Alumni

See the lists below for a general overview of the alumni from CurtisLab, their position in the lab, and current position (if known). For more in-depth information about our alumni, including their publications from CurtisLab, please see the master list:

Recent Alumni

Marena Trauger

Bioreactors for Plant PropagationPapers: Low Cost Plant PropagationCurrently employed at Merck - West Point

April Hile

Chocolate Tree Propagation in Temporary Immersion Bioreactors Papers: Low Cost Plant PropagationCurrently employed at Catalent

Mariela Torres

Plant Virus Transmission in Axenic Tissue CultureCurrently employed at Hershey Medical CenterLinkedIn

Nadia Waterton

Digital Media and Image Analysis SupportPapers: Low cost Whitefly Colony

Vijay Reddy

Plant Gene Therapy - Viral Complementation PlantsPapers: GM Cannabis review

(Aliya) Fathima Anwar

Insecticidal Plants; Transgenic Tomato expressing viral functions; 2020 Lab web pageLinkedIn ;Department of Bioinformatics, Saveetha University, INDIA

Michael Ream

Optics bench design for bioluminescence & Fluorescence microscopyMIT Graduate SchoolLinkedIn ; MIT Graduate School.

David Krum

Transgenic tomato with apoplastic mCherry; modeling PCR failure; Honors Thesis (Anti HIV transmission). Poster axenic whitefly / virus transmission; LinkedIn MIT Graduate School

Graduate Alumni

Jishnu Bhatt '20

Yam Propagation - Lab Rotation

Sarah Jean Johnson MS '18

Chemical Eng.

Brielle Hohne '18

Yam Propagation

Tina Lai MS '16

Thesis: Enhancement of somatic embryoenesis in Theobroma cacao using phtyosyanin-like-1 arabinogalacan (PLA) protein domains.LinkedIn ; MS. Bioinformatics from NYU. Open Plant Community Project.

Jun Wang '15

Lab Profile ; Thesis: Improving process efficiency of algae based biofuel and bioproduct production using metabolism based pH control. CEO, Algae Startup

Sergio Florez PhD '15

Thesis: Improving plant propagation through the manipulation of the genetic and physical environment. LinkedIN ; Senior Fermentation Engineer, Gingko Bioworks Lab Profile (2016)

Nymul Khan PhD '15

PNNL; ChemvitaLab Profile (2015)

Mustafa Erbakan PhD '14

Currently professor at Bozok University, TurkeyLinkedIN

Trevor Zuroff PhD '14

Thesis: Engineering a microbial consortium for lignocellulosic biofuel productionHome School Experiments < Shell OilLab profile (2014)

Manuel Escotet MS '13

Merck < PhD Rutgers Lab profile (2012)

Megerle Scherholz MS '12

PhD at RutgersCurrently employed at Merck

Amalie Tuerk MS '11

PhD at U Delaware

Jeff Larsen PhD '11

Thesis: Engineering High-Level Transient Expression of Heterologous Proteins in Plant Cell Suspensions and Hairy RootsLinkedIN ; Engineer, Dow AgroSciences

Lisa Grady MS '10

Med School, University of New England

Waqas Khatri MS '10

Engineer Ittehad Chemicals, Pakistan

Kristin O'Neill MS '05

Merck
Jason Collens PhDPaula Garcia MSPatrick Asplund PhDLia Tescione PhDDivakar Ramakrishnan PhDRandhir Shetty MSColleen Merritt PhDAmy Bonser PhD

Lab Technician Alumni

Walter McVey

DARPA Project Integrator ; LinkedIN ; Biotech Consultant

Flavia Amariei

DARPA Project Integrator ; LinkedIN ; Anser, Advisor for Defense contracting

Roland Leach Sp '20

Lab manager
Elliot Killian DARPA Project Integrator ; LinkedIN;

Declan Dean Sp/Su '18

DAPA Project Integrator ; LinkedIN ; Avery Dennison < B.S. ChE '16 U Mass

Benson Chong Su/Fa '17

B.S. BMB '15 Penn State Univ.

April Hile '14 - '17

NSF BREAD; DARPA Insect Allies ; LinkedIN ; Catalant Pharmaceutical.

