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…

Marina Lazic, PhD

Laboratory Manager

Dr. Marina Lazic is a highly accomplished researcher and educator with a strong background in microbiology and biotechnology. She completed her PhD at the University of Alberta, where she also serves as an academic instructor and research associate. Dr. Lazic has extensive experience in laboratory coordination and teaching, specializing in microbial physiology, applied microbiology, and molecular biology techniques.

Dr. Lazic’s PhD thesis research focused on optimizing the production and detection of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in the alphaproteobacterial methanotroph Methylocystis sp. Rockwell. Her study aimed to enhance PHB production by Methylocystis sp. Rockwell using different combinations of methane and methanol, with varying nitrogen sources. The results highlighted the significance of the methane/methanol combination for PHB production and introduced a novel, environmentally friendly approach for direct PHB detection in methanotrophic cells.

During her MS thesis research, Dr. Lazic focused on improving the properties of a synthetic module designed for controlling gene expression in mammals using near-infrared light (NIRW). Dr. Lazic engineered novel bacteriophytochrome diguanylate cyclases (DGC) that expresses higher activity under physiological conditions (at 37 ºC) and a slower reversion rate from the active to the inactive state compared to natural or earlier engineered enzymes.

Dr. Lazic has served as secodnary prinicipal investigator for the iGEM 2023 team at the University of Alberta. The team 2023 developed an innovative system for the automatized detection of infected crops. The developed system represents integration between synthetic biology, artificial intelligence (AI), mechanical, and software engineering to create a molecular diagnostic for crop pathogen detection. Currently, Dr. Lazic is developing climate change prevention – related i GEM 2024 project where the team will atempt to mitigate both, methane emission and traditional plastic release into the environment.

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

Cerrise Weiblen

Graduate Student

Cerrise is studying the intersection of methane, nitrogen, and oxygen cycling in methanotrophs. This work is fueled by the insight that the contribution of microorganisms to the global atmosphere has been wildly underestimated and disregarded in the past.

Their research includes proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of the bacterium Methylomonas denitrificans strain FJG1, which prompted an ecological survey for hypoxia-related genes unique to the Methylococcales order. These bacteria are an integral part of the Earth’s atmospheric regulation, capturing vast amounts of methane gas and responding to declining oxygen levels with the production of nitrous oxide.

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. 

Elizabeth Arenas

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Maryssa Iacobelli

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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

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Fabián Rondon

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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

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
Nigel Tan, 2019
Mujtaba Siddique, 2018-2019
Anushree Patel, 2018
Emily Johnson, 2018-2019
Yana Kibalnyk, 2018-2019

Kai Wei, 2009-2010
Trevor Blois, 2009-2010
Dustin Campbell, 2009-2010
Kerim Kits, 2007-2008
Saadia Tariq, 2007
Chris Villanueva, 2006-2007
Stuart Le, 2005-2006
Joshua Tietjen, 2004-2005
Sean Mathews, 2004-2005
Clinton Allison, 2002-2003