Graduate Students

Patricia Tran

ptran5@wisc.edu

Ph.D Candidate, Freshwater and Marine Sciences Program (2018-present)
UW-Madison Department of Bacteriology William H. Peterson Predoctoral Fellow

B.S., Environmental Sciences, McGill University, 2016

M.S., Biology, Concordia University, 2018

Graduate certificate in Bioinformatics, McGill University, 2016

Research Interests – My research explores the metabolism and ecology of microbes in anoxic zones of freshwater lakes, such as seasonally oxygen-depleted bottom waters (hypolimnions) of Lake Mendota (Madison, WI), and the permanently anoxic deep waters of Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania). Additionally, my work aims to bridge the gap between the data-rich research fields of genomics and aquatic modeling, by leveraging genomic information from -omics datasets (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics) to inform lake quality water models.

ORCID        Google Scholar       Twitter

Elise Cowley

ecowley@wisc.edu

MD/PhD Candidate, Microbiology Doctoral Training Program (2020-present), Entering Class of 2017
NIH-CIBM Predoctoral Fellow

B.S., Chemistry and Bioresource Research, Oregon State University

Research Interests – I am interested in how microbial ecology can impact human health and the flipside – how human health can impact microbial ecology. I am currently working on projects related to the bacterial sulfur cycle in the human gut, specifically as it relates to colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

ORCID        Google Scholar

Marguerite Langwig

langwig@wisc.edu

Ph.D Candidate, Freshwater and Marine Sciences Program (2021-present)

B.S., Biopsychology, Wagner College

M.S., Marine Science, The University of Texas at Austin

Research Interests: I am interested in using omics methods (mainly metagenomics) to understand the vast microbial diversity that exists in the world. I have a special love for marine environments, especially hydrothermal vents and the deep sea. I am excited about the novel insights omics techniques are providing about microbial ecology and hope to continue adding to our understanding in my PhD.

Katherine Klier

kklier@wisc.edu

Ph.D Candidate, Freshwater and Marine Sciences Program (2021-present)

B.S., Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan

Research Interests: My research interests include investigating the ecological function of microbes and viruses in marine and freshwater ecosystems. I am interested in using bioinformatics and laboratory-based methods to better understand microbial processes and interactions that occur in various environments.

Cody Martin

ccmartin6@wisc.edu

Ph.D Candidate, Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, (2021-Present)
NSF Graduate Research Fellow

B.S. Biochemistry and Genetics, Texas A&M University, 2021

Research Interests: I am interested in using omics data to understand the role bacteriophages play in shaping microbial ecology and community functions like community metabolism. Additionally, I am interested in creating bioinformatic tools to help advance the study of phage impacts on microbial ecology and function.

ORCID

Etan Dieppa Colón

edieppa@wisc.edu

Ph.D Candidate, Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, (2021-Present)
NIH Biotechnology Training Program Predoctoral Fellow

B.S., Microbiology, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao, 2020

Research Interests: I’m interested in the ecological, evolutionary, and biogeochemical processes that shape and occur in microbial communities. I am mainly interested in studying microbial communities from an environmental perspective.

James Kosmopoulos

kosmopoulos@wisc.edu

Ph.D Candidate, Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, (2022-Present)

B.S., Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2022

Research Interests: I want to understand how viruses influence the ecology and evolution of microbiomes. I’m particularly interested in using multi-omics approaches to expand upon known viral diversity, while also uncovering unique functions and processes that viruses bring to their hosts and the environment around them.