Terrence Bell, Assistant Professor
Ph.D. McGill University (Natural Resource Sciences)
M.Sc. Western University (Biology)
B.Sc.H. Queen’s University (Biology)
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Current UTSC Lab Members
Kara Reardon, Ph.D. Student in Environmental Science
B.Sc. University of St. Thomas – Minnesota (Biology)
Hometown: Eagan, Minnesota, USA
Haider Alsafar, M.Sc. Student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
B.Sc. University of Toronto – Scarborough (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology)
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Shabnam Tejani, M.Sc. Student in Physical and Environmental Sciences
Andrew Blakney, Postdoctoral Associate [website]
Ph.D. Université de Montréal (Biology)
M.Sc. University of New Brunswick (Biology)
B.Sc./B.A. University of New Brunswick (Biology/History)
Hometown: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Javad Sadeghi, Postdoctoral Associate [website]
Ph.D. University of Windsor (Environmental Science)
M.Sc. Tehran University of Medical Science (Medical Microbiology)
B.Sc. Urmia University (Laboratory Science)
Awards: UTSC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2024-2026)
Hometown: Hamedan, Iran
Hooman Ahmadpanah, Undergraduate Student
Pursuing B.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Awards: CRESS Summer Research Award (2023); University of Toronto Excellence Award (2024)
Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Kailey Hopkins, Undergraduate Student
Pursuing B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Immunology, & Disease.
Awards: NSERC USRA (2024)
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Current Penn State Lab Members
Sarah Richards, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology
Co-advised with Estelle Couradeau
B.S. University of New Hampshire
Awards: Fund for Excellence in Graduate Recruitment (2020); USDA Predoctoral Fellowship (2023); Non-conformist Award from One Health Penn State Microbiome Center (2023); Graduate Student International Research Award (2024)
Hometown: Laconia, New Hampshire, USA
Lab Alumni
Postdocs
Suzanne Fleishman (2022), co-advised with Michela Centinari [link]
Current: Assistant Professor at Penn State University
William King (2020-2022) [link]
Current: Lecturer/Assistant Professor at University of Southampton
Research Technologists
Hanh Tran (2022)
Current: Technician with Emily Davenport at Penn State
Sean O’Rourke-Ibach (2021-2022)
Current: Technician at Temple University
Ryan Trexler (2017-2020) [link]
Current: Ph.D. Student with Estelle Couradeau at Penn State
Emily Grandinette (2019-2021)
Current: Medical Laboratory Scientist, West Virginia Medical Hospital
Ph.D. Students
Caylon Yates (2023) [link]
Current: Developer and Bioinformatician at Funga
Jeremy Sutherland (2023), co-advised with Jesse Lasky [link]
Current: Visiting Scientist at Hosei University and Postdoctoral Associate at Penn State University
Laura Kaminsky (2023) [link]
Current: Postdoctoral Associate at the Boyce Thompson Institute
Ryan Trexler (2022), co-advised with Estelle Couradeau [link]
Current: Continuing with Estelle Couradeau after I moved institutions
Rondy Malik (2019), co-advised with Dave Eissenstat [link]
Current: Assistant Research Professor at the University of Kansas
M.Sc. Students
Lily Cao (2023)
Harlow Wood, MEnvSc (2023)
Miranda DePriest (2022)
Current: Computational Scientist with Paul Esker at Penn State
Undergraduate Students
Pascal Cheung (2023-2024)
Sabrina Percy (2023)
Rachel Ye (2023)
Greyson Winnecke (2023)
Cullen Wilson (2021-2022); now Research Technician @ Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Vedha Viddam (2021-2022)
Helen Senerchia (2020-2021)
Idalys Bonet (first ever lab member, 2017-2019); now Compliance Specialist @ August Mack International
Emily Grandinette (2017-2019); now Medical Laboratory Scientist @ West Virginia Medical Hospital
Brandon Wilt (2018)
Timothy Peoples (2018)
Patrick Brown (2019)
Honour Roll
Kailey Hopkins (2024) – NSERC USRA
Hooman Ahmadpanah (2024) – University of Toronto Excellence Award
Javad Sadeghi (2024) – Most Comprehensive Seminar, Postdoc Palooza at UTSC
Javad Sadeghi (2024) – UTSC Postdoctoral Fellowship
Sarah Richards (2024) – Graduate Student International Research Award
Sarah Richards (2023) – Non-conformist Award from One Health Penn State Microbiome Center
Sarah Richards (2023) – USDA Predoctoral Fellowship
Jeremy Sutherland (2023) – Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Summer Program Award
Lily Cao (2023) – 2nd place oral presentation award at ECMSS Symposium
Rachel Ye (2023) – University of Toronto Excellence Award
Sabrina Percy (2023) – NSERC USRA
Hooman Ahmadpanah (2023) – CRESS Summer Research Award
Caylon Yates (2023) – Alumni Dissertation Award
Sarah Richards (2022) – 2nd place in poster competition at the International Phytobiomes Conference
Sarah Richards (2022) – Travel grant from the International Phytobiomes Conference
Suzanne Fleishman (2022) – Travel grant from the International Phytobiomes Conference
William King (2022) – Oral presentation award at the International Symposium on Physiological Processes in Roots of Woody Plants
Ryan Trexler (2022) – Poster Award at Changing Microbiomes Symposium
Laura Kaminsky (2022) – Alumni Dissertation Award
Laura Kaminsky (2022) – ISME Symposium Travel Grant
Sarah Richards (2022) – Henry W. Popp Award
Laura Kaminsky (2021) – College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Thesis Award
Caylon Yates (2021) – British Ecological Society Grant
Jeremy Sutherland (2021) – 1st prize in Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Lightning Talk Competition
Jeremy Sutherland (2020) – Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellowship
Caylon Yates (2020) – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Laura Kaminsky (2020) – PEO Scholar Award
Caylon Yates (2020) – College of Agricultural Sciences Graduate Student Competitive Grant
Caylon Yates (2020) – 3rd place in Penn State Microbiome Center Video Competition
Caylon Yates (2020) – Plant Pathology Graduate Studies Enhancement Award
Sarah Richards (2020) – Fund for Excellence in Graduate Recruitment
Rondy Malik (2020) – One of Cell Mentor’s 1000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America
Caylon Yates (2019) – Sloan Scholar
Miranda DePriest (2019) – Sloan Scholar
Laura Kaminsky (2019) – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Rondy Malik (2019) – NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Ryan Trexler (2019) – Ambassador Award for the College of Agricultural Sciences
Jeremy Sutherland (2019) – Penn State Student Leader Scholarship
Laura Kaminsky (2018) – University Graduate Fellowship
Caylon Yates (2018) – Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship
Miranda DePriest (2018) – Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship
Laura Kaminsky (2018) – 1st Place in Biological Sciences, Gamma Sigma Delta Poster Competition
Caylon Yates (2018) – 1st Place Lightning Talk, Penn State Microbiome Center Networking Event
Laura Kaminsky (2018) – PPEM Library Sequence Generation and Curation Grant
Laura Kaminsky (2018) – CAS Tag Along Award
People in the group have come from:
Australia
- New South Wales
Canada
- Ontario
- New Brunswick
Iran
- Hamedan
- Tehran
Ukraine
- Zhytomyr
USA
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Massachussetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Washington, D.C.