Principal Investigator

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 underground to the bacteria in soil."


Current Graduate Students

Sukhvir Kaur Sarao

Ph.D. student

I am a third year PhD student. 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 the United States and South Africa. In the recently published research of ours, we characterized Bradyrhizobium populations from the established soybean fields using the culture independent methods. It is the first ever species level characterization so far for Bradyrhizobium.

My hobbies are gardening, cooking and trying new dine-in places.

 

Muhammad Yasir Afzal

Ph.D. student

"I come 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."

Chitra Sudalaimani

M.S. student

I am pursuing Master’s in plant science under Dr. Srinivas Janaswamy, co-supervised by Dr Volker Brozel and Dr Sen Subramanian. I like to see colorful microorganisms growing and I had curiosity about how these tiny organisms play major roles in human health, plant health and the environment, which is inspired me to start my research career in Microbiology. Currently I'm working on “encapsulation of nitrogen fixing bacteria using alginate for cereal crops to increase the yield”

Saurav Marahatta

Ph.D. Student

I am from Nepal and have completed by MS in soil science. I am currently doing my Ph.D. in agricultural and biosystems engineering with my advisor Dr. Lin Wei. I am carrying out my research on Biochar-based fertilizers and their interaction with soil microbes in maize cultivation. I am gaining valuable knowledge and skills on different free living nitrogen fixing microbes in Dr. Brozel’s lab. This is the preliminary work for my Ph.D. research in which I will be analyzing if various N-fixing microbes can associate and grow on biochar.


Undergraduate students

Jieun Kim

Summer 2024

Topic of Research: I isolated and extracted nitrogen fixing Bacilli from various soil types of South Dakota with Sukhvir and Johnathan. It was my first ever lab experience and I am glad to have learnt management skills in addition to many lab techniques.

I love listening to music and cooking.

 

 

 

JaLeigha Kambeitz

Spring 2024, ongoing

Topic of Research: Bacterial antagonists of Bacillus in soil

 


Recent Graduate Students

Dr Armaan Kaur Sandhu

Ph.D. (2024)

Thesis: Ecophysiology of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens.

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/armaan-kaur-sandhu-454062184/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JtWHUxcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

 

 

 

 

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/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibha Dahal

M.S. (2016)

Thesis: Diversity of Free-living Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria in the Badlands of South Dakota

 

 

Previous Graduate  Students

  • Nabilah Alshibli

        M.S. (2018)

 

  • Dr. Laura J. White

        Ph.D. (2017)

 

  • Tyrel Deutscher

        M.S. (2016)

 

    • Ryan Schmid
      •        M.S. (2014)

      •  

        Dr. Elizabeth A. Rettedal

             Ph.D. (2011)

       

      • Ursula Waack

            M.S. (2011)

       

         

        • Kelly Lehnert
          •        M.S. (2008)

          • Amy Christie

                 M.S. (2006)

           

          • Yun Luo

                  M.S. (2006)


          Recent Undergraduate Students

          Kallie Crowl

          Fall 2022, Summer 2023

          Topic of Research: Lifestyle of Bradyrhizobium Diazoefficiens USDA 110: Planktonic or Biofilm

          "In the fall of 2022, in identified the adherence preference of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA 110. We wanted to know if it is a natural biofilm former or likes to stay in planktonic phase. In summer  2023 I assisted Armaan in studying sibling rivalry in USDA 110 and nodule occupancy of USDA 110 versus other strains"

           

          Cole Adam

          Fall 2021, Spring 2022

          Topic of research:  Bacterial genetics.

          "My research targeted alternative nitrogen-fixing pathways in Bacillus able to grow without combined nitrogen."

           

           

           

          McKenzie Brown

          Spring 2022,  Fall 2022 

          Topic of Research: Soy Root Adherence and Adherence Related Properties of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 20 are Altered in Response to Diverse Root Exudates and Soil Extract

          "The purpose of my research was to analyze the effect of various soybean root exudates on root attachment related surface and phenotypic properties of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 20."

           

           

           

          Mitchal Eichacker

          Spring 2023

          "I isolated Bradyrhizobium  from local soybean field soils using selective media, working under supervision of Sukhvir Kaur. "

           

           

           

           Emma Osmundson

           Fall 2022

          Topic of research: Bradyrhizobium

          "We isolated Bradyrhizobium from soil samples using selective media, and characterized them down to species level."

           

           

          Amelia (Mia) Thoennes

           Fall 2021-Summer 2022

          Topic of research: Identifying Pigmented Microbes found in Soil

          "I took soil samples from Watertown, SDSU Campus, and parts of Colorado, and diluted and plated these to obtain pigmented bacteria. I would then wait for pigmented microbes to grow in hopes of identifying the microbe, as well as using the microbe to create art with."

           

          Laney Brown

           Spring/Summer 2021

          Topic of research: Escherichia coli & Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

           " I worked with Dr. Brozel for my capstone project to determine the E. coli phylogroups within the Brookings community. I was then hired as his laboratory assistant for an additional three months where we isolated Bacillus able to grow without combined nitrogen, and characterized these."

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