A multidisciplinary faculty mentor team has been formed to train REU students. Faculty mentors will engage and assist REU students in developing research plans and in designing and conducting experiments to achieve the goals established by the program. Faculty mentors will also assist students in their career development by advising students of career opportunities and helping them identify career paths in STEM. Below is a list of faculty mentors for the Biofilm REU program.
The Microbial Biofilm REU program places students in existing faculty labs for hands-on research on specific research projects. Because host faculty labs may rotate based on availability and access, students should identify specific microbial biofilms research themes in which they are interested. To the best of their ability, REU advisors will place students in a lab aligned with one of their top three research themes of interest. Below are the central Research Themes and some of the host labs who may sponsor REU students on this theme. Be sure to check out these themes and their corresponding faculty so you can select your top three research theme choices during application.
Research Themes
- Biofilm Development: Davies, Sauer, Light, McKenney, Cook
- Biofilm Resistance: Sauer, Marques, McKenney, Bane
- Bacterial Virulence: Schertzer, Chiarot, Light
- Dual-species Biofilms: Marques, Davies, Cook, Mahler
- Host-microbe Interactions: Cook, Marques, McKenney, Musselman, German, Mahler
- Bioengineering: Schertzer, Marques, Sauer, German, Mahler, Chiarot
- Bacterial Ecology: Cook, Sauer, Marques, Swierk
Participating Departments
Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, First-year Research Immersion
Research Faculty
Caitlin Light
Assistant Director, Researcher, Microbial Biofilms in Human Health
First-year Research Immersion Program
Research Interests
- Microbiology
- Biofilm formation and dispersion
- Bacterial virulence and pathogenesis
- Bacterial communication
Research Interests
- Biofilm development and resistance
Research Interests
- Microbiology
- Bacterial physiology
- Biofilm research
Research Interests
- Microbiology
- Antimicrobial tolerance
- Virulence
- Biofilms
Research Interests
- Bacterial communication
- Toxin trafficking
- Biofilm formation
Research Interests
- Microbiology
- Microbial interactions with the host
- Bacterial genetics
Research Interests
- Microbiota in Infection and Immunity
- Clostridioides difficile and Enterococcus faecium
- Bile acid metabolism
Research Interests
- Systems physiology of obesity
- Lipid and sugar metabolism
- Interactions between the diet and genotype
Guy K. German
Associate Professor/Graduate Program Director
Biomedical Engineering
Research Interests
- Complex fluids
- Soft matter
- Cellular and Tissue mechanics
- Traction force Microscopy
- Cosmetic Physics
Research Interests
- Organ-on-a-chip technology
- Tissue engineering
- Nanotoxicology
Paul R. Chiarot
Professor; Department Chair
Mechanical Engineering
Research Interests
- Microfluidics
- Multiphase Flows
- Electrohydrodynamics
- Fluid Mechanics
- Energy
Research Interests
- Behavioral Ecology
- Herpetology
- Tropical Ecology
Susan Bane
Professor; Biochemistry Program Director
Chemistry; Biochemistry Program
Research Interests
- Chemical Biology
- Microtubules
- Molecular mechanism of Taxol chemotherapy
- Site-specific fluorescent labeling of proteins
- Molecular mechanisms of colchicine and related drugs
2023 Research Projects
Role of Biofilms in Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
Facutly - Dr. Claudia Marques and Dr. Gretchen Mahler
Students - Katherine Peters and Federico McCants
Permeation of Streptococcus pyogenes in Lipid Depleted Skin
Faculty - Dr. Laura Cook and Dr. Guy German
Students - Jan Ashlley Masse and Kevin Rosado-Nieves
Role of Outer Membrane Vesicles in Biofilm Development
Faculty - Dr. Caitlin Light and Dr. Jeffrey Schertzer
Students - Grace McKissock and Samuel Cimbora
Characterizing Biofilm Dispersion in Enterococcus faecalis
Faculty - Dr. David Davies and Dr. Peter McKenney
Students - Jackson Nguyen and Raheema Mohammed Abraham
Biofilm Antibiotic Tolerance and Oxidative Stress
Faculty - Dr. Karin Sauer and Dr. Susan Bane
Students - Jesus Noriega and M. Valeria Rayo-Solano
2022 Research Projects
Role of Biofilms in Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
Facutly - Dr. Claudia Marques and Dr. Gretchen Mahler
Students - Jasmine Wanyoike and Thu Hsa
Exploring the Microbiome of Lizard Skin
Faculty - Dr. Laura Cook and Dr. Lindsey Swierk
Students - Sam Garnsey and Fiddi Hilmi
Electrospray Printing for Antibiofilm Surfaces
Faculty - Dr. Caitlin Light and Dr. Paul Chiarot
Students - Pat Moran and Xiaoyun Sun
Dispersion and Enzymatic Degradation in Dual-Species Biofilms
Faculty - Dr. David Davies and Dr. Whitni Redman
Students - Kylie Purkeypile and Vivian Chavez
Biofilm Antibiotic Tolerance and Oxidative Stress
Faculty - Dr. Karin Sauer and Dr. Susan Bane
Students - Mackenzie Bennett and Eduardo Almes Jr.
Questions?
Direct all inquiries and application materials to biofREU@binghamton.edu
