UT Shield

Kirisits Lab

Our research is focused on the intersection of biology and environmental engineering. Current projects span topics ranging from the development of a novel treatment of Legionella pneumophila to the elucidation of the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

People

PROJECT MANAGER

Matthew Vedrin

Project: Consortium on disinfection byproducts and opportunistic pathogens in water networks (EPA)

 

 

M.S. IN PROGRESS

Aaron Bustamante; co-supervised with N. Saleh (expected to graduate in May 2025)

 

 

 

 

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES IN PROGRESS

Katherine Dowdell (2022-Present)

dowdell@utexas.edu

CV: Dowdell CV (2024)

Projects:

  • Consortium on disinfection byproducts and opportunistic pathogens in water networks (EPA)
  • Exposure to Sublethal Concentrations of Silver Nanoparticles and Aqueous Silver Induces Antibiotic Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NSF)
  • Free-Living Amoebae Predation Mechanisms (NSF PRFB)
  • Microbial Source Tracking
  • Molecular screening of Legionella in U.S. drinking water

 

PHD IN PROGRESS

Nowrina Rahim (2024-Present)

Project: Impact of treatment on opportunistic pathogens (OPs) and the use of biofilms as sensitive sentinels for OPs in distribution systems (EPA)

 

 

CURRENT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Adhira Shankar (2024-Present)

adhirashankar@utexas.edu

Project: Consortium on disinfection byproducts and opportunistic pathogens in water networks (EPA)

 

Carlo Garcia (2024-Present)

Project: Consortium on disinfection byproducts and opportunistic pathogens in water networks (EPA)

 

 

Sophie Snapp (2022-Present)

Project: “Canary Project” Monitoring COVID-19 in Austin Wastewater

 

 

 

Lan Nguyen (2021-Present)

lannguyen@utexas.edu

CV: Nguyen CV (2024)

Projects:

  • Exposure to Sublethal Concentrations of Silver Nanoparticles and Aqueous Silver Induces Antibiotic Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NSF)
  • Microbial Source Tracking
  • Quantification of assimilable organic carbon and extracellular polymeric substances in water utility biofilters

 

UNDERGRADUATE ADVISEES

* Awarded Undergraduate Research Fellowship (University of Texas at Austin)

** Awarded Undergraduate Research Grant (University of Texas at Austin)

† CAEE Research Academy Fellowship (University of Texas at Austin)

¥Plan II Honor’s thesis under Prof. Kirisits’s supervision (University of Texas at Austin)

Rajat Mathur, Hoi Yi (Mandy) Lai, Joshua Plummer*, Ryan Kingsbury¥, Brigit Afshar*, Sapna Desai, Changwoo Lee*, Sherry Cheng, Amy O’Neil*, David Stump, Jeffrey Stump*, Chris Kelley*, Tara Gloyna, Litta Untung*,**, Sarah Fakhreddine*, Olivia Beck, Stephanie Castillo, Marissa Pels, Mallory Iseminger (University of Nebraska-Wesleyan), Jeseth Delgado Vela*, Laura Chimelski*, Abraham Van Vleck*,  Sarah Seraj*, Alexis Sheehan*, Bryan Luu, Maddie Edwards, Stephanie Chu*, Anvita Jain*, Sabee Grewal, Katie Speights, Tarek El-Afifi*, Enrique Rodriguez, Nicole Rockey, Cody Tilton, Ethan Howley*, Emily Bolyard*, Abel Ingle*, Elissa Yeates*, Sanam Anwar (Wellesley College), Claire Legrow, Alexandra Hasbani, Ryan Howell, Chloe Cox, Emily Hannon, Kahui Lim (University of California – Davis), Ali Zamsky, Savanna Smith*, Krista Stribling (Valparaiso University), Jing Zhang, Eddalee Hochwalt Naumann (Lafayette College), Toni Stanhope (Dalhousie University), Paloma Villareal*, Ivy Tran, Sarah Alverson, Nkechi Lawanson, Jacob Roschmann, Samantha Marien*†, Elisabeth Willmann*†, Alisa Lu*, Emily Irikannu (Prairie View A&M University), Lan Nguyen*†, Christian Sparling, Elaine Fung¥, Dessie Tien¥, Kristin Tran, Ethan Hinz, Sophia Snapp†, Grace Zhou, Sydney Riordan¥, Jillian Merritt¥, Nivedha Loganathan¥, Kaaya Rane, Kimin Nguyen

