Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Email: mkathol2@huskers.unl.edu
- Characterization of the metabolically versatile bacteria Rhodopseudomonas palustris.
About Me:
Hello, Welcome to my page! I am a graduate student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at UNL, I joined Dr. Saha’s lab in May of 2019 and earned my BS in Chemical Engineering in 2020. Since then, I have largely worked on the bacterium known as Rhodopseudomonas palustris, mostly characterizing its growth on Lignin Breakdown Products (LBPs) as well as Lignin in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. We are interested in working with this bacterium for it vast metabolic capabilities, as it is able to grow under all 4 metabolic states, and produce a variety of useful bioproducts such as hydrogen and bioplastic. My skill set includes sterile culture handling, qPCR, various biomaterial extraction protocols, bioinformatics handling, as well as several synthetic biology assembly methods, such as hot fusion, blunt end ligation, and double homologous recombination. I am currently also currently the president of the CHBE department GSA, where I, as well as some of my colleagues, arrange interviews with candidates from both industry and academia.
My favorite part about working in our lab is the fact that I have the opportunity to present the results of my research all over America. So far in my career in Rajib Saha’s lab, I have been to Chicago IL, East Lansing MI, Boston MA, Orlando FL, Phoenix AZ, Madison WI, New Orleans LA, and even to Singapore! I have had an amazing opportunity to see America, network with professionals in my field, and discuss new research strategies that may help my research as well as theirs. If you are interested in contacting me, my email is mkathol2@huskers.unl.edu, and my LinkedIn account can be reached via Mark Kathol | LinkedIn