Meet the Team
Matthew Stott
Principal Investigator
The primary focus of my lab is to understand and describe the ecology and diversity of microorganisms in extreme environments. I also dabble in microbial genomics, bioremediation, microbial taxonomy, Antarctica and bonsai.
Matthew’s Google scholar link and LinkedIn link
Hazel Clemens
PhD Candidate
Hazel is interested in all things environmental science. Her PhD project takes her into geothermal microbiology where she’s excited to learn about the ecological interactions and amazing capabilities of extremophiles. Hazel’s research contributes to the Waerau waikawa iti rongoā paturopi: New Generation Peptide Antibiotics Project
Craig Galilee
Microbiology Technician
Craig is the microbiology technician at the School of Biological Sciences. When he is not setting up undergraduate teaching labs, sorting out H&S or helping out in the XPH lab, he spots trains, builds model train dioramas, and is a vexillophile. Craig was once a national level 100 m sprinter.
Sarah Manners
PhD Candidate
Sarah’s PhD project is utilising extremophilic bacteria to detect volatile sulphur compounds in wine-making. She plans to leverage Aotearoa’s unique microbial biota to find sulphur-associated enzymes to develop a new method to aid in wine quality diagnostics.
Meghan Marshall
PhD Candidate
Meghan is investigating the thermophilic bacterial genus Venenivibrio, particularly, how Venenivibrio is endemic to New Zealand, while its sister genus, Sulfurihydrogenibium, is globally dispersed. Her research will involve bioreactor competition cultures with the two genera at varying conditions to elucidate the potential mechanisms differentiating their abundance and distribution. Meghan’s research contributes to the project Stuck at home: the puzzle of a locally-abundant, thermophilic bacterial genus that has not dispersed beyond Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Holly Welford
PhD Candidate
Holly is using targeted cultivation techniques to increase the number of cultivated representatives of Venenivibrio, the most abundant bacterial genus in the New Zealand North Island hot springs. Holly will be using these isolates to investigate the genetic, metabolic and environmental factors that may contribute to Venenivibrio‘s apparent endemism. Holly’s research contributes to the Stuck at home: the puzzle of a locally-abundant, thermophilic bacterial genus that has not dispersed beyond Aotearoa-New Zealand Project
Kelsey McKenzie
PhD Candidate
Kelsey is investigating the microbiology of hydrogen gas storage in subterranean reservoirs in her PhD research. Kelsey’s research contributes to the Pūhiko Nukutū: a green hydrogen geostorage battery in Taranaki Project.
Kelsey is also a badass hockey and touch rugby umpire.
CURRENT COLLABORATORS
Dr Carlo Carere (University of Canterbury) [LINK]
Prof Craig Cary [LINK], Assoc/Prof. Charlie Lee [LINK] and Prof Ian McDonald [LINK] (TRU, University of Waikato)
Dr Manpreet Dhami (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research) [LINK]
Prof. Chris Greening (One Health Microbiology Lab, Monash University) [LINK]
Prof. Anna-Louise Reysenbach (Portland State University) [LINK]
Prof. Eric Boyd and Dr Dan Colman (Montana State University) [LINK]
Prof. Noah Fierer (University of Colorado, Boulder) [LINK]
Prof. Mike Taylor (University of Auckland) [LINK]
Prof. Thijs Ettema (Wageningen University) [LINK]
Dr Adele Williamson (University of Waikato) [LINK]
Dr John Moreau (University of Glasgow) [LINK]
Dr Mikhail Vyssotski [LINK], Dr Kirill Lagutin [LINK], Dr Andrew MacKenzie [LINK] (Callaghan Innovation)
Dr Stilianos Louca (University of Oregon) [LINK]
LAB ALUMNI
Dr Heike Anders
Laura Ward
Flynn Adcock
Adam Colsell
Jeff Lyford
Katrin Clark