 

OTHER ADVISING:

Daniel Forderhase (LBJ High School), Juan Pedro Maestre-Wic (visiting Ph.D. student from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Eric Solis (San Juan Diego Catholic High School), Matthew Soto (San Juan Diego Catholic High School), Meaghan MacGillivray (Dalhousie University), Elijah Brown (San Juan Hills High School), Ishan Saleh (Westwood High School), Jack Lovelace (St. Austin Catholic School), Abigail Lovelace (Hyde Park High School)

 

PH.D. SUPERVISIONS COMPLETED:

De Long, Susan

  • “Molecular Biology Tools for Identification and Quantification of Perchlorate-Reduction Genes in Biotreatment Applications” (Aug. 2009); co-supervised with K.A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: Associate Professor at Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)

Johnson, Stephanie

  • “A General Method for Modeling Coastal Water Pollutant Loadings” (Aug. 2009);co-supervised with D.R. Maidment
  • First post-graduation employment: Programs Principal at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (Minneapolis, MN)

Smith, Anthony

  • “Microbiological Activity and Organic Pollutant Fate and Transport in Sediments and Sediment Caps” (Aug. 2011); co-supervised with D.D. Reible
  • First post-graduation employment: Senior Staff Engineer at Geosyntec Consultants (Oakland, CA)

Keithley, Asher

  • “Impact of Phosphorus Limitation on the Hydraulic Performance of Drinking-Water Biologically Active Filters” (May 2017)
  • First post-graduation employment: postdoctoral research associate at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Cincinnati, OH)

Kim, Taegyu

  • “Rainwater Harvesting: The Impact of Residential-scale Treatment and Physicochemical Conditions in the Cistern on Microbiological Water Quality” (May 2017)
  • First post-graduation employment: postdoctoral research associate at the University of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN)

Chambers, Bryant

  • “A Molecular Biological Model Describing Silver Nanoparticle Mechanism of Toxicity and Associated Antibiotic Resistance” (May 2018);
  • First post-graduation employment: postdoctoral research associate at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Research Triangle, NC)

Sabaraya, Indu Venu

  • “Nanomaterials in Complex Environments: Interactions Affected by Matrix Composition, pH, Natural Organic Matter, and Bio- or Geo-colloids” (May 2021); co-supervised with N. B. Saleh
  • First post-graduation employment: wet process engineer at Micron Technology (Boise, ID)

Ayres, Craig

  • “Nano-Enabled Microwave-Harnessing Technique as an Alternative Disinfection Approach for the Control of Legionella pneumophila and the Free-Living Amoebae that Harbor Them” (December 2022); co-supervised with N. B. Saleh
  • First post-graduation employment: engineer at Exponent (Austin, TX)

 

 

M.S. SUPERVISIONS COMPLETED: 

De Long, Susan

  • “Development of a Method to Efficiently Determine Prokaryotic Gene Sequences Relevant to Pollutant Biodegradation” (Aug. 2005); co-supervised with K.A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: Associate Professor at Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)

Gibson, Carrie

  • “Bacterial Loadings Watershed Model in Copano/Port/Mission Bay” (May 2006); co-supervised with D.R. Maidment
  • First post-graduation employment: HDR Engineering (Bellevue, WA)

Lai, Hoi Yi (Mandy)

  • “The Emergence and Divergence of Antimicrobial Tolerance and Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms” (May 2006)
  • First post-graduation employment: CDM (Walnut Creek, CA)

Smith, Anthony

  • “Effects of Bioturbation on the Bacterial Community in Contaminated Sediment” (Aug. 2006); co-supervised with D.D. Reible
  • First post-graduation employment: Geosyntec Consultants (Oakland, CA)

Green, Cynthia

  • “Microbial Oxidation of Arsenic:  The Potential for Exploitation in Drinking Water Treatment” (Dec. 2007)
  • First post-graduation employment: HDR Engineering (CA)

Davidson, Andrew

  • “Water Quality Factors and Bacterial Communities Influencing Microbial-Level Bromate Reduction in a Biologically Active Carbon Filter” (May 2008)
  • First post-graduation employment: GSI Water Solutions, Inc. (Portland, OR)

