Volker Brözel

"I started out in food science but soon found bacteria more interesting. After completing B.Sc. in Food Science in the beautiful Stellenbosch, South Africa, I pursued M.Sc. and Ph.D. at the University of Pretoria. I liked being a student so much that I never left university, teaching and mentoring students while studying how bacteria behave outside the petri dish – ecophysiology.  My work at the University of the Western Cape (1994 – 1997) and later back at the University of Pretoria (1998 – 2003) focused on bacterial biofilms in industrial and drinking water systems.  I moved to South Dakota State University in the USA in 2003. Living in the agricultural heartland of the USA re-directed my focus to the bacteria in soil."

Sukhvir Kaur Sarao

Ph.D. student

"I am a PhD student in the Brozel lab. I work with a soil bacterium Bradyrhizobium, trying to unfurl the various phenotypic heterogenous populations within the so-called homogenous pure culture. I am also working to isolate novel Bradyrhizobium strains from various soil types from South Dakota."

 

Outside lab, I love to take a nap ‘anytime’ ‘anywhere’.

Muhammad Yasir Afzal

Ph.D. student

"I came from Pakistan, and I did my MS in Microbiology from the Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF).

I have interest in exploring the bacterial world, especially in soil.

I am currently working on:

• Response of Bacillus cereus when encountered by growing roots.
• Why Bacillus populations in soil do not increase in numbers despite being fast-growing bacteria."

Johnathan Orosz

Ph.D. student

I am currently trying to figure out how to encapsulate known diazotrophs and phosphate-solubilizers, i.e. plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), in biopolymers, so that we can do it with novel bacterial consortia that will thrive in real field conditions.  The purpose of this is to give farmers a way to grow crops using less synthetic nitrogen and phosphate inputs, so they can save money and keep intensively-used soil healthy.  Biofertilizers, or inoculants, have been used for some time.  However, the puzzle remains:  How do we formulate PGPB biofertilizers that are stable and perform consistently over time?   

In my free time I go for long walks with my dog Zhuri and reflect on nature. 

JaLeigha Kambeitz

Spring 2024

Topic of Research: Bacterial antagonists of Bacillus in soil

 

Dr. Bikram Das

Ph.D. (2022)

Thesis : Microbial Communities and Nitrogen Dynamics in Prairie and Cropland Soils

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bikram-kumar-d-5b4a05167/

 

 

 

Dr. Amrit Koirala

Ph.D. (2021)

Thesis: Free-living Diazotrophs and the Nitrogen Cycle in Natural Grassland Revealed by Culture Dependent and Independent Approaches

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrit-koirala-41037392/

 

Amina Baniya

M.S (2020)

Thesis: Interaction of Streptomyces Closely Associated with Bacillus in Nitrogen-limiting Conditions

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amina-baniya-ab2278101/?originalSubdomain=np

 

 

 

Dr. Gitanjali NandaKafle

Ph.D. (2018)

Thesis: The Role of Genomic Versatility in Multi-Niche Preferences of Escherichia coli

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gitanjali-nandakafle-2019g/

 

 

• Kelly Lehnert
•        MS (2008)

• Amy Christie

       MS (2006)

 

• Yun Luo

        MS (2006)