Microbiology & Climate Change

Dr. Lisa Stein

Principal Investigator at the Stein Laboratory
Professor of Climate Change Microbiology
Associate Dean of Mentorship & Awards

Dr. Lisa Stein is a champion of climate change microbiology, carrying the message that microorganisms are capable of influencing atmospheric changes across the globe…

Aaron Turner

Graduate Student

Aaron is looking to discover temperate and virulent bacteriophages infecting Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB). This work aims to develop a viral-based approach to control AOB-driven nitrification, ultimately to deplete greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and increase soil fertility. 

Brittany Sauter

Graduate Student

Brittany began working at the Stein laboratory as an undergraduate student researcher in the Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology Specialization program. Her undergraduate project involved researching aquaponics mini systems to determine what pH provides greater biomass of both fish and plants.

As a graduate student, Brittany has moved on to the study of invasive crabs

Ismailcan Bayrakceken

Ismail is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences. His research focuses on discovering virulent bacteriophages that infect Methane Oxidizing Bacteria (MOB). By targeting and controlling MOB driven methane oxidation, this work seeks to develop a biocontrol strategy to reduce atmospheric methane levels. Ultimately, the goal is to mitigate the greenhouse gas effects of methane while enhancing soil fertility in agricultural systems.

Maryssa Iacobelli

Graduate Student

Maryssa is currently working on adapting the methylotrophic bacterium Methylorubrum extorquens AM1 to low-pH conditions. Methylotrophic bacteria are of interest for industrial processes due to their ability to utilize methanol – a highly abundant waste product – as a sole carbon source. Since industrial processes are limited by harsh conditions this project aims to develop a more well-adjusted strain for use in these systems. 

Mehnaz Bushra Hamid

Graduate Student

Mehnaz is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Biological Science with a background in Biotechnology from Bangladesh. Her current research focuses on assessing the effect on biological nitrification inhibitors on ammonia oxidizing and methane oxidizing bacteria, to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, specifically nitrous oxide and methane. Passionate about environmental conservation, she aims to contribute innovative solutions to combat climate change.

Nina Deschner

Nina started as an undergraduate researcher in the Stein lab working on isolating Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria (MOB) that produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from environmental samples. Her current research focuses on harnessing and advancing the genetic engineering potential of MOBs as a means to address greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Nina is also passionate about the field of synthetic biology and served as the director of the laboratory for the 2023 UAlberta iGEM team and is an advisor for the 2024 team. 

Rachel Rieberger

Rachael began in the Stein lab as an undergraduate researcher in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology specialization program, investigating how different combinations of methane and methanol impact the growth and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production in the methanotrophic bacteria Methylocystis sp. Rockwell. She also worked on a project growing and maintaining Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB). Her current research focuses on the adaptation of another methanotrophic bacteria Methylomicrobium album BG8 for growing in acidic conditions. Rachael also served as a laboratory member and lead administrator for the 2023 UAlberta iGEM team and is an advisor for the 2024 UAlberta iGEM team. 

Liliana Van

 Liliana started in the Stein lab as an undergraduate researcher in the General Science program, working on optimizing growth and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production in the methanotrophic bacteria Methylocystis sp. Rockwell, particularly in regards to carbon source, nitrogen source, and trace elements. As a graduate student, she is continuing her focus on methanotrophs by investigating the effect of carbon dioxide on growth and PHB production, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable production of biodegradable plastics.

Fabián Rondon

(He/Him)
Ph.D. Student
Chemical Engineer – Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Fabián’s research bridges chemical engineering, computational science, and biology, focusing on Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering. His work tackles methane biocatalysis, leveraging metabolic engineering and Genome-scale Metabolic Modeling to reduce emissions and convert methane into valuable products. By refining co-cultures, optimizing culture conditions, and integrating multi-omics data, he addresses energy demands, improves efficiency, and develops sustainable, economically viable strategies to mitigate climate change and enhance biosystem performance

Adigun Aderonke Odunayo

PhD Student

Aderonke earned her MSc in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental System Sciences from Chungbuk National University in South Korea, where her research focused on the growth and metabolic adaptations of thermoacidophilic archaea in co-culture with bacteria. At the Stein Lab, her research focuses on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) encased in hydrogel beads to understand their biofilm growth, physiology, and gene regulation. By characterizing the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying biofilm development, she aims to uncover how AOB adapt to embedded growth. Aderonke ultimately hopes to expand her work to include co-culture and enrichment studies that further illuminate microbial interactions in nitrifying systems.

Rachel Weitz 

Rachel is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Biological Sciences. She is currently working on establishing co-cultures of methanotrophs and methylotrophs to study their interactions and cross-feeding pathways. The long term goal of this work is to learn more about how interactions between methanotrophs and methylotrophs impact methane oxidation so that we can work towards enhancing methane oxidation capabilities for use in climate change mitigation efforts.

David Rivera-Kohr

Postdoctoral Fellow

David is developing synthetic microbial communities to remediate polluted pit lakes from Alberta’s oil sands extraction industry. David received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he studied caprolactam biodegradation and municipal solid waste bioconversion. In Madison, David was a prominent housing justice organizer; he is passionate about environmental and sociopolitical sustainability.

Hem Sharma, PhD 2023

Shibashis Das, PhD 2023

Sujani Gomes, MSc 2022

Marina Lazic, PhD 2022

Fatemeh Zibiari, PhD 2020

Miranda Stahn, MSc 2019

Scott Sugden, MSc 2019

Kerim Kits, PhD 2016

Jorge Zaldívar-Carillo, MSc 2015

Misha Miazga-Rodriguez, MSc 2014

Gyorgyi Nyerges, PhD 2008

Preston Tran, 2023
Umut Oktay, 2023-2023
Leeying Lau, 2022-2023
Tian Du, 2022-2023
Liye Fang, 2021-2022
Kai Jun Ma, 2020-2022 Liliana Van, 2020-2021
Sri Malika Vuyyuru, 2020
Dan Elmais, 2019-2020
Brittany Sauter, 2019-2020
Emily Marfleet, 2019-2020
Malena Szechman Pintos, 2019-2021 Luke Barretto, 2019-2020
Liam Rieder, 2019