My Curriculum Vitae is posted below. Please contact me if you have any questions at [email protected].
Mrinalini P. Nikrad
Citizenship: U.S. Citizen
Email: [email protected]
___________________________________________________________________________
Education:
University of Delaware, Lewes, DE; Ph.D. Marine Molecular Science (2013)
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO; MS Biomedical Sciences (2008)
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; BA Ecology and Environmental Biology (2003) Magna cum Laude
Positions/Appointments:
11/2015 – present Scientist, Molecular Technologies at Seres Therapeutics, Inc. Cambridge, MA.
Developed molecular assays to characterize microbiome-based drug products.
Led the validation of release assays for drug products to support manufacturing.
Successfully managed projects and supervised research associates.
09/2014 - present Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Institute of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers University, Max Haggblom Laboratory
Project: Changes in the diversity and activity of bacteria in Arctic tundra and permafrost with warming polar climate.
09/2013 - 09/2014 Postdoctoral Associate
Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech, Chuanxue Hong Laboratory.
Project: Diversity and function of microbes in recycled irrigation reservoirs.
08/2009 - 07/2013 Graduate Student Researcher
Department of Marine Biosciences, University of Delaware, David L. Kirchman Laboratory.
Dissertation (2013): “Abundance and growth activity of bacterioplankton clades in coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean and West Antarctic Peninsula”
01/2008 - 05/2009 Lab Researcher III
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Robert J. Mason Laboratory
Project: Effects of influenza virus on human alveolar epithelial cells and macrophages, and their interferon response.
08/2005 - 12/2007 Graduate Student Researcher
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Sandra L. Martin Laboratory
Thesis (2008): “Differential protein expression in the brainstem of a small mammalian hibernator, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, during summer and interbout arousal.”
02/2004 - 07/2005 Professional Research Assistant
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Dennis R. Voelker Laboratory
Projects: Studying efficiency of cytochrome C enzyme in yeast and conducting column purification of phosphatidylserine.
08/2000 - 12/2003 Student Assistant I, II, & III
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Yan B. Linhart Laboratory. Independent Honors Thesis: “Effects of leaf litter from six chemotypes of Thymus vulgaris on soil microorganisms.”
Peer-Reviewed Publications:
Invited Talks
“Microbial response to changing climate in sub-zero ocean and soil ecosystems” (2015) Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, NY.
“Adventures in microbial ecology: Linking structure and function in aquatic environments” (2014) Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN.
“Single-cell activity of heterotrophic bacteria in coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean and the West Antarctic Peninsula” (2013) Rutgers University, NJ.
“Bacterial diversity and activity in coastal waters of the West Antarctic Peninsula” (2012) Palmer Station, Antarctica.
Awards and Distinctions:
2014: Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Science Postdoctoral Fellowship
2012-2013: University of Delaware Dissertation Fellows Award
2011: Award for Applied and Environmental Microbiology GRC, South Hadley, MA
2011: Professional Development Award, CEOE, Lewes, DE
2010: Award for Marine Microbes GRC, Tilton, NH
2007: Bolie Student Travel Award, UCHSC, Aurora, CO
2005-2006: Molecular Biology Training Grant, UCHSC, Aurora, CO
2003: Graduated with Honors, Magna cum Laude
Technical Skills:
Molecular biology: RNA/DNA nucleic acid isolation, fluorescence in situ hybridization, restriction digests, 16S rDNA sequencing, quantitative PCR, RNA interference, PCR inhibition, and cloning and clone libraries.
Microbiology/Cell culture: Microbial isolation and characterization, aerobic and anaerobic culturing, infection of human lung cells with influenza, Aseptic and sterile techniques, viral plaque assay, viral transduction, mammalian cell culture, yeast, bacterial, and insect cell cultures, and biosafety level 2-3 experience.
Bioinformatics: Web-based (NCBI, MG-RAST, ARB, RDP), MEGA, some Perl and Python, MOTHUR (attended workshop), writing basic functions in R using R-studio.
