Gerdt Laboratory

Marian is a nature loving person who hails from Ghana. She earned her master’s degree from Illinois State University where her research was on synthesizing a protease inhibitor for Human T-cell Leukemia virus. She joined the Gerdt lab in December 2020. Marian is very interested in medicinal chemistry and so she’s excited to research into microbial natural product discovery in the Gerdt lab. During her free time, she loves to cook, read poetry, watch movies or listen to music.

Lorin is from Iowa. She received her B.A. in chemistry and biochemistry from Cornell College. After joining the Gerdt lab in 2022, she studies how structurally diverse lipids impact the phenotype of Capsaspora owczarzaki (one of the closest unicellular relatives of animals). In her free time, Lorin enjoys baking, walking/running, reading, and playing games.

Olivia was born in Zionsville, Indiana and graduated from Zionsville High School. She is majoring in biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. She joined Gerdt’s lab in Fall 2021 and is focusing on the influences of microbial natural products on bacteriophage infectivity. In her free time, Olivia enjoys reading Stephen King novels, hiking, watching movies and spending time with her friends.

Jack Egnatz was born in Chicago and grew up in northwest Indiana. He is a senior studying Biochemistry and plans on applying to medical school in the spring. He joined the Gerdt lab group in the summer of 2022 and will continue working there until he graduates in the spring of 2023. He is currently working towards identifying inhibitors of a bacteria-bacteriophage defense system that could be a promising alternative solution to the rise of antibiotic resistance. His hobbies revolve around living a healthy and active lifestyle, including weightlifting, running, fishing, skiing, and soccer.

Julia was raised in Oberlin, Ohio and graduated with a BA in chemistry from Hamilton College. Throughout college she worked in an organic chemistry lab, developing photocatalyzed two- and three-component coupling reactions, but now enjoys the challenge of understanding the calcium-signaling pathways of Capsaspora owczarzaki. In her free time, she loves doing crafts, particularly needle felting and embroidery, and listening to music. Her favorite artists include Tortoise, Pharoah Sanders, and Beach House.

Catherine is a microbiologist by training, but she also has extensive research experience in immuno-oncology, pharmacology, 3D culture and next generation sequencing. Catherine joined the Gerdt lab in July 2019. She is excited to build the lab and make some cool discoveries. During her free time, when Catherine feels motivated, you would see her taking walks in her neighborhood (with the intention of meeting cats and deer) and working out at the gym. Otherwise she likes to watch dramas and play games at home. Last but not least, as a Malaysian, she likes to travel where delicious food leads.

Eleanor Goldstone is working on getting a degree in chemistry with a minor in mathematics. She joined Gerdt’s lab the summer before starting college in June of 2021. Her research is centered on studying the three-way interaction between protists, snails, and parasites. During her free time, Eleanor likes to experiment in the kitchen and bring it into the lab.

Ria is an organic chemist who loves exploring the interface between biology and organic chemistry. She got her undergrad degrees in both chemistry and biology at New Mexico Tech where she helped to design and synthesize a library of anti-cancer compounds. Ria joined the Gerdt lab in December 2019. She is excited to expand her research beyond cancer cells and learn more about this interesting field. During her free time, if there is any, Ria enjoys making pottery as well as rock-hounding and lapidary.​

Ruibao Li comes from south China and studied choanoflagellates for his Ph.D. in University of Cologne, Germany. He subsequently studied the toxins and evolution of cyanobacteria as a postdoc, combining bioinformatics and molecular experiments. He joined the Gerdt group in November 2021 to study host-microbe (choanoflagellate-bacteria) interactions. In his leisure time, he likes to play table tennis, jog, and watch movies and soccer matches.

Soniya is originally from Andhra Pradesh, India. She received her integrated master’s degree in chemistry at IIT Bombay. She joined the Gerdt Lab as a Ph.D. student in 2019 to study bioactive metabolites produced by bacteria in different environments. In her free time, she likes to dance or watch dance videos but hates running. She also likes free food!!

Zhiyu was born in northwest China and obtained his bachelor degree in Chemistry at Peking University, Beijing. He joined the Gerdt group in Fall 2019, where his research focuses on the bacteriophage defense mechanisms and the influence of natural products on bacteriophage infectivity. He has a lot of hobbies, such as playing basketball, going to the gym, practicing piano and guitar, watching movies and travelling. 

Chengqian Zhang was born in the northeast of China and graduated from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China. He joined the Gerdt group in Fall 2021. As an undergraduate, he was interested in synthesizing nature product molecules. Now he’s working on isolating and analyzing new natural products that influence anti-bacteriophage defense systems. His hobbies are jazz music, old movies, and detective novels.

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