Studying the mechanism of intracellular bacterial diversification by time-lapse imaging
Suzanne Fleiszig, Professor
Optometry
Closed. This professor is continuing with Spring 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Fall 2024.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found to be the main causative agent of infection of human corneal and bronchial epithelial cells in bacterial keratitis and bacterial pneumonia respectively. To understand the etiology of chronic bacterial infection we look to determine the steps associated with intracellular biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
We aim to answer this question by using fluorescent bacterial gene expression reporters and determine the key components used by bacteria to initiate biofilm formation and chronic colonization of corneal and bronchial epithelial cells. We look to leverage novel tools developed to track intracellular populations by time-lapse imaging to quantify the abundance of chronic type bacteria and the impact of this population on host cell death.
Role: The student will work 1:1 with a postdoctoral fellow on a research projects starting September 2021. The research project will involve critical thinking and constant communication with the supervisor. The student will be trained to perform analysis of time lapse data on image processing softwares such as imageJ and Imaris. Data management, timely processing and reporting of data will be a key components of this training. Data acquired will be presented in a weekly lab meeting and will be considered for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Qualifications: I am seeking a student with an interest in microbiology and eagerness to work on analysis of time-lapse data. Preference will be given to a student that can join our lab for multiple semesters and is self motivated to manage their time and provide timely analysis of results(6- 8 hours per week). A basic understanding of microbiology and cell biology is preferred. Should have demonstrated ability to maintain and manage datasets, work in excel and plot results for data presentation.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Naren G Kumar, Post-Doc
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Biological & Health Sciences