Ben Geveke '12

Alginator Currently employed at Heinz

Ryan Johnson '11 - '13

B.S. Chemical Eng. '11 Penn State Univ.ARPA-E

Visiting Scholars

Chenchen Yuan Fa '19 - Sp '20

Algae BiofuelsPhD candidate, China

Krishnan Sreenivas Sp/Su '16

Plant Propagation Bioreactors; Algal BioremediationSRM University, PhDResearch Gate

Gabriel Paulo de Souza Su/Fa '14

Brazil

Ramya Mohandass

Metagenomics & BiofuelsProfessor SRM Institute of Science and TechnologyResearch Gate

Tim Miskimmin Winter '11

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Salvador Barri '11 - '12
Barcelona, Spain

Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program Alumni

Alan de Andrade, ASU

Paulo Joadi, UNM

Rachel Kopperschmidt, ASU/AIU

Anne Kelly Santos Lima, FUA/NCSU

Igor Mecenas,UFS/ASU

Mainara Muhl, FURG/ADU

Marcia Rodrigues, NAU


All from summer 2015

Honors Student Alumni

Hinkal Patel '21

Botryococcus hydrocarbon productivity analysisLab profile ; 2021 ChE Honors Thesis - Development of an Analytic Method to Determine Algae Potential as Industrial Feedstocks for Biofuel Production ; LinkedIN

David Krum '21

Lab Profile ; 2021 ChE Honors Thesis - A Low-Cost Kit for the Purification of a Mannan-Binding Lectin Preventing HIV Transmission ; 2021 Grad MIT ;

Lucas Nugent '20

ChE Honors Thesis - First Principles Airlift Photobioreactor for the Energy Balance of Microalgae for Biofuels Applications ; Research Gate

Mike Cover '20

ChE Honors Thesis - Low-Cost Laboratory Equipment Monitoring and AutomationLinkedIn: Ensign in the Navy !

Michael Lind '20

ChE Honors thesis - Hydrocarbon production of Botryococcus braunii race B under varying culture conditionsLinkedIN: Altera Energy < PPG Industries

Marena Trauger '19

Lab Profile ; ChE Honors Thesis - Temporary Immersion Bioreactors: Developments Towards Yam Propagation and African Food Security ; LinkedIN Currently at Merck Pharmaceutial

Ryan Jones '18

BP, Exxon Mobil

Eva Mei Shouse '18

2112 Lab Profile ; Microbiology Honors Thesis - Heterologous expression of pytocyaidin-like arabinogalactan protein from Dioscorea rotundata as a potential treatment to promote somatic embryogenesis ; PSU Personal website PhD Candidate NC State?

Haonan Xu '18

JHU M.S.

Erik Curtis '16

ChE Honors Thesis: Development of the marine Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 as a scalable low-cost photoautotrophic protein production platformCurrently employed at Merck)

Nate Hamaker '13

Lab Profile ; Honors Thesis ; LinkedIN Paper - Plant propagation Bioreactor'16, U. Delaware

Katie Legenski

Honors Thesis ; LinkedINGlaxo-Smith-Kline; J&J

Olga Vinogradova '16

Lab Profile ; Honors Thesis ; LinkedINPhD candidate Carnegie Mellon

Rachel Erwin '15

Lab Profile 2015 ; ChE Honors Thesis - Methods for enhancing somatic embryogenesis in Theobroma cacao ; LinkedIN ; Paper Co-author. Regeneron

Justin Yoo '14

ChE Honors Thesis: Establishment and Maintenance of Axenic Botryococcus braunii race B Algae Culture; LinkedIN; NSF Graduate Fellow; PhD USCB ; Currently at Notch Therapeutics

Reed Taylor '14

Regeneron; Harvard MBA

Matt Curtis '13

Dual Degree with Honors in Chemical Eng and Biochemstry and Molecular Biology: ChE Honors Thesis: Novel Temporary Immersion Bioreactor Allows the Manipulation of Headspace Composition to Improve Plant Tissue Propagation; BMB honors Thesis: Cloning of insecticidal BT genes for application to protection of mushrooms from fungus gnats Lab Profile 2013, Linked In ; NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. MS, Cal Tech

Sydney Shaw '12

Honors Thesis ; LinkedINGenzyme; Resiliance Pharmaceutical,

John Myers '12

ChE Honors Thesis - The Scaled-up Process Design and Economic Analysis of an Electrofuels Platform for Producing Botryococcene as an Alternative Transportation Fuel ; LinkedIN ; Paper Primary Author (> 200 citations)Motiva Oil --> Monroe Energy LLC

Christine Taylor '12

Honors Thesis

Brandon Curtis '11;

UC Berkeley, M.S.

Ben Woolston '11

Honors Thesis ; PhD at MIT Currently professor at Northeastern University

Adam Nebzydoski '10

ABEC Inc.

