Major Professor: Dr. Melha Mellata

Home Department: Food Science and Human Nutrition

Dissertation Title: Using prophylactics to improve resistance against Enterobacteriaceae in chickens

Fellowships and Awards: NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021); McNair Program Mentor of the Year (2020); Young Ambassador, American Society for Microbiology (2020); AAVI-AAI Young Investigator Award (2020); USDA-NIFA Predoctoral Fellowship (2019); Thomas A. Cole Alumnus Prize in Biology (2019); NIH Graduate Summer Fellowship (2018); ISU CALS+ Presidential Scholarship (2016)

Current Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow at Colorado University-Boulder

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Please describe your current position

At CU-Boulder in Dr. Ding Xue's lab, I study the role bacteria play in neurodegeneration (ex: Parkinson's disease) as well as cancer treatment phenomena like radiation-induced bystander effect. As part of my postdoctoral training, I am learning new techniques (genetic engineering, C. elegans work, microinjections, etc) and also leading my own research project as part of my NIH fellowship. The vast majority of my time is strictly spent doing research in the lab, with some time spent during the week discussing updates with my postdoc sponsor.

Please describe your research at ISU

At Iowa State, I investigated whether prophylactics, ranging from probiotics to drug therapeutics, could be used to reduce Enterobacteriaceae (ex: E. coli and Salmonella) in chickens as an alternative to antibiotics. Over the course of my graduate research, I gained expertise in techniques like flow cytometry, fluorescent and electron microscopy, ex vivo organ cultures, and animal work (mice, chickens).

How did your time in the Interdepartmental Microbiology program prepare you for your current position?

The IM program is helpful in giving students several opportunities to work with their peers through outreach events and leadership positions as well as developing meaningful collaborations and friendships. The IM program is also helpful in sponsoring graduate students stipends during the first year of lab rotations, although I was a direct admit into Dr. Mellata's lab so I cannot speak to that experience. In my opinion, one of the most valuable aspects of the IM program is the diversity of research interests. In this way, the IM program provides an intersection for the vast applications of microbiology under one roof.

What advice would you give students looking for work in a similar position or field?

Before deciding what position or field you want to pursue, I think it would behoove young scientists to try as many new things as possible. Think you might like bioinformatics work? Try taking a course in that field. If teaching sounds interesting, apply for a teaching assistantship. If an opportunity arises to learn a new lab technique, learn it. Trial and error is going to be your best bet at finding a position you'll truly enjoy.

My career goals are to run my own research lab, be it through government institutions like the NIH or at a university. So, if students think they might be interested in such a path, I would recommend getting experience in writing grants and research proposals as soon as possible. That is a HUGE part of running a lab, as you obviously need funds to do research. Writing proposals will also help with doing your own research in general, as you will begin to critically think about proper controls, understanding what experiments are appropriate to answering certain questions, etc.

What was your favorite part of the Interdepartmental Microbiology program?

The friendships I developed with my peers by far. Coming to a new place is scary for a lot of graduate students, so sharing that experience with other people in your situation really helped me settle into a new lifestyle.

What was your favorite part of living in Ames?

As someone not originally from Iowa, I find HyVee (and its Chinese food, or Hy-Chi for short) to be truly remarkable. Cost of living in Ames is also awesome, as you can rent an apartment with full amenities for much cheaper prices versus more expensive cities like Boston. This is a major factor to consider, as the last thing you want to experience is financial stress on top of the stress that's inherent with graduate research.

If you could give new students in the program a piece of advice, what would you say?

My biggest piece of advice would be to not be too worried about what your research project is in graduate school. I have always wanted to get into Parkinson's research, but I had to fall into a project which I legitimately hated my first few months. However, once I began to learn about how to think like a scientist, I became more broadly curious and found myself really enjoying my graduate research. In my opinion, graduate school is where you learn how to be a scientist in terms of thinking critically, reading/interpreting papers, and becoming more independent. Once you master the fundamentals, you can be successful in whatever field you choose to pursue.

What advice would you give students about to graduate and enter the job market?

For those looking for postdoc positions, don't feel pressured to go into a field that is close to your graduate research. A postdoc outside of your field of expertise can actually be a strength by diversifying your research portfolio, which will make you much more marketable in the future. In addition to looking for posted positions on university/institutional websites as well asm.org, don't be afraid to email random investigators if you think their work is interesting. I had never met Dr. Xue before sending him an email, sometimes things just work out if you put yourself out there! Lastly, consider applying for postdoc fellowships and apply early. I started writing my NIH postdoc application while writing my dissertation, so it's totally doable.