Our Team

We are engineers and scientists studying environmental issues, focusing on microbial communities in natural and engineered systems.

Our Goal

Using multi-omics, advanced analytical chemistry, and fundamentals of microbial ecology and environmental engineering, we strive to harness the environmental microbiome for a sustainable food-energy-water nexus.

Interested in environmental microbiome research?
We are recruiting!
Click "here" for lab openings

Lab Members

Yaqi You (faculty page)
​Associate Professor
Environmental Resources Eng, SUNY ESF
BioInspired Institute, Syracuse Univ.
NYS COE in Healthy Water Solutions
NYS COE in Environmental and Energy Systems Innovations

Amina F Mughal
PhD candidate
Topic: Great Lake Microbiomes
MS, COMSATS Univ.
​Sussman Fellowship
Google Scholar

Maryam Saffari Aman
PhD candidate
Topic: PFAS (Co-advised with Daley)
MS, Univ. Tehran
​Compost Res. Ed Foundation Scholarship
Google Scholar

Zihan Zhong
PhD student
Topic: Horizontal Gene Transfer
BS, Shenzhen Univ. Institute for Advanced Study
College Foundation Scholarship
Google Scholar

Could this be you?

Lab Alumni

Postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Jerald Ibal
NSF-funded AIMS Project
​2023-2025
Co-advised with Dr. Ken Aho
Google Scholar

Dr. Michael Braus
NSF-funded AIMS Project
​2021
Co-advised with Dr. Ken Aho

Graduate

Hanyue Yang
PhD, Env. Resources Eng.
​SUNY ESF 2026
​SSSA Clark Graduate Awardee
(next: Postdoc)
Google Scholar

William Weinberg
MS, Biochemistry
SUNY ESF 2025
Summer Internship 
​(next: PhD@SUNY ESF)

Mohamad J Hashemi 
MS, Env. Resources Eng.
​SUNY ESF 2024
GSEU Professional Dev. Award
​(next: PhD@U Tennessee Knoxville)
LinkedIn

Patricia Kerner
MS, Microbiology
​ISU 2021
FEMS Congress Atten. Grant
​(next: Range Ecologist@National Audubon Society)
​Google Scholar

Undergraduate

Leah Landry
Biotechnology
Syracuse Univ.
Independent Research 2025-2026
(next: Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc.)

Lucien Sadykov-Peposhi
Env. Resources Eng.
SUNY ESF
Research Assistant 2024-2025
​(next: MS@Lehigh Univ.)

Molly Brown
Env. Resources Eng.
SUNY ESF
Honors Thesis 2024-2025
(next: NYS DEC)

Hayden Bregg
Biotech
SUNY ESF
Internship 2023-2025

Yuxuan Duan
Bioprocess Eng.
BUCT-SUNY ESF
Independent Research 2024
(next: MSE@UIUC)

Yuyin Gui
Bioprocess Eng.
BUCT-SUNY ESF
Independent Research 2023-24
(next: MS@Imperial College London; PhD@Univ. Edinburgh)

Nancy Do
Biotech
SUNY ESF
Research Assistant 2023
(next: Doctor of Physical Therapy@MCPHS)

Bussaba Sermsukwandee
Env. Science
SUNY ESF​
​Internship in Env. Science 2023

Olivia Abry
Biotech
SUNY ESF​
Research Assistant 2023

Roxanne Li
Env. Biology
SUNY ESF​
Independent Research 2023

E Schwartz
Env. Resources Eng.
​SUNY ESF​
Research Assistant 2022
​(next: PhD@Univ. Michigan)

Arya Legg
Biology
ISU
AIMS project trainee 2022
(next: USGS)

Diego Beltran
Chemistry
SUNY ESF​
​Research Assistant 2022

Adrian Boylan
Env. Resources Eng.
SUNY ESF​
​Career Fellowship 2022

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Rebecca Brien
Env. Resources Eng.
​SUNY ESF
Research Assistant 2021​
(next: GHD Group)

Ashley Margrey
Biology
​Binghamton Univ.
Syracuse BioInspired REU 2021

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Jourdyn-Evonne Lee 
​Env. Resources Eng.
​SUNY ESF
Honors Thesis 2021
NSF GRFP Awardee
​LinkedIn

Wyatt Saxton
Microbiology
ISU
STEM Undergrad 2020
​

​Susannah Mann
Health Science
ISU
Research Assistant 2020

​Tristin Here-Wheeler
Microbiology/French
ISU
STEM Undergrad &
​Research Assistant 2019
(next: MS@Washington State U)

Lauren Long
Microbiology
ISU
Career Path Intern &
​Research Assistant 2019​

Present Karmacharva
Mathematics & Statistics
​ISU
Career Path Intern 2019