Liana Burghardt— PI|Mentor|Learner

Liana is an evolutionary ecologist broadly interested in how the environment shapes the evolution of organisms (primarily plants and microbes). She is currently the Director of the Huck Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology. Before starting my lab in the Dept. of Plant Science at PSU, I was a postdoc at the University of Minnesota in the lab of Peter Tiffin, a graduate student at Duke University in the lab of Kathleen Donohue, and a postbac in Johanna Schmitt’s lab at Brown University. I’m an avid gardener, mountain biker, and cross-country skier when I am not in the lab. Feel free to contact me at: liana.burghardt at psu dot edu

Cody Depew— Lab Manager and Manager of Lasar Ablation Tomography Facility (started Summer 2024)

Cody received his Ph.D. from the Penn State University Plant Biology Program, after which he was a postdoctoral scholar in the Roots Lab at Penn State. He currently spends half his time helping move all the diverse projects in the lab forward and the other half establishing a high throughput phenotyping facility for imaging plant tissues.

Jennifer Harris— a Ph.D. student in the Ecology Program (started Fall 2020)

Jenn studied Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies at Wellesley College, and worked at a sustainable agriculture startup before joining the lab. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Ecology Program and is interested in plant-microbe interactions, soil microbial ecology, and nutrient cycling. She is also co-advised by Estelle Couradeau in Ecosystem Science and Management. 

Maria Alejandra Gil Polo— Ph.D. student in the Plant Biology Program (started Spring 2021)

Maria is fascinated by Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPRs). She earned her B.S. in biology at Universidad Nacional Agraria la Molina (Peru) and conducted research at the CBGP in Spain and Cornell University. During that time, Maria studied biological control, microbial diversity, and the secretion of recombinant proteins. While examining the role secretion systems play in plant-bacteria communication, she became fascinated by the molecular mechanisms underlying the rhizobium-legume symbiosis. In grad school, she seeks to learn more about the genes and molecular processes behind this relationship. Maria is currently the President of the Penn State Latin American Graduates Student Association: LAGRASA.

Sohini Guha— Postdoctoral Researcher (starting Fall 2022)

Sohini received her Ph.D.,  in Prof. Maitrayee DasGupta’s Lab at Calcutta University, India. She studied alternate symbiotic entry mechanisms in legumes using the model mutualism between Peanut-Bradyrhizobia (e.g. Pub 1 and Pub 2). As a postdoc, she is interested in studying the varied selection pressures on rhizobial populations using Ensifer-Medicago as the model system.  She loves to cook and feed people and is passionate about music. Find her on Twitter @Guha2Sohini

Amanda Jason– Undergraduate Researcher (started Fall 2022)

Amanda is an undergrad majoring in Plant Sciences at PSU.  She is interested in plant-microbe interactions and paleobotany and likes trading card games and baking in her free time.

Kelsey Mercurio– Ecology Program Ph.D. student (started Fall 2023)

Kelsey previously worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Massachusetts and as a lab technician at the University of New Hampshire, where she earned dual bachelor’s degrees. She co-founded a participatory research project with smallholder farmers in Nghumbi, Tanzania, to enhance soil health and fertility. Her graduate research will focus on legume-rhizobia symbiosis. Kelsey enjoys running, dancing, singing, gardening, camping, and spending time with loved ones in her free time.

Lillie Pennington– co-mentored NSF PRFB Postdoctoral Scholar based at UGA (started Fall 2023)

I am driven by my love for native plants, their conservation, and the hugely important and pressing climate crisis. I hope to continue to work on research that will further our understanding of plant populations’ capacity to adapt to rapid change. Ultimately, I hope to work in government, conserving land and informing policy decisions. Learn more at my professional website.

Patrick Sydow— Ph.D. student in Applied Environment Plant Science Program (started Fall 2022)

Before joining the lab as a Fellow in the Root Resilience Cohort, Patrick studied Biology at the College of Charleston. His past research experiences include examining the role of auxin-related genes in developing Root System Architecture (RSA) in Arabidopsis thaliana and cultivating unique halophytes at an indoor saltwater agriculture startup. At Penn State, Patrick is interested in utilizing traditional crop model systems such as Maize and Medicago to determine the genetic drivers of root-rhizosphere interactions in changing climates. Patrick is co-advised by Ruairidh Sawers–another faculty member in the Department of Plant Science.

