Lab People
Principal Investigator
Dr. Jessica Labonté
Assistant Professor
labontej@tamug.edu
Phone: +1 (409) 740-4921
Research Interest:
Characterization of virus–host relationships to understand the role of viruses in marine environments, from the surface of the ocean to below the seafloor.
Research Scientists
Sheri Motamedi
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Education:
Ph.D. University of Utah (2020)
Research Interest:
My research interests include astrobiology, deep sea microbiology, and molecular biology. During my Ph.D. I was working on getting DNA and identifying microbial members of serpentinite rock samples collected during IODP exp. 357. During my Postdoc in Dr. Labonté's viral ecology lab, I will be studying microbial dynamics of 20 lakes across Texas during wet and dry seasons by using metatranscriptomics and metagenomics.
Graduate Students
Kate Campbell
Ph.D. Student
Education:
B.Sc. University of Pittsburgh (2014)
Research Interest:
My research interests include marine microbial and viral ecology. My previous work focused on the effect of phosphorous limitation on the infection cycle of two bacteriophages that infect two Synechococcus strains. Currently, I am characterizing the microbial and viral communities surrounding the submarine volcano at the Kermadec arc off the coast of New Zealand.
Jordan R. Walker
Ph.D. Student
Education:
B.B.A University of St. Thomas - Houston (2014)
B.Sc. Texas A&M University at Galveston (2019)
Research Interest:
My research interests and experience are within the field of marine biology genomics and bioinformatics. I am currently working with the metagenomic data collected from Hurricane Harvey to reconstruct microbial genomes and apply the information to questions ranging from taxonomic identification to evolutionary and metabolic trends. I am interested in how microbial communities in coastal systems respond to stressors brought on by extreme weather events.
Undergraduate Students
Madeleine Thompson
B.Sc. Student
Major:
Marine Biology
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2021
Nathan Hagen Klobusnik
B.Sc. Student
Major:
Marine Biology
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2022
Lab Alumni
Giovanni Madrigal
Undergraduate Researcher (LSAMP)
Comparative Transcriptomics of Amphinomida Fireworms and Relatives (Annelida: Amphinomida)
Arianna Bartlett
Undergraduate Research Scholar (LSAMP)
Comparative Transcriptomics of Amphinomida (Annelida)
Cameron Jackson
Undergraduate Research Scholar (ACES)
Virus-Host Interactions Within Galveston Bay, Texas
Irene Martinez
Undergraduate Research Scholar (LSAMP)
Comparative Transcriptomics of Amphinomida (Annelida)
Catherine Risley
M.Sc. Graduate
Subseafloor Prokaryotic and Viral Communities in Sediment from an Anoxic Marine Basin
Alaina Woods
M.Sc. Graduate
Microbial Community and Ecosystem Response to Hurricane Harvey in Galveston Bay