I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Microbiology and Zoology from the University of Pune (India), and my Ph.D. in Biology from Bowling Green State University, where I specialized in phytoplankton and microbial ecology. Over the years, my research journey has spanned diverse field settings - from the Laurentian Great Lakes to Antarctic ice, and the Gulf of Mexico. Before joining Gonzaga University in 2022, I held postdoctoral research positions at Columbia University, Georgia Tech, The University of Rhode Island, and the University of California Santa Barbara; and served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Louisiana.
I continue to be passionate about research on marine and freshwater microorganisms – specifically on how they keep the planet functioning the way we know it, and on how human activity – such as pollution and climate change affect these invisible, yet critical microbial ecosystems.
At Gonzaga, I teach multiple lower and upper-division courses in Biology and Environmental Science, where I emphasize curiosity-driven learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving. In doing so, I hope to cultivate a sense of curiosity about the environment, our place in it, and the impact we can have on it.
Research themes: Microbial Ecology, Phytoplankton Ecology, Environmental Toxicology, Marine and Freshwater Ecology, and Climate Change.
As a microbial ecophysiologist, I study the response of marine & freshwater microbes to environmental change. My research questions are aimed at determining how these environmental changes impact microbial community composition, biogeochemical cycling (of elements like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.), trophic transfer of carbon through microbial food webs, and changes in ecosystem services provided by these microbes. Most of my ongoing research projects focus on phytoplankton - single-celled photosynthetic organisms - that form the base of marine, and many freshwater food webs.
Over the past 15 years, I have led or contributed to projects on diverse topics such as the role of ice-associated microbes in the Great Lakes (and in Antarctica), the impacts of oil spills on microbial biogeography in the Gulf of Mexico, the effects of starvation and chemical stress on microbial grazers, and the effects of multiple simultaneous environmental stressors on the growth and photophysiology of marine microbes.
At Gonzaga, I integrate laboratory experiments with field observations to take a holistic approach to studying how environmental stressors - ranging from climate shifts to pollutants - impact the physiology and ecology of phytoplankton - single-celled photosynthetic organisms - that form the base of marine, and many freshwater food webs. Some of my ongoing projects include investigating how climate stressors impact biochemical and molecular processes of photosynthesis; how pollution in increasingly warming lakes influence the development of toxin-producing cyanobacterial blooms; and monitoring seasonal changes in microbial community composition and their environmental drivers across the Spokane River watershed.
If you’re passionate about working with microbes in the environment, or on issues involving the effects of toxic substances on ecosystems, please get in touch.
