People

Dr. Gibbs studies the social behaviors of tiny organisms. She received her A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Dr. Gibbs has a long-standing interest in bacterial social interactions and understanding how these single-cell organisms navigate their dense communities with friendly (and unfriendly) neighbors. Dr. Gibbs enjoys reading, running, bicycling, and skiing. 

Find out more about Dr. Gibbs' work on her department page here: https://plantandmicrobiology.berkeley.edu/users/karine-a-gibbs

Learn more about her outdoor experiences in Been Outside <https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/been-outside-adventures-of-black-women-nonbinary-and-gender-nonconforming-people-in-nature>

Alexis Esguerra is a postbaccalaureate from the inaugural Bay Area RaMP Program in Microbiome Sciences. She recently graduated from California State University, East Bay with a Bachelor's in Biomedical Lab Sciences, Microbiology.  Her hobbies include golf, trying new foods, and working out. 

Eliotte Garling is a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley. She received her B.A. in Biology at Reed College. Her research focuses on how identity impacts access to collective behaviors in Proteus mirabilis.

Christopher Lee is a sophmore undergraduate at UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology and Data Science. He is interested in signaling pathways, specifically researching the Proteus mirabilis flagellar motor pathway, and computational genetics. Outside of research, Chris loves studying gastronomy and culinary science and is an avid cross country runner!

Abigail (Abby) Knecht is a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley. She received her B.S. in Biological Physics at Brandeis University and her Ph.D. in Biology at Harvard University. Her research focuses on how protein interactions can shape bacterial communities and affect human health. Abby is also passionate about science communication and science illustration (all the illustrations and cartoons are hers). Check out her website for more! 

Anjali is a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley, and she received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Penn State. Her research focuses on how cell shape connects to collective behavior in bacteria.

Jessica Pan is a senior Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) student at UC Berkeley. She loves Percy Jackson and learning new things about the microbiome! 

Mantra Rajkumar is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB). Working with her graduate student mentor Eliotte, she studies how self and nonself recognition affects the collective migration of Proteus mirabilis. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, volunteering, and doing Kpop dance.

Michael is an undergraduate obtaining a B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology and a B.S. in Nutritional Science : Toxicology. He is interested in watershed contamination and identifying microbial composition. 

Karin is a postdoctoral scholar fellowship trainee in Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley. Her broad scientific interest is in bacterial adaptation dynamics driven by cell interactions.