Andy Swartley– Undergraduate Researcher (started Fall 2022)

Andy is an undergrad at PSU majoring in biology and minoring in wildlife and fisheries science. They are an enthusiastic plant lover who loves spending time in the field and the greenhouse. They also enjoy settling in with a warm cup of tea and a cozy blanket for a night of nodule image analysis.

Karin Burghardt— look alike- beware!

This is me, with my brilliant identical twin sister Karin. She is not actually in the lab. She is an assistant professor in the Entomology Department at the University of Maryland (check out her website!). This can be confusing for others (and for us) at conferences. She studies plant-insect interactions in natural and human-influenced systems. While not technically part of the lab, expect joint lab outings post-covid since her lab is only ~3 hours away!

Jeremy Sutherland– Postdoctoral Scholar (started Summer 2023)

Devan Chancey— Undergraduate Researcher (started Summer 2024)

Devan is an undergraduate at PSU majoring in Microbiology, helping with functional genomic and genetic engineering projects on plant and rhizobia fitness. She also enjoys hiking, fiber arts, and cooking with her friends in her free time.

Elizabeth Paillan— Research Technician (2023-2024) and Undergraduate Researcher( 2021-2023)

Elizabeth, hailing from Florida, graduated with a plant science degree from Penn State in 2023 and is now a PhD student at NC State University. While in the lab, Elizabeth helped with field collection, lab maintenance, and various experiments. She has a particular interest in legume-rhizobia dynamics during stress events. Elizabeth enjoys exploring the arts, listening to music, and caring for plants in her free time.

Lillian Cherry nee Leak— Ph.D. student in Plant Biology Program (started Fall 2020)

Lily is interested in how environmental changes impact species interactions and plant physiology. She studied the environmental drivers of duckweed (Lemnaceae) species composition in Western Pennsylvania in Martin Turcotte’s lab, while earning her B.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Besides plants, her interests are drawing, reading, cooking/baking, and exploring State College’s nature. She can be found on Twitter @lilylemnaceae

Nicole Meek— Summer Research Assistant (started Spring 2022)

Originally from Eastern PA and a recent graduate from the PSU Plant Science Program, Nicole has been helping out the lab this summer with all manner of tasks, including field sampling and processing of nodules and experimental set up/ take down. Nicole’s can-do attitude, even in adverse circumstances, makes days go more smoothly.

Gina Bledsoe–Researcher|Lab Manager|Mentor

Gina is an environmental microbiologist with an interest in plant-microbe ecology. She received her BA from Nicholls State Univ. where she studied plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria associated with Sporobolus alterniflorus (formerly Spartina alterniflora). More recently, she completed her Ph.D. from East Carolina Univ. in the lab of Ariane Peralta while studying the response of bacterial and fungal rhizosphere communities to long-term fertilization. Gina has a thing for cats, hiking, baking, and growing things… mushrooms, sourdough, and plants (incidentally butterflies/moths too)… and now rhizobia! Google Scholar Page.

Ellen Bingham– Lab Manager|Technician (2022-2024)

Ellen is a lifelong Penn Stater who switched from studying human health to working with plants in the Burghardt Lab. In addition to keeping the lab running daily, she helps with field harvests, greenhouse experiments, and lab upkeep and contributes to our research on plant evolution and genetic diversity. She is a proud mother of two PSU graduates and enjoys camping, knitting, and bicycling in her free time.

Gwendolyn Fry— PSU Undergraduate student majoring in Biology and Anthropology (started Fall 2021)

In addition to helping out in the lab and the field, Gwen has led the charge on a seemingly endless nodule image analysis from a Medicago host mutant experiment. The team is exceedingly grateful for her persistence with this task and is excited about moving forward with her Honors thesis this fall, examining the consequences of bean domestication on rhizobia.