigating Microbial Metabolisms in Acid Mine Drainage
In this project, we study microbial communities thriving in acid mine drainage environments. Our research focuses on their metabolic processes, the presence of antibiotic resistance genes, and the role these microbes play in mobilizing rare earth minerals. To investigate these questions, we combine next-generation sequencing (NGS) with cultivation-based approaches to characterize microbial diversity, reconstruct genomes, and identify genes that drive these critical processes.
Lipus - AMD Poster_Final.pdfMy students, Nicole, Anna, Julia and Monyca recently presented our first results at the 35th annual Sigma Xi Symposium at Saint Joseph's University. The poster providing more information on the project can be found here
From turf to taxa: Exploring the microbiome of artificial and natural sports fields using modern molecular sequencing approaches.
This project uses modern DNA sequencing technologies to explore microbial communities on natural and artificial turf surfaces—common, yet understudied environments with potential implications for both environmental quality and human health. By analyzing the microbiomes of sports fields on Thomas Jefferson University’s East Falls campus, and around the city of Philadelphia we aim to uncover microbial dynamics that could influence turf sustainability, pathogen presence, and athlete safety, including skin infections linked to turf contact.
Rare, but relevant: Microbial processes in the terrestrial subsurface, with a specific emphasis on high CO2 environments
Collaboration partner: GFZ Potsdam, NETL Pittsburgh
This project explores the role of microorganisms in various terrestrial subsurface environments by studying their diversity, distribution, and metabolic processes using a genomics-based approach. One of the main study sites is the Eger Rift in the Czech Republic, a region characterized by frequent seismic activity and mantle-derived CO₂ degassing. Sediment and formation water samples have been collected over the past six years, providing novel insights into potentially CO₂-tolerant or CO₂-utilizing microorganisms and the rare biosphere—important but often overlooked groups of organisms. One specific highlight has been the discovery and characterization of a novel methanogenic species, Methanosphaerula sp.
Life at the limit: Explorations of microbial signatures and microbial processes in the hyper arid Atacama Desert
Collaboration Partner: GFZ Potsdam
This project explores "life at the limit" by investigating microbial populations living in one of the driest environments on Earth—the Atacama Desert in Chile. Using both 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequencing, the project analyzes intracellular, extracellular, and total DNA fractions of microbial communities thriving under these extreme conditions. This approach provides insights into both active and inactive microbial processes and reveals how life can persist—and even thrive—under such extraordinary circumstances.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse