Alecia Septer, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
asepter@email.unc.edu
My research interests focus on social interactions of both host-associated and free-living marine bacteria. I employ genetic, molecular, and bioinformatic techniques to characterize the genetic determinants of social interactions and how these genes influence cooperative and competitive behaviors. The goal is to understand how bacterial interactions create selective pressures that shape the evolution, community composition, and ecology of marine microorganisms.
CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
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Chelsea Black PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Chelsea is a shark scientist primarily working off the North Carolina coast, but she is also carrying out research projects in Indonesia. Her research focuses on the habitat use and ecology of multiple shark species, to better understand the health of their populations and predict how climate change will impact their distribution.
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Aundre Jackson
PhD Student
Aundre is interested in investigating interbacterial warfare in our squid host model, as well as in culture. He hopes to understand how Vibrio fischeri use molecular weapons (Type VI Secretion System) to invade and defend their niche space within their natural squid host.
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Sophie LeClaire
Graduate Student
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Morgan Pavelsky
LAB MANAGER & RESEARCH SCIENTIST
As the dedicated "squid midwife" for the lab, Morgan facilitates studies of the symbiotic relationship between Euprymna spp. and their microbial partners: Vibrio fischeri. Morgan also has a passion for all things Microscopy, and has been working on visualizing the molecular weapons (Type VI Secretion System) in Vibrio fischeri as well as assisting other lab members on various aspects of their research.
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Georgia Cresswell Straley
BS Earth and Marine Sciences, Marine Biology & Ecology Concentration
Georgia recently graduated from UNC with a B.S. in Earth and Marine Sciences concentrating in marine biology and ecology. She is interested in investigating the genes that regulate the molecular weapon (Type 6 Secretion System) in different strains of Vibrio fischeri, as well as characterizing the microbiomes of shark species found off the NC coast. -
Jaxson King
Jaxson is a current undergraduate double majoring in Biology and Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences, concentrating in Marine Biology and Ecology. He is interested in understanding which strains of Vibrio Fischeri have the best killing abilities, and which are the most competitive inside the host.
PAST LAB MEMBERS
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Dani Zarate
Lab Tech
Undergrad Student
Current Position: Graduate student at Georgia Tech -
Bhavyaa Tyagi
Graduate Student (August 2021 - May 2024)
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Rikki Shook
Graduate Student (August 2021 - May 2024)
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Andrea Suria
UNC CH-IRACDA (SPIRE) Postdoctoral Scholar (September 2019 - July 2023)
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University
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Garrett Sharpe
Graduate Student (August 2016 - July 2023)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher at NC State University
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Steph Smith
Graduate Student (August 2013 - May 2023)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher at UNC's Institute of Marine Sciences
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Sarah Andrew
Graduate Student ( August 2018 - April 2022)
Current Position: Lab Manager and Arc Center of Excellence Administrator, Australian National University
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Lauren Speare
Graduate Student (August 2016 - May 2021)
Current Position: Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech
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Travis Wilson
Graduate Student (August 2018 - December 2021)
Current Position: Industrial Hygienist and Occupational Safety Specialist, EPA
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Adam Spaulding
Postdoctoral Researcher (July 2015 - December 2015)
Current position: Microbiologist, Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