Afshar, Brigit

  • “The Effect of Roofing Material on Water Quality for Rainwater Harvesting Applications – A Field Study of Residential Roofs” (May 2009); co-supervised with K.A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: CH2M-Hill (Dallas, TX)

Mendez, Carolina

  • “The Effect of Roofing Material on Harvested Rainwater Quality” (May 2010); co-supervised with K.A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: CH2M-Hill (Houston, TX)

Nguyen Phung-Ngoc, Hanh

  • “The Tolerance of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Silver Nanoparticles and Nano-C60 in Biofilm and Planktonic Cultures” (May 2010)
  • First post-graduation employment: Nike, Inc. (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Sejkora, Patrick

  • “Evaluation of Fecal Indicator Bacteria Loadings from a Wildlife Point Source and Sediment Resuspension in Inland Streams” (May 2010); co-supervised with M. Barrett
  • First post-graduation employment: GZA GeoEnvironmental (Milwaukee, WI)

Gao, Qiao Huan (Amy)

  • “The Tolerance of a Rhodococcus Drinking Water Isolate and Zoogloea ramigera to Silver Nanoparticles in Biofilm and Planktonic Cultures” (Aug. 2011)
  • First post-graduation employment: CH2M-Hill (Brooklyn, NY)

Keithley, Asher

  • “The Effect of Treatment on the Quality of Harvested Rainwater” (May 2012)
  • First post-graduation employment: postdoctoral research associate at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Cincinnati, OH)

Chambers, Bryant

  •  “Effects of Chloride and Ionic Strength on Physical Morphology, Dissolution, and Bacterial Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles” (Dec. 2012)
  • First post-graduation employment: postdoctoral research associate at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Research Triangle, NC).

Evans, Ashley

  • “The Effect of Nutrient Limitations on the Production of Extracellular Polymeric Substances by Drinking-Water Bacteria” (May 2013)
  • First post-graduation employment: ARCADIS U.S. (Austin, TX)

Wooldridge, Chloe

  • “Biological and Physical Characterization of Aerosols Generated in Showers” (May 2014); co-supervised with K.A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: URS (Austin, TX)

Lyons, Colleen

  • “Impact of Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanotubes on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm and Planktonic Cultures” (Dec. 2014)
  • First post-graduation employment: Canon Nanotechnologies (Austin, TX)

Ochoa, Gustavo

  • “A Phage Cocktail Approach for the Control of Iron Bacteria from Biofouled Water Supply Wells” (May 2015)
  • First post-graduation employment: The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)

Williams, Sarah

  • “Toward the Development of Robust Self-Healing Concrete Using Vegetative Microorganisms” (May 2015); co-supervised with R. Ferron
  • First post-graduation employment: Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado (Boulder, CO)

Palmer, Emily

  • “The Impact of Soluble Microbial Products on Trace Organic Contaminant Degradation” (Aug. 2016)
  • First post-graduation employment: Brown and Caldwell (New York City, NY)

Berhanu, Bruk

  • “Feasibility of Water Efficiency and Reuse Technologies as Demand-Side Strategies for Urban Water Management” (Aug. 2016)
  • First post-graduation employment: Austin Water (Austin, TX)

Ngan, Christine

  • “Unlocking the Role of Dopant Concentration in Environmental Behavior of Indium Tin Oxide Nanoparticles:  An Evaluation of Band Gap Architecture Influence on Aggregation Propensity and Microbial Inactivation Potential” (May 2017); co-supervised with N. Saleh
  • First post-graduation employment: CDM Smith (Austin, TX)

Lugo, Ricardo

  • “Impact of Coagulation on Biofiltration: Simultaneous Removal of Multiple Chemical Contaminants” (Aug. 2017); co-supervised with L. Katz

Turner, Rachel

  • “Impact of Phosphorus Limitation on Biofilm Morphology and Composition in Drinking-Water Biologically Active Filters” (Dec. 2017)
  • First post-graduation employment: Freese and Nichols (Dallas, TX)

Weimer, Ellyn

  • “Impact of Coagulation on Biofiltration: Simultaneous Removal of Multiple Trace Organic Compounds in Biofilters” (May 2018); co-supervised with L. Katz
  • First post-graduation employment: CDM Smith (Austin, TX)

