Our Team

Robert Quinn, PhD

I was raised in Bancroft, Ontario, Canada in close proximity to Algonquin Park which sparked my early interest in biology through constant interaction with the outdoors. I received my Undergraduate and Master’s degrees in microbiology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. I then completed a PhD with Dr. Andrei Chistoserdov at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette studying the microbiome of Epizootic Shell Disease in the American Lobster. I completed my postdoctoral studies with Dr. Forest Rohwer at San Diego State University and Pieter Dorrestein at UC San Diego studying the cystic fibrosis lung microbiome, coral reefs, and other complex microbial systems. As an assistant professor at Michigan State University, I use multi-omics methods including metagenomics, metabolomics and classic microbiology approaches to understand the causes of dysbiosis in host associated microbial communities. I have studied the microbiome of everything from salmon, to lobsters, to corals, to lungs, to guts, to….whatever is next. I’m a huge sports fan and spend some of my spare time trying figure out how to apply advanced baseball statistics to microbiome research.

Doug Guzior - Graduate Student

I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio and a proud graduate from THE Ohio State University with a degree in microbiology and research distinction within microbiology along with cum laude honors. While at Ohio State, I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Sashwati Roy on developing models for maxillofacial burn wounds and with Dr. Paul Stoodley on investigating the role of synovial fluid components on Staphylococcus aureus periprosthetic joint infection. My research revolves around the production of microbially conjugated bile acids and subsequent impacts on disease. I have always been interested in figuring out why things work, but I first came in contact with microbiology in a high school biology class. Since then, I have been an avid microbiologist in and out of the lab. I am an experienced homebrewer and have made beer, wine, cider, and mead. When it’s nice outside, you can most likely find me out on a bike ride.

Cely Gonzalez - Postdoc

I am from Panama, my undergrad was received from University of Panama in Microbiology and Parasitology. Throughout my PhD research work at INDICASAT AIP hosted by Acharya Nagarjuna, India. I explored some factors that drives the success of fungus-growing ants in Panama. Fungus-growing ants are very important in neotropical ecosystems since they have a co-evolutionary history with their symbionts (~65mya). This work allowed me to generate new skills and questions for future research in microbial communities in any ecosystems, about the physiological role of microbes in a complex system such as host-pathogens and their consequences (good/bad) of interact with the environment.

I am interested in microbial ecology research, understanding the complex interactions that drives the biodiversity and the success of host-microbial community interactions in ecosystems.  My experience and skills are based on microbial ecology and complex symbiotic systems using culturing bacteria and fungi, molecular biology-based approach comprised by ITS Sanger sequencing, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and metabarcoding.

I enjoy the field sampling collection (It is a kind of hiking), molecular biology lab work, and the consequent data processing and analysis (Bioinformatics tools enthusiastic).

Hansani Karunarathne - Postdoc

I’m from Sri Lanka, a beautiful island known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. I received my Bachelors (in Agricultural Technology and Management) and Masters (in Food Science and Technology) degrees at University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. For my master’s studies, I investigated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of the Galangal rhizome extract against food-borne pathogens. In 2017, I won a scholarship to carry out my PhD studies in Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University, Michigan. For my dissertation, I was investigating the effect of tocotrienols on the plasma metabolomic profile of end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis using NMR-based metabolomics approach. The specific knowledge, technical skills and the research experience I gathered from my graduate studies intensified my interest towards clinical metabolomics.

Currently, I’m interested in studying the lung metabolome and microbiome of the CF disease and understanding how the microbial metabolism and dynamics may be responsible for the progression of the disease using a multi-faceted approach including advanced mass spectrometry methods, high-throughput nucleic acid sequencing and multi-omics data generation.

I enjoy traveling, watching TV, trying new cuisine and spending time with family and friends.

Yousi Fu - Postdoc

I am come from Dalian, China, which is the "Northern Pearl" and summer resort in China. I received my Bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in bioengineering at Dalian University of Technology, China, and Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at Xiamen University, China. During my PhD studies, I focused on the use of the in vitro cultured human intestinal microbiota for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). I also investigated the effects of prebiotics such as berberine and Dendrobium polysaccharides on the metabolism and abundance of the gut microbiome through in vitro fermentation. Now, I will continue my research on the effects of a new set of microbially conjugated bile acids (MCBAs) on human physiology.

I have developed a range of experimental skills, including the isolation and cultivation of intestinal bacteria, the analysis of high-throughput sequencing data using R and Python, the detection and analysis of metabolism by GC-MS and HPLC-MS, and the cultivation of mammalian cells and Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as experimental skills in mice.

Skiing is one of my favorite sports. I love the thrill of gliding down a mountain and the feeling of the cold air in my face. It's a great way to stay active and enjoy the beauty of nature.

I am from Iron River, Michigan a small town in the Upper Peninsula. I am currently an undergraduate at MSU studying molecular biology & biochemistry. A high school chemistry class sparked my interest in really small stuff and the complexity of biological systems drew me to microbiology. A lifelong hobby of mine has been snorkeling coral reefs. Fortunately, I have been able to combine these interests into my current research concerning coral microbiome. I hope to contribute to the ongoing effort of coral conservation through my research here at MSU. Any extended periods of free time I get are spent traveling in a van I renovated.

Sabrina Rosset – Postdoc

 I am from Switzerland. I got a BSc degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and obtained my PhD from the same university, working in the Coral Reef Laboratory under the guidance of Prof Wiedenmann and Dr D’Angelo. During my PhD I studied how the nutrient environment affects coral thermal stress tolerance. I also used mass spectrometry to study how the membrane biochemistry of the dinoflagellate symbionts of coral relates to thermal tolerance of reef coral. Working as a postdoc in Taiwan and then in New Zealand, I have studied how the diel lipid droplet biosynthesis in coral is regulated and also investigated what role that oxylipins play in mediating the coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis. So, throughout my research career I have become a coral lipidomics enthusiast.

Now, working as a postdoc jointly between the Coral Resilience Lab at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and Michigan State University, I have the opportunity to contribute further towards revealing if and how the lipidome and broader metabolome of coral relates to their temperature stress tolerance. Studying coral in Kāne’ohe Bay in Hawaii that have known variabilities in their susceptibilities to bleaching, I am searching for metabolic biomarkers of heat tolerance with the hope to provide new knowledge that can inform conservation and restoration strategies.

When I am not in the lab I enjoy circus arts, surfing and snowboarding.

Chris Bridges - Lab Tech

I'm from Minooka, Illinois, and I recently graduated, in December of 2023, from Michigan State University with a Bachelor's in Microbiology along with summa cum laude honors. My love of research has been with me since high school at the Illinois Math and Science Academy, where I worked with Dr. John Thurmond on drug design to treat malaria. High school was also where I was introduced to microbiology, and knew I wanted to pursue microbes further. At MSU, my work revolves around studying Microbially Conjugated Bile Acid production in gut microbes, including Lachnoclostridium scindens. I also researched abroad in the lab of Dr. Heiner Schaal at the Institute of Virology of Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany. In my spare time, you'll find me working out, listening to music (EDM mostly), or criticizing horror movies, good or bad.