Lab Members
YOU
We are looking forward to your application! The Bordenstein Lab seeks researchers who aim to optimize and accelerate answers to the next generation of questions and solutions in basic and applied animal-microbe symbioses. Please contact Dr. Bordenstein (s.bordenstein@psu.edu) with a single pdf containing (i) Curriculum Vitae or Resume (ii) Statement about your research interests, leadership and/or science experiences, and professional goals and (iii) Full-length copies of 1st authored only papers, reports, posters, or research slide decks to evaluate your scholarship portfolio.
Seth Bordenstein, Ph.D. | Director of the One Health Microbiome Center; Huck Endowed Professor in Microbiome Sciences; and Professor of Biology and Entomology
Sarah Bordenstein, M.S. | Associate Research Professor | Director of Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project
Sarah co-leads the Bordenstein lab and is the Director of Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project in which she develops and disseminates worldwide educational resources related to microbial symbiosis and biotechnology. She is an expert in microbial ecology, genomics, and science education. In her experimental work, she is using quantitative and computational genomic analyses to study the lifecycle, horizontal gene transfer, and genome dynamics of phage WO and a plasmid in Wolbachia. Her scholarship accelerates life science education at the pre-college and college levels worldwide and generates new discoveries on mobile genetic elements and beneficial phage genes in endosymbionts. She is the recipient of the 2023 T. H. Huxley Award from the Education and Outreach Committee of the Society for the Study of Evolution. The award recognizes and promotes the development of high-quality evolution education resources.
Rupinder Kaur, Ph.D. | Assistant Research Professor
Rupinder received her Ph.D. from University of Vienna, Austria in close collaboration with Edmund Mach Foundation, Italy and University of Cambridge, UK. Her broad scientific interests include host-Wolbachia-virus interactions. She joined the lab in December of 2019, and her main goal is to reveal the mechanism and biochemical basis of the Wolbachia-induced drive system named Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI). CI impacts arthropod speciation and is currently at the forefront of approaches targeting pest populations and mosquito-borne diseases. Her scholarship has provided the most up-to-date assessments of the Wolbachia endosymbiosis and the molecular and cell biological bases underpinning the Host Modification model of CI. Outside of science, she is all about traveling, playing pool, and card games. Please see her talk on the cellular and mechanistic bases of CI to the GeneConvene Global Collaborative (link).
Emilie Lefoulon, Ph.D. | Assistant Research Professor
Emilie received her Ph.D. from the National Museum of Natural History of Paris, France. Then, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the New England Biolabs biotech company (MA, USA) and the University of Arizona (AZ, USA). Her scientific interests include the evolution of symbiosis between endosymbiont bacteria and their hosts. For the past years, she has been involved in studying the association between endosymbiotic bacteria and parasitic nematodes through phylogenetic, genomics, and transcriptomics projects. She joined the Bordenstein lab in August of 2023 and she is studying host-Wolbachia-virus interaction investigating novel mechanisms associated with the bacteriophage partner. Outside of science, Emilie enjoys painting and sewing, as well as sportive activities such as coed soccer and rock climbing.
Sarai Finks, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Scholar
Sarai received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. Her scientific interests include understanding how microbial communities adapt to environmental (both in host-associated and free-living systems) change, and particularly in the context of biotic interactions where genetic information is shared, such as through mobile genetic elements mediating horizontal gene transfer events.
Madangchanok Imchen, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. Madangchanok Imchen received his Ph.D. in Genomic Science from the Central University of Kerala, India. During his Ph.D., he explored the microbiome and antimicrobial resistome in Kerala mangrove sediments. He has actively worked on several collaborative research projects – investigating the microbiome of Kombucha, rice paddy soil, sediments of coastal biosystems, halophiles, and the association of anthropogenic pollution in the Sundarban mangrove resistome. His areas of interest include evolutionary genomics, microbiome, and resistome. He feels privileged to be a part of the esteemed Bordenstein Lab starting in October 2022 to study the role of the microbiome in Drosophila speciation.
Emily Van Syoc, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Scholar
Emily received a Master’s degree in soil science from the University of Wyoming and a dual-title Ph.D. in physiology and clinical science from Penn State. During her graduate studies, she probed microbial ecosystems spanning soils, animals, and humans. Emily enjoys bridging scientific disciplines and working on applied and collaborative projects. She is thrilled to be joining the Bordenstein lab where she will tackle computational and experimental challenges towards uncovering the role of the human genome and microbiome in shaping the gut mycobiome, the fungal community of the gastrointestinal tract. Outside of science, Emily enjoys knitting and fostering/adopting senior giant breed dogs and looks for any opportunity to show off photos of her furbabies.
Leah Carpenter, B.S. | Research Technologist II
Leah earned her bachelor’s degree in entomology from the University of Kentucky and spent a lot of time flipping fruit flies and collecting spiders to screen for endosymbionts. She’s excited to be serving as the Bordenstein lab’s research technologist.
Angelina McGarry, B.S. | Research Technologist II
Angelina earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Arcadia University. Upon graduation, she began working in an insect rearing laboratory where she reared various insects including moths, cockroaches, mosquitos, and flies. She is thrilled to be working in the Bordenstein lab where her research will concentrate on the genetics and functional mechanics of host-bacteria interactions. In particular, she will be focusing on determining the protein interactors and the cellular biology processes required for the induction of bacteria-mediated embryonic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster, mosquitoes, and other insects. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing with her 23-pound Maine coon.
Dina Constantinides, B.S. | Research Technologist II
Dina Constantinides earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Ecology from the University of Georgia in 2021. During her time studying at UGA, she became fluent in Portuguese and traveled to Brazil, where she studied mangrove ecosystems and completed an internship with an environmental nonprofit organization. They also assisted with mosquito collection and identification for a research project at UGA. She has since worked as a field scientist for Serco, a contractor for the US. Environmental Protection Agency. She is thrilled to be a part of the Bordenstein lab and work alongside Sarah Bordenstein for Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project, as well as the Microbiome Project. They are also excited to do outreach for the One Health Microbiome Center. Outside of work, Dina enjoys playing piano, exploring nature trails, and identifying fungi.
David Cirota | Undergraduate Student
David is a second-year undergraduate in the Penn State Schreyer Honors College majoring in Forensic Science. Outside of school, he enjoys politics, geography, and listening to music. He is very excited to work in the Fly Room and beyond!
Mia Bitman | Undergraduate Student
Mia is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology and Chinese, with the intent to study entomology and arachnology. Other than keeping tarantulas, she also enjoys art, piano, and rollerskating. She’s excited to work with the Sarcaphoga and be part of Bordenstein Lab.
Darlene Luo | Undergraduate Student
Darlene is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology. She is a Learning Assistant for Biol 110: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity. She enjoys reading, listening to music, and drawing. She is very excited to be a part of Bordenstein Lab.