Rasmus, Madison

  • “Phosphorus Limitation in Full-Scale Drinking Water Biofilters” (May 2019); co-supervised with K. A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: Carollo Engineers (San Diego, CA)

Jensen, Sierra

  • “Understanding Pseudomonas aeruginosa exposure to Ag and AgNPs” (Dec. 2019)
  • First post-graduation employment: Kimley-Horn (Austin, TX)

Liu, Yun (Lorraine)

  • “The Impact of Coagulation on the Simultaneous Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants (TrOCs) through Biofiltration” (May 2020); co-supervised with L. E. Katz
  • First post-graduation employment: Pape-Dawson (Austin, TX)

Wang, Yidi

  • “Tracking Influences of Drinking Water and Wastewater in Onion Creek and Waller Creek” (Aug. 2020); co-supervised with L. E. Katz
  • First post-graduation employment: Ph.D. student in Water Resources at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)

Palmer, Emma

  • “Development of a Reproducible Concentration Method for Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater” (December 2020); co-supervised with N. B. Saleh
  • First post-graduation employment: Ph.D. student in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)

Denton, Maya

  • “The Effect of a “Caring” Intervention on Engineering Identity: Insights from a One-day Outreach Event with Elementary and Middle-school Girl Scouts” (May 2021)
  • First post-graduation employment: Ph.D. student in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education at the University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)

Gupta, Nikita

  • “Developing a Ligand-Exchange Method to Transform Citrate-Capped Silver Nanoparticles to BPEI-Capped Silver Nanoparticles” (August 2021); co-supervised with N. B. Saleh

Byzdyra, Bradley

  • “Arsenic Found in Glacial Systems has Potential for Downstream Impact in Alaska Native Communities” (December 2021); co-supervised with N. B. Saleh

Angert, Danielle

  • “Quantifying Intra- and Extra-cellular Legionella in First-draw and Flushed Drinking Water Samples Collected across the U.S.” (May 2023)
  • First post-graduation employment: Peace Corps

Gong, Yu

  • “Sub-lethal Concentration of Citrate-capped and BPEI-capped Silver Nanoparticles to Pseudomonas aeruginosa” (May 2023)

Medina, Mathieu

  • “Water Quality Analysis of Two Alaskan Glacier-Melts and Method Development for Laboratory-based Permafrost Study” (May 2023); co-supervised with N. B. Saleh
  • First post-graduation employment: engineer at Corona Engineering (Denver, Colorado)

Sail, Himanshu

  • “Characterization of Produced Water Distillates” (May 2023); co-supervised with L. Katz

 

POSTDOCTORAL SUPERVISIONS COMPLETED:

Ho, Chi-hua

  •    “Microbial Sulfur Oxidation:  Microbial Community Structure and Gene Expression” and “Characterization of Bromate-Reducing Bacterial Isolates and their Potential for Drinking Water Treatment” (Feb. 2008); co-supervised with K.A. Kinney
  • First post-graduation employment: Research and Development Director at Shine & Pretty Corporation (Camarillo, CA)

Bae, Sungwoo

  • “Molecular Biological Tools for Assessing Treatment Processes:  A Perchlorate Case Study”, “Nitrification Assessment for the City of Corpus Christi”, “Microbial Community of Harvested Rainwater”, “Biomineralization in Cement-based Materials”, “Microbial Source Tracking for the City of Austin”, “Microbial Communities of Drinking-water Biofilters” (May 2015)
  • First post-graduation employment: Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (Singapore)

Ziv-El, Michal

  • “Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants as a Secondary Benefit in Standard Aerobic and Nitrifying Drinking water Biofilters”, “Robustness of Denitrifying Drinking Water Biofilters Exposed to Cold Temperatures”, and “Biofilter Scaling Procedures For Organics Removal – A Potential Alternative To Piloting”(June 2017)
  • First post-graduation employment: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow at the National Science Foundation (Alexandria, VA)

Chambers, Bryant

  • “A Molecular Biological Model Describing Silver Nanoparticle Mechanism of Toxicity and Associated Antibiotic Resistance” and “Microbial Source Tracking in Waller Creek”
  • First post-graduation employment: postdoctoral research associate at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Research Triangle, NC)
×