Biochemistry: Protein purification, immuno-histochemistry, immuno-cytochemistry (fluorescence and peroxidase based methods), and enzyme assays, SDS-PAGE, western blotting, 2-Dimensional gel electrophoresis using DIGE (GE Life Sciences), subcellular fractionation, ELISA affinity assay, antibody affinity columns.
Microscopy: Microautoradiography. Light, epifluorescence and confocal microscopy, specimen preparation for fixed-cell imaging, cryofixation of tissues, and ultra-microtomy.
Animal Physiology: Isolation of human alveolar type II cells and macrophages from human lung, small mammal surgeries, microinjection of C. elegans, and general care and maintenance of research animals.
Instruments: BioRad Chemidoc MP system, flow cytometers and BioRad FACS, BioRad CFX 96 Touch qPCR, QuBit, NanoDrop, spectrophotometers, Odyssey Imaging System Zeiss fluorescent microscopes, Leica and Olympus epifluorescence and spinning-disk confocal microscopes,
IT: MAC and PC, Windows 10 and older systems, Microsoft Office 2010 Package, Adobe Illustrator, EndNote, GraphPad PRISM.
Mentoring: Mentored undergraduate summer interns. Often taught lab visitors and colleagues complicated techniques with success.
Reviewer Duties:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Conferences and Workshops:
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman. Single-cell activity of SAR86 differs from other gammaproteobacterial subgroups in waters off the west Antarctic Peninsula in summer and fall. International Symposium for Microbial Ecology 14: The Power of the Small. August 2012. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Metagenomics workshop, Lewes, DE, USA 2011
Marine microbes workshop, Lewes DE, USA 2011
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman. Abundance and single-cell activity of heterotrophic bacteria during summer and winter in the Arctic Ocean. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Gordon Research Conferences. South Hadley, Massachusetts. July 2011.
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman. Abundance and single-cell activity of abundant bacterial groups during summer and winter in the Arctic Ocean. Marine Microbes, Gordon Research Conferences. Tilton, New Hampshire. July 2010.
Microbial control of biogeochemical cycles. Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. May 2010.
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, J. Cameron Rose, L. Elaine Epperson, and Sandra L. Martin. Seasonal comparison of protein expression in the 13-lined ground squirrel brainstem. American Physiological Society Meeting, Virginia Beach, Virginia. October 2006.
Expeditions:
PAL1011 Palmer LTER 2010/2011 season at Palmer Station, Antarctica (summer and fall)
PAL1112 Palmer LTER 2011/2012 season at Palmer Station, Antarctica (summer)
Monthly samplings for long term Microbial Observatory in the Delaware Bay.
Language Skills:
English (Expert), French (Expert), Marathi (Conversational).
Mrinalini P. Nikrad
Citizenship: U.S. Citizen
Email: [email protected]
___________________________________________________________________________
Education:
University of Delaware, Lewes, DE; Ph.D. Marine Molecular Science (2013)
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO; MS Biomedical Sciences (2008)
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; BA Ecology and Environmental Biology (2003) Magna cum Laude
Positions/Appointments:
11/2015 – present Scientist, Molecular Technologies at Seres Therapeutics, Inc. Cambridge, MA.
Developed molecular assays to characterize microbiome-based drug products.
Led the validation of release assays for drug products to support manufacturing.
Successfully managed projects and supervised research associates.
09/2014 - present Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Institute of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers University, Max Haggblom Laboratory
Project: Changes in the diversity and activity of bacteria in Arctic tundra and permafrost with warming polar climate.
09/2013 - 09/2014 Postdoctoral Associate
Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech, Chuanxue Hong Laboratory.
Project: Diversity and function of microbes in recycled irrigation reservoirs.
08/2009 - 07/2013 Graduate Student Researcher
Department of Marine Biosciences, University of Delaware, David L. Kirchman Laboratory.
Dissertation (2013): “Abundance and growth activity of bacterioplankton clades in coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean and West Antarctic Peninsula”
01/2008 - 05/2009 Lab Researcher III
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Robert J. Mason Laboratory
Project: Effects of influenza virus on human alveolar epithelial cells and macrophages, and their interferon response.
