Current Lab Members
Principal Investigator
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JoHandelsman-e1650636962848.png)
Jo Handelsman
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor
Vilas Research Professor
Director, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Postdoctoral Researchers
![Alex Cheong headshot](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Alex-Cheong_Casual-scaled-e1706808522729-200x200.jpg)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/margthairu-e1655830459676-200x200.jpeg)
Margaret Thairu
Postdoc
I am interested in understanding how the formation and maintenance of symbiotic relationships shape and influence the evolution lineages. I focus on microbial symbioses, and by using both genomic and experimental techniques to I hope to understand factors that drive and shape these relationships.
Graduate Students
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Austin-e1650573410148-200x200.png)
Austin Hall
Graduate Student
My research involves finding microorganisms that can invade established biofilms. After finding invaders, I look at how the polymicrobial community responds to invasion, and at the genetics related to invasion. Understanding these mechanisms can shed light on what makes a microbiome resistant to change.
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mason-Garza-e1678220054345-200x200.jpg)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ShruthiMagesh-e1650637431204.png)
Shruthi Magesh
Graduate Student
I aim to identify the genetic determinants important for F. johnsoniae to survive in the rhizosphere. Two important behaviors of a bacterium to succeed in the rhizosphere are 1) colonizing on a surface, such as soil particles or the root, and 2) interacting with nearby bacteria. To study these traits, I employ a high-throughput genetic screen using a mariner transposon mutant library of F. johnsoniae to identify the fitness of genes using INSeq technology.
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NataliaRosarioMelendezLab-e1650637363332.png)
Research Staff
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MARTELDENHERTOG-2-scaled-e1673983854420-200x200.jpg)
Martel DenHartog
Tiny Earth Chemistry Hub Manager
My research primarily focuses on advancing isolates in the Tiny Earth Chemistry Hub. To do this, I prepare genomic and metabolomic isolations from bacterial strains shown to produce inhibition against ESKAPE relatives. My role with the Chemistry Hub extends beyond WID to the Tiny Earth network, where I communicate with TE Partner Instructors about the research happening in our lab. I also work with every lab member to make sure their supply and equipment needs are met and help maintain organization in the lab. Outside of lab and administrative work, I enjoy writing feature science stories for the WID and Tiny Earth websites.
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Trang-Tran-e1650637482575.jpeg)
Undergraduate Students
![Caroline Bedell](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Caroline-Bedell-e1718821977962-200x200.jpeg)
![Sarah Kippes headshot](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sarah-Kippes-scaled-e1715786209402-200x200.jpeg)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Emma-Schmit-e1706808335192-200x200.jpg)
![Charlie Halaska headshot](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Charlie-Halaska-scaled-e1706808267695-200x200.jpg)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Madison-Schellinger-scaled-e1674592985653-200x200.jpg)
![Rachel Vogel headshot](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rachel-Vogel-e1674575979459-200x200.jpg)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/xingjianyang-e1666643037777-200x200.jpeg)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/valeskalasky-e1666642921691-200x200.jpg)
Visiting Scholars
Administrative Staff
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MannyTurrubiartes-e1659973685185.png)
![](https://handelsmanlab.discovery.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Sarah-Miller-e1653426413606.jpg)
Sarah Miller
Executive Director of Tiny Earth
As the Executive Director of Tiny Earth at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sarah oversees Tiny Earth's international network of over 700 instructors that teach more than 14,000 students per year.