Come Work with us!

We are a new lab and are looking for motivated scholars to work and collaborate with! Please see our Join Us page to learn about opportunities in the lab.

Dr. Marian (Mar) L. Schmidt

PhD in Ecology & Evolution, University of Michigan
Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology
Cornell University
E-mail: marschmi@cornell.edu
Links: Google Scholar, ORCiD, Twitter, Github

Teaching: BIOMI6300: Computational Approaches for Microbial Systems, taught in the Spring Semesters
Marian or Mar (they/them) grew up on Lake St. Clair, the lake that connects Lake Huron to Lake Erie, where they developed a curiosity of aquatic ecosystems from ponds to the Great Lakes. After attending Hampshire college, where they surprisingly designed a "major" in environmental microbiology, they fell in love with the world's tiniest organisms: bacteria. Marian's research interests are in microbial community ecology, evolution, genomics, limnology and bioinformatics with a special focus on how microhabitats structure the ecology of freshwater microbes. They identify as queer, non-binary, and polyamorous. In their spare time, they like to run far on the "gorges" trails of Ithaca, bake sweet treats (especially granola), and spend time with the Lab dog, Walli. Fun fact: Marian once swam from Asia to Europe across the Bosphorus above thousands of jellyfish and their mom!


Dr. Evie S. Brahmstedt

PhD in Environmental Science & Engineering, Clarkson University
Postdoctoral Affiliate, Cornell University
New York State Water Resources Institute
E-mail: esb279@cornell.edu
Links: Google Scholar, ORCiD, Twitter, Github

Evie (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Associate at the New York State Water Resources Institute working in collaboration with the Schmidt Aquatic Microbiology Lab. She grew up on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain, where she first became interested in freshwater ecosystems. After attending St. Lawrence University for her B.S and then Clarkson University for her M.S. and PhD studying mercury mobilization along the Upper St. Lawrence River, she developed a fascination with much larger lakes, the Great Lakes. Evie considers herself a contaminant ecologist, with research interests in contaminants (esp. mercury), the Great Lakes, wetlands, limnology, and microbial ecology. In her free time, Evie likes to run, read, bake, and explore outdoors


Joseph S. Nocua

Cornell McNair Undergraduate Research Scholar
E-mail: jsn74@cornell.edu
Links: LinkedIn

Joseph (he/him) is a junior in Biological Sciences (concentrating in microbiology) from San Juan, Puerto Rico. His research interests include anything to do with aquatic microbiology, from community assembly to horizontal gene transfer. He aims to obtain a PhD in Environmental Microbiology and to go into academia. In the lab he is studying microbial assembly in local freshwater communities around Ithaca. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, fútbol (the real one), and spending time with his friends watching TV.Fun facts: Joseph has traversed the entire length of Puerto Rico thrice on foot, and he thinks ducks are underappreciated.


Augustus Pendleton

Cornell Microbiology PhD Student
E-mail: arp277@cornell.edu
Links: Personal Website and Twitter

Gus (he/him) is a second-year graduate student studying microbiology. He was raised in Wisconsin and received his degree in microbiology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He then received a master’s in geography from the University of Galway. He has worked in diverse research projects including bacterial physiology, seaweed policy, and pathogenic gene regulation. In grad school, Gus plans to expand his skills as a bioinformatician while studying interactions within complex microbial communities. In his free time, Gus enjoys baking pies, Nordic skiing, and doing pretty much anything that’s outside.


Sophia Richter

Laboratory Technician
E-mail: sophia.richter@cornell.edu
Links: LinkedIn

Sophia (she/her) is the laboratory technician for the Schmidt Aquatic Microbiology Lab. Growing up in Montana, her love for hiking and cross-country skiing translated into a passion for studying and conserving the natural world. She received her undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, where she completed her senior thesis on factors influencing open habitat vegetation in Yellowstone National Park. She became interested in aquatic ecosystems while working at the Flathead Lake Biological Station, and is interested in studying evolution and microbial interactions. During her free time, she enjoys reading, live music, the great outdoors, and spending time with her friends!


Zahavah "Havi" Rojer

1st Year Rotation PhD Student, February - April 2024
E-mail: zlr6@cornell.edu

Havi (they/them) did their undergraduate work in the Hendry Lab in Cornell Microbiology and is now a first year PhD student in the department. They are interested in microbial symbioses and syntrophies. They love teaching and making organized spreadsheets. Outside of research, they enjoy baking, writing, and going to wanders with their dog.


Walnut

or "Walli" for short.
Lab Dog
Cornell University

Research Interests: Olfaction, sticks, soil ecology
Hobbies: Dog parks, hikes/walks, naps in the sunshine

Lab Alumni

  • Sophia Aredas, Rotation PhD Student Fall 2023
  • Evelyn Martinez, Summer 2023 MFF REU Student
  • Jiawei (Azalea) Yang, Rotation PhD Student Spring 2023: Current PhD Student in Ilana Brito's Lab
  • Julia Meyer, Lab Tech August 2022 - February 2023
  • Brandon Reyes-Chavez, Rotation PhD Student Fall 2022: Current PhD Student in Lori Huberman's Lab
  • Gabriela Acevedo Oquendo, Summer 2022 MFF REU Student
  • Michael Bai, Summer 2022 Undergraduate Researcher
  • Sam Katz, Summer 2022 Undergraduate Researcher
  • Evangeline (Angie) Wang, Rotation PhD Student Spring 2022: Current PhD Student in Dan Buckley's Lab