08/2005 - 12/2007 Graduate Student Researcher
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Sandra L. Martin Laboratory
Thesis (2008): “Differential protein expression in the brainstem of a small mammalian hibernator, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, during summer and interbout arousal.”
02/2004 - 07/2005 Professional Research Assistant
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Dennis R. Voelker Laboratory
Projects: Studying efficiency of cytochrome C enzyme in yeast and conducting column purification of phosphatidylserine.
08/2000 - 12/2003 Student Assistant I, II, & III
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Yan B. Linhart Laboratory. Independent Honors Thesis: “Effects of leaf litter from six chemotypes of Thymus vulgaris on soil microorganisms.”
Peer-Reviewed Publications:
- Nikrad MP, Kerkhof LJ, and Häggblom MM. The subzero microbiome: microbial activity in frozen and thawing soils. Mini Review. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 2016. June; 92(6).
- Kirchman, DL, Stegman, MR, Nikrad, MP, Cottrell, MT. Abundance and activity of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in coastal waters of the West Antarctic Peninsula. Aquatic Microbial Ecology. 2014. v. 73(1):41-49.
- Riekhof WR, Wu WI, Jones JL, Nikrad MP, Chan MM, Loewen CJR, Voelker DR. An assembly of proteins and lipid domains regulates transport of phosphatidylserine to phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. of Biological Chemistry. 2014. v. 289(9): 5809-5819.
- Nikrad MP, Cottrell MT, Kirchman DL. Uptake of dissolved organic carbon by gammaproteobacterial subgroups in waters of the West Antarctic Peninsula. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2014. v.80(11): 3362-3368.
- Nikrad MP, Cottrell MT, Kirchman DL. Growth activity of three gammaproteobacterial subgroups in waters off the West Antarctic Peninsula in summer and fall. Environmental Microbiology and Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2014. v.16(6): 1513-1523.
- Nikrad MP, Cottrell MT, Kirchman DL. Abundance and single-cell activity of heterotrophic bacterial groups in the western Arctic Ocean in summer and winter. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2012, v.78(7): 2402.
- Jieru Wang, Mrinalini P. Nikrad, Emily A. Travanty, Bin Zhou, Tzulip Phang, Bifeng Gao, Taylor Alford, Yoko Ito, Piruz Nahreini, Kevan Hartshorn, David Wentworth, Charles A. Dinarello, Robert J. Mason. Innate immune response of human alveolar macrophages during influenza A infection. PLoS One. 2012. 7(3).
- Wang J, Nikrad MP, Phang T, Gao B, Alford T, Ito Y, Edeen K, Travanty EA, Kosmider B, Hartshorn K, Mason RJ. 2011. Innate Immune Response to Influenza A Virus in Differentiated Human Alveolar Type II cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011. Sep;45(3):582-91.
- L. Elaine Epperson, James C. Rose, Rae L. Russell, Mrinalini P. Nikrad, Hannah V. Carey and Sandra L. Martin. 2010. Seasonal protein changes support rapid energy production in hibernator brainstem. Journal of comparative physiology. B,Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology. V. 180, No 4, 599-617
- Wang, J, Oberley-Deegan, R, Wang, S, Nikrad, MP, Funk, CJ, Hartshorn, KL, and Mason, RJ. 2009. Differentiated Human Alveolar Type II Cells Secrete Anti-viral IL-29 (IFN-l) In Response To Influenza A Infection. J Immunol. 1;182(3):1296-304.
Invited Talks
“Microbial response to changing climate in sub-zero ocean and soil ecosystems” (2015) Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, NY.
“Adventures in microbial ecology: Linking structure and function in aquatic environments” (2014) Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN.
“Single-cell activity of heterotrophic bacteria in coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean and the West Antarctic Peninsula” (2013) Rutgers University, NJ.
“Bacterial diversity and activity in coastal waters of the West Antarctic Peninsula” (2012) Palmer Station, Antarctica.
