People of the Bazurto Lab

Jannell Bazurto, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Florida Atlantic University

I am a bacterial physiologist with a rich background in using mutant analysis to understand cellular metabolism in model bacteria. I performed my thesis work at the University of Wisconsin with Diana Downs, where I studied metabolic integration of thiamine biosynthesis in Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli. During my postdoctoral work, with Christopher Marx at the University of Idaho, I integrated omics approaches into my work to characterize experimentally evolved mutants to understand the formaldehyde stress response in Methylobacterium extorquens.

Research Staff

Jan Kucinski, Postdoctoral researcher

I am a molecular biologist with experience using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism. I obtained my M. Sc. from the University of Warsaw where I studied the role of histone modifications upon stress in plants. During my PhD work in Andrzej Wierzbicki’s lab at the University of Michigan I focused on studying RNA metabolism and regulation of gene expression in chloroplasts. In the Bazurto lab I am focusing on understanding the interaction between methylotrophic bacteria and its plant host as well as how these methylotrophs regulate gene expression in response to formaldehyde. In my free time I enjoy taking care of (and staring at) my aquariums and spending time with my family.

Zak Hying, Graduate Student (MICaB)
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

M.S. Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
B.S. Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

A bacterial physiologist by nature I enjoy thinking about how bacteria acquire and use diverse carbon sources. I gained experience in genetic approaches to study bacteria at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in Mark McBride’s lab where I studied the connection between the Type IX secretion system and gliding motility in Flavobacterium johnsoniae, and in Sonia Bardy’s lab where I studied the chemotaxis and surface motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the Bazurto lab I am leveraging my genetics experience, combined with mutation analysis, -omics, and experimental evolution approaches to understand the mechanisms M. extorquens uses to transition from multi-carbon to single-carbon sources. Outside of the lab I am an avid cyclist, home brewer, musician and fan of Liverpool FC.