Members

Ph.D. Candidate (Sept, 2018 – Present)
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate (Sept, 2017 – Aug, 2018)

Christina is a PhD student in Environmental Engineering working in Semrau’s Lab. During her undergraduate study, she was intrigued by the dynamics of pollutant transformation in the subsurface environment, especially microbial bioremediation. This is what started her journey in the field of environmental microbiology. The goal of her PhD research is to gain a better understanding in metabolic mechanisms, evolution, and community interactions of methanotrophs using molecular biology tools and bioinformatic analyses. Her long-term goal is to continue her research and contribute to protect human health and the environment.

Undergraduate Research Assistant (Sept, 2018 – Present)

Kathryn Teske is a junior in Environmental Engineering working as a Research Assistant in Professor Semrau’s research lab. She decided to pursue a career in Environmental Engineering after living in Lima, Peru for a gap year before attending the University of Michigan, where she witnessed widespread inaccessibility to clean drinking water and unsafe levels of air pollution. Recently, she interned with Inodú, a consulting agency in Santiago, Chile, as a Energy and Sustainability Analyst Intern, working on projects regarding the integration of renewables and the market for energy storage in Chile. After graduation, Kathryn plans to continue on to graduate school to pursue a masters in Environmental Engineering to further her studies in environmental and water resource engineering.

Ph.D. Pre-Candidate (Dec, 2019 – Present)

Junwon is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering working in Semrau’s lab. He has various research experiences in environmental engineering, mainly focused on microbiology. During the Master’s course, Junwon conducted research about evaluation of toluene dioxygenase system and substitution of subunits in the system. Currently, he is working on re-directing of carbon in methanotrophs for enhanced valorization of methane to desired end products such as biofuels and bioplastics using molecular techniques. Further, he plans to continue research on environmental microbiology and to become an educator in the field.

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Feb, 2020 – Present)

My current research focus on microbial copper uptake and copper competition in different microbes. Main aim of my work is to understand how microbes compete for copper and the resulting effect on carbon and nitrogen cycles in environment. Specifically, I study: i) copper uptake mechanisms and competition in different methanotrophs such as Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, Methylocystis sp. SB2; ii) copper competition between methanotrophs and denitrifying bacteria, and its effect on denitrification, iii) copper competition in microbial ecosystems (e.g. soil microcosms) and its effect on element (e.g. carbon, nitrogen) cycles and greenhouse gas (e.g. CH₄, N₂O) emissions. 

Undergraduate Research Assistant (Feb, 2020 – Present)

Janine Sweetman is pursuing her BSE in Environmental Engineering with a specialized study program in Sustainable Engineering. Her interest is water remediation and she was involved with researching hydraulic filtration systems for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. She is the assistant design lead for BLUElab, designing water control devices to prevent flooding in critical areas of Mae Chan, Thailand. Recently, she interned with Geosyntec Consultants to assist in water and soil remediation work. In her free time, she enjoys competing in dog shows with Sir Bentley, her Golden Retriever.

Undergraduate Research Assistant (Feb, 2020 – Present)

In Preparation

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Apr, 2020 – Present)

Jin is a post-doctoral researcher in Semrau’s lab. During her Ph.D., she worked on the influence of methanotrophs on nitrogen cycling and N₂O Emissions. Specifically, she focused on the phenomenon that methanobactin excreted from methanotrophs inhibits N₂O reduction from denitrifiers in pure cultures and soil environments. Currently, she is involving the project “Microbial competition for copper: Impacts on carbon and nitrogen cycling”.

Postdoctoral Research Associate (June, 2018 – Sept, 2019)

Visiting Student (Nov, 2018 – Dec, 2019)