Awards and Distinctions:
2014: Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Science Postdoctoral Fellowship
2012-2013: University of Delaware Dissertation Fellows Award
2011: Award for Applied and Environmental Microbiology GRC, South Hadley, MA
2011: Professional Development Award, CEOE, Lewes, DE
2010: Award for Marine Microbes GRC, Tilton, NH
2007: Bolie Student Travel Award, UCHSC, Aurora, CO
2005-2006: Molecular Biology Training Grant, UCHSC, Aurora, CO
2003: Graduated with Honors, Magna cum Laude
Technical Skills:
Molecular biology: RNA/DNA nucleic acid isolation, fluorescence in situ hybridization, restriction digests, 16S rDNA sequencing, quantitative PCR, RNA interference, PCR inhibition, and cloning and clone libraries.
Microbiology/Cell culture: Microbial isolation and characterization, aerobic and anaerobic culturing, infection of human lung cells with influenza, Aseptic and sterile techniques, viral plaque assay, viral transduction, mammalian cell culture, yeast, bacterial, and insect cell cultures, and biosafety level 2-3 experience.
Bioinformatics: Web-based (NCBI, MG-RAST, ARB, RDP), MEGA, some Perl and Python, MOTHUR (attended workshop), writing basic functions in R using R-studio.
Biochemistry: Protein purification, immuno-histochemistry, immuno-cytochemistry (fluorescence and peroxidase based methods), and enzyme assays, SDS-PAGE, western blotting, 2-Dimensional gel electrophoresis using DIGE (GE Life Sciences), subcellular fractionation, ELISA affinity assay, antibody affinity columns.
Microscopy: Microautoradiography. Light, epifluorescence and confocal microscopy, specimen preparation for fixed-cell imaging, cryofixation of tissues, and ultra-microtomy.
Animal Physiology: Isolation of human alveolar type II cells and macrophages from human lung, small mammal surgeries, microinjection of C. elegans, and general care and maintenance of research animals.
Instruments: BioRad Chemidoc MP system, flow cytometers and BioRad FACS, BioRad CFX 96 Touch qPCR, QuBit, NanoDrop, spectrophotometers, Odyssey Imaging System Zeiss fluorescent microscopes, Leica and Olympus epifluorescence and spinning-disk confocal microscopes,
IT: MAC and PC, Windows 10 and older systems, Microsoft Office 2010 Package, Adobe Illustrator, EndNote, GraphPad PRISM.
Mentoring: Mentored undergraduate summer interns. Often taught lab visitors and colleagues complicated techniques with success.
Reviewer Duties:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Conferences and Workshops:
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman. Single-cell activity of SAR86 differs from other gammaproteobacterial subgroups in waters off the west Antarctic Peninsula in summer and fall. International Symposium for Microbial Ecology 14: The Power of the Small. August 2012. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Metagenomics workshop, Lewes, DE, USA 2011
Marine microbes workshop, Lewes DE, USA 2011
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman. Abundance and single-cell activity of heterotrophic bacteria during summer and winter in the Arctic Ocean. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Gordon Research Conferences. South Hadley, Massachusetts. July 2011.
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, M.T. Cottrell, D.L. Kirchman. Abundance and single-cell activity of abundant bacterial groups during summer and winter in the Arctic Ocean. Marine Microbes, Gordon Research Conferences. Tilton, New Hampshire. July 2010.
Microbial control of biogeochemical cycles. Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. May 2010.
Mrinalini P. Nikrad, J. Cameron Rose, L. Elaine Epperson, and Sandra L. Martin. Seasonal comparison of protein expression in the 13-lined ground squirrel brainstem. American Physiological Society Meeting, Virginia Beach, Virginia. October 2006.
Expeditions:
PAL1011 Palmer LTER 2010/2011 season at Palmer Station, Antarctica (summer and fall)
PAL1112 Palmer LTER 2011/2012 season at Palmer Station, Antarctica (summer)
Monthly samplings for long term Microbial Observatory in the Delaware Bay.
Language Skills:
English (Expert), French (Expert), Marathi (Conversational).