Alex will be working on projects associated with tracking pathogen contamination on produce.
Ariel’s research focuses on improving the quality of products in the dairy industry, specifically by developing probabilistic modeling tools to describe the microbial dynamics of psychrotolerant sporeformers in fluid milk.
Laura employs a computational approach to study the evolution and taxonomy of foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus.
Alexa is working on a project to analyze the transcriptome of three different serovars of nontyphoidal Salmonella in order to understand strains in the context of infectivity and host interactions.
Diana will be working on assessing genetic predictors of growth at refrigeration temperatures for commonly isolated dairy spoilage bacteria. Initially, standard milk media will be tested for supporting the growth of psychrotolerant bacteria to determine which media should be used for quantifying growth capability at refrigerated temperatures.
Rachel works on the Voluntary Shelf Life project. Samples from across the state are collected and analyzed for sensory and microbial values throughout the course of their shelf life. That information is then given back to the plants to help them improve their processing techniques and work towards improving the quality of milk in NY.
Sophia's project evaluates produce-relevant pathogens as well as surrogates, indicators, and index strains for different phenotypic characteristics to help with selection of strains and growth conditions for challenge studies and evaluation of interventions.
Lory is investigating the efficiency of combined stresses on L. mono using simultaneous vs. sequential "checkerboard" assays.
Scarlett will be working on a project trying to identify the multi-factorial causes of the transmission of foodborne pathogens onto produce fields.
Jingqiu's research focuses on the population genetics of foodborne pathogens using whole genome sequencing, and the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms shaping the biogeography of foodborne pathogens.
Yichang is researching the stress response system in Listeria. Using multiple molecular biological techniques, she is trying to investigate the regulatory networks in Listeria and their roles in helping the bacteria to survive under the changing environments.
Stephanie is studying spore-forming spoilage organism in fluid milk and their presence in dairy farm environments.
Sarah is currently working on a collaborative project investigating the relationship between farm bedding management practices and the presence of meso- and thermophilic spore formers in raw milk. She is also involved in the VSL program.
Sam is working with New York State dairy plants to detect and characterize the bacteria in their milk responsible for post-pasteurization contamination and spoilage. His project's goal is to implement corrective actions at the plant level that will improve the quality and shelf-life of fluid milk by reducing the instance of post-pasteurization contamination.
Genevieve is involved with a foodborne pathogen detection project, Whole Genome Sequencing, and the NY CoE.
Lang is investigating the role of quorum sensing in expression of hemolysin BL in Bacillus cereus group bacteria.
Yanan is working with Deanna Simmons and the Food Product Development Lab to develop a protein-fortified yogurt product.
Daniel’s research is focused on investigating the environmental and meteorological factors contributing to the persistence, dispersal, and transmission of foodborne pathogens onto produce fields. He is working on a geospatial model to predict the prevalence and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. in produce fields.