Postdoctoral Research Associates & Academic Staff

Nameer Baker (he/him)

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Department: KBS/ LTER Science Coordinator

Research Interests: Microbial ecology, agroecology

Samantha Bock (she/her)

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Department: Kellogg Biological Station Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Ecological developmental biology, ecophysiology, and evolutionary ecology

Caitlin Broderick (she/her)

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Department: Kellogg Biological Station Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Microbial ecology, ecosystem ecology, global change ecology

Ashim Datta

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Department: GLBRC Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Soil carbon behaviour, Soil quality, salt affected soils

Louis Paul Decena (he/him)

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Department: Kellogg Biological Station Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Interested in understanding how evolution shapes genome size and architecture and its effects on different life history traits such as aging.

Ava Garrison (she/her)

Department: Plant Biology, EEB Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Plant evolutionary biology, trait adaptation, phenotypic plasticity

Kaitlin Gattoni (she/her)

Department: Kellogg Biological Sation Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Nematology, microbial ecology, agroecology, soil health

Alexa Guerrera (she/her)

Department: EEB Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Evolution, sexual selection, animal behavior

Chia Hsieh

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Department: EEB Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: I am a community ecologist interested in bridging macroecology and macroevolution to understand the distribution of biodiversity. As the MSU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB), I am investigating how ecological and evolutionary processes shape global patterns of avian ecological strategies.

Tyler Linderoth (he/him)

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Department: Kellogg Biological Station, ICER Bioinformatics Core. Research Specialist, Bioinformatics Consultant

Research Interests: Evolutionary and computational biology, population and statistical genomics, conservation.

Cristal Lopez Gonzalez

Department: Plant Biology Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: Modulation of pH under external pH changes at transcriptional level, plant transcriptional regulation and carbon metabolism

Premchand Maisnam

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Department: Kellogg Biological Station Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: My research focuses on understanding the soil microbiome, below and above ground interactions, and their interplay with climate change. With extensive experience in field site studies, I have utilized rainfall manipulation shelters to simulate environmental changes and assess their impact on microbial communities. My work spans extreme conditions, including arid regions, where I investigate the resilience and adaptability of soil microbiomes. By employing high-end sequencing techniques and advanced bioinformatics tools, I aim to decipher the complexities of microbial ecosystems, contributing to sustainable agricultural and land management and climate change mitigation.

Pulak Maitra

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Department: Kellogg Biological Station Postdoctoral Research Associate

Research Interests: My research focuses on the dynamics of plant-microbe interactions, with particular emphasis on how environmental stresses like drought affect these relationships. I am especially interested in the roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and other symbiotic microorganisms in promoting plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and resilience in bioenergy crops such as soybean and switchgrass. My work involves examining shifts in microbial communities using molecular tools like DNA analysis, as well as studying key functional traits of endophytes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.