Amalie L. Tuerk '05

M.S. at UDelaware (Lee Lab)

Brian C. Werner '05

Co-author - blood damage in turbulence ; M.D. Wake Forest '09Orthopedic surgery, UVA Health

Greg M. Thurber '03

PhD MIT/HarvardProfessor at Univ. of Michigan

Laura J. Sailer '03

Currently employed at Merck

Hallie Brink '02

PhD UPenn

Karen E. Jerardi '02

M.D. UPitt, Instructor, UC Pediatrics

Abdulehameed Aziz '00

Honors Thesis ; Primary author ; M.D. WashU

Amy Hsiao '99

Evelo Biosciences, Director of Pharmaceutical development LinkedIN

Tracy Y. Hsiao '98

PhD UC Berkeley

Sean Holihan '93

Merck & Co.

James Corry '92

Merck & Co.


Christopher J. Justin '09 Benjamin Wong '05 Amy M. Seeman '03 Christopher J. Wigoda '02 Sara E. Leister '00 Taylor Maher '14 Patrick Hillery '14 Casy A. Carlos '99 Kristina R. Mann '99 Heather Young '98 Ross Brindle '97 David Henninger '97 Jonathan P. Miller '97 Albert Shung '97 Michelle Brincat '96 Arther Bergman '95 Keith Welp '95 Beth Pearsall (Powell) '94 Melissa S. Baron '93 Leah Sullivan '93 Scott McKelvey '92 Sharon Warmbrodt '91 David Dunlop '90

Undergrad Alumni


Jack Kintigh

Lab Profile: Lab Research Assistant, Drought study ; also assisted with whitefly colony maintenance.

LinkedIN; Hurculite Products < Eurofins

Roland Leach

Lab Assistant (DARPA); general lab management; PSU freshman;

Brett Rosoff-Verbit

Whitefly Biocontainment for virus transmissionLinkedIN ;

Morgan Shires Sp '15

Lab Profile ; Cacao somatic embryogenesis; Paper: Inducible somatic embryogenesis in Theobroma cacao achieved using the DEX-activatable transcription factor-glucocorticoid receptor fusionLinkedIN ; Merck

Calean Allen

Infrastructure fabrication support

Alex Beam

Photosynthetic biomedicinal production platforms

Emily Pifer

Wastewater Treatment LinkedIN; Epic Solutions

Moez Essajee

Plant Propagation & Lab Automation

Ben Geveke '12

Lab Assistant; Algae Biofuels; M.S. UC Davis ; LinkedINCurrently at Heinz

Noah Willis '19

Algae Biofuels Lab Profile ; LinkedINPhD candidate U. Delaware

David Kennedy

Wastewater Treatment Project

Andrew Barmasse

Regeneron

Jessica Bigham

LinkedIN ; MBA Purdue <Chevron

Cook Lan Dang

Campbell's

Matt Glasgow

Goodyear

Jackie Guo

P&G

Josh Harrison

BAE Systems

Robert Hendrix

LinkedIN ; Thermo Biologics Innovation Manager; CRB Consulting

Tucker Langseth

Eurofins Lancaster Lab

Billy Muzika

Paper: Production of Biofuel-Related Isoprenoids Derived from Botryococcus braunii AlgaeChromatan; LinkedIN

Ryan Muthard

PhD, U Penn

Ben Nason '15

Lab Profile ; LinkedIN Lion Launch Pad

Dennis Peterson

ABEC

Stephen Rossi

Bristol-Myers-Squibb

Serena Xu

PSU - modeling - dark side
Kathleen Lauser Kakhramon Mukhmudov Laura Rupnik Andrew Sell Jacob Scoccimerra David Surdich Fahad Taimur Stephanie Tran Steve Tran Erik Wolcott Kevin EptingDavid Martino Robert Huhn Chris Brennan Daniel Galvan Brugal Chris Colona Aaron Ryan Benoit Chelsea Berry Sarah Bien Rachel Fore Grant Gill Andrew MilesHamdan Almarzooqi Michael Aksu

+300 more out there!

REU (non-PSU) Alumni

Kaitlyn Brickey Su '18

Lab profile ; PhD Candidate Penn State

Bennett McKinley Su '16

Protein Purification NSCU; MD candidate @ Univ. Louisville School of Medicine 2016 Lab Profile ; LinkedIN

Lance Collazos Su '15

LSU; LinkedIN ; Currently at P&G

Vanessa Mackley Su '12

UMBC 2015

John Michael Su '11

Miami University of Ohio

Amy Videon Su '11

B.S. Mechanical Eng. at Penn State

Lalit Darunte Su '09

PhD candidate at Georgia Tech Currently at IIT Bombay

Emily Voigt

Kansas State; Infections Disease Research Institute LinkedIN

Lauren Andrews

B.S. Chemical Eng. at CornellLinkedIN ; Currently professor UMass Amherst

Michael Hough Su '14

Clarkson University

Shalini Saxena Su '10