May 2026. Zara Tariq graduates from UConn. Congratulations, Zara! We wish you all the best in your next professional steps!
Zara wrote a thesis on acetate metabolism in human-associated methanogens. She plans on working as a MA in a dermatology clinic in order to work towards her future goal of applying to medical school.
May 2026. The UConn Microbial Ecophysiology Lab is growing!
We welcome Dhanuka (D) Withanage to our team as a PhD student and research assistant. D (he/his) will work with light-dependent metabolisms in methanogens and bacteria.
We welcome Mirko Leggiero to our team as a PhD student and research assistant. Mirko (he/him) will work with methanogens and biofilms, with potential applications in astrobiology and biotechnology.
April, 2026: Members of the Microbial Ecophysiology Lab published a review article on the biogeochemistry of methanogens. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16040144
October, 2025: Dr. Cesar Ivan Ovando-Ovando designed this infographic for an outreach event in Mexico aimed at Spanish speakers and the general public. It was presented during the ISME-Lat 2025 regional conference. This infographic shows key facts about methanogens. (English version coming soon).
September 18, 2025: We thanks Dr. Cesar Ivan Ovando-Ovando for his contributions to our lab.
Fall 2025: We welcome Jagger Defenza (Postbac scholar) and Zara Tariq (Undergraduate Research Assistant) to our Microbial Ecophysiology Lab! Both will work with the physiology of methanogens!
Summer 2025: We welcome Luis Padilla to our Microbial Ecophysiology Lab! This summer, Luis will be working with a protein from the human-associated methanogen, Methanobrevibacter smithii.
May, 2025: Kayla Pollman graduates from UConn. Congratulations, Kayla!
April, 2025: Alex Poulter and Steven Kilmetz (Second year PhD students) will receive the MCB Antonio H. and Marjorie J. Romano Graduate Education Fellowship. This fellowship will partially fund their summer research. We thank the donors for their financial support.
March, 2025: Isis Del Mazo-Monsalvo (a current member of the Microbial Ecophysiology Lab) published a manuscript
Hernández-Esquivel, L., Del Mazo-Monsalvo, I., et al., (2025). Modeling Krebs cycle from liver, heart and hepatoma mitochondria, supported Complex I as target for specific inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Front Oncol. 15:1557638. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2025.1557638
July, 2024: Members of the Microbial Ecophysiology Lab published a manuscript!
Del Mazo-Monsalvo, I., Santiago-Martínez, M.G. (2024) Microbes produce biofilms to support their communities in nutrient-limited environments. Nat Microbiol 9, 1636–1637 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01743-5
May, 2024: Pax Tomko, a member of the Microbial Ecophysiology Lab, received an NSF-GRFP!