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Dr. John Kelly

John is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Loyola University Chicago. John received his Bachelors Degree in Biology from Dartmouth College in 1990. He received his Masters degree in 1995 and his PhD in 1998, both from Rutgers University. From 1998 to 2001 John worked as a post-doctoral fellow with David Stahl in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University, and in 2001 he joined the faculty at Loyola. John's teaching responsibilities at Loyola include General Biology, General Microbiology, and Microbial Ecology. John's research examines the impacts of human induced ecosystem changes on microbial communities, with a focus on freshwater ecosystems.

John's CV

Current Lab Members
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Ryan Krantz - MS Student

Ryan is a graduate student in the Biology MS Program at Loyola University Chicago. Ryan earned his B.S. in Biology with concentrations in Ecology and Organismal Biology from the University of Toledo in 2017. Ryan's research in the Kelly lab is exploring the interactions of pharmaceuticals and microbial biofilms on the surfaces of microplastics. 

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Trinity Shoemaker - Undergraduate Student

Trinity is an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Forensic Science. Trinity joined the Kelly Lab in 2023 and is leading a research project exploring the growth of microbial biofilms on organic matter in streams.

Lizzie Proctor - Undergraduate Student

Lizzie is an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology. Lizzie worked in the Kelly Lab during summer 2024 through the WISER Program. Lizzie worked on a project exploring the effects of land use on stream microbial communities. 

Valerie Navarez - High School Teacher

Valerie is a teacher at Bremen High School working toward a Master's Degree in Education at Loyola. Valerie worked in the Kelly Lab during summer 2024 through an NSF funded teacher training program. Valerie worked on a project exploring the effects of land use on stream microbial communities. 

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Oluwatobiloba Oladipo - High School Student

Tobi is a student at Nicholas Senn High School who interned in the Kelly Lab during summer 2024. Toby worked on a project exploring the effects of urbanization n stream bacterial communities. 

Former Lab Members
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Cynthia Nguyen - Undergraduate Student

Cynthia was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology and a member of the Kelly Lab from 2023 to 2024. Cynthia participated in a research project exploring the growth of microbial biofilms on organic matter in streams. Cynthia graduated Loyola in Spring 2024.

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Mattias Lenz - Undergraduate Student

Mattias was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology and he was a member of the Kelly Lab from 2023 to 2024. Mattias participated in a research project exploring the effects of antimicrobial compounds on biofilm microbial communities. Mattias graduated Loyola in Spring 2024.

Liam - Field Technician

Liam was a part-time lab technician for the Kelly Lab from 2015 to 2023. Liam's research focused on the big questions, including "Why?". Liam is currently a sophomore at Northside College Prep High School.

Dr. Rachel McNeish  - Postdoctoral Fellow 2016-2018

Rachel was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biology at Loyola University Chicago from 2016-2018. Rachel received her Bachelors Degree in Biology from Millersville University, PA in 2009 where she studied the invasion and behavioral ecology of crayfish. She received her Masters (2011) and PhD (2016) degrees in Biology from the University of Dayton, OH.  Rachel’s Masters and PhD work focused on understanding terrestrial-aquatic connections that influence stream ecosystem processes and aquatic communities. Her work in the Kelly  Lab quantified and characterized microplastic inputs to Lake Michigan from its eight major tributaries and assessed microplastic interactions with biota in these tributaries. Rachel is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at California State University Bakersfield. 

Rachel's research website: remcneish.weebly.com

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Karl Gaisser - MS Student

Karl was a graduate student in the Biology MS Program at Loyola University Chicago from 2019 to 2021. Karl received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Indiana University in 2016 and joined the Loyola graduate program after working in industry for several years. Karl's research focused on the impacts of wastewater treatment plant effluent on microbial communities in intermittent streams. Karl is currently a Research Associate at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Washington.

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Viktorio Tzarevski - Undergraduate Student

Viktorio was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology. Viktorio was a member of the Kelly Lab from 2021 to 2022. Viktorio participated in a research project exploring the growth of bacteria and algae on plastic materials in streams.

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Crisi Patelis - Undergraduate Student

Ciris was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology. Crisi was a member of the Kelly Lab from 2021 to 2022. Crisi participated in a research project exploring the interactions of pharmaceuticals and microbial biofilms on the surfaces of microplastics.

Elizabeth Berg - MS Student

Elizabeth is a graduate student in the Biology MS Program at Loyola University Chicago. Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Notre Dame in 2017.  For her MS Thesis project Elizabeth is exploring factors controlling microplastic fate and transport in streams using a combination of model stream experiments and field measurements. Elizabeth has been awarded funding for her project from the Illinois Lakes Managament Association.

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Masooma Sultan - Undergraduate Student

Masooma was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology. Masooma was a member of the Kelly Lab from 2018 to 2020. Masooma participated in a research project exploring the effects of storm events on microplastic concentrations in an urban river system.

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Astha Chokshi - Undergraduate Student

Astha was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology. Astha was a member of the Kelly Lab from 2018 to 2019. Astha participated in a research project exploring the effects of storm events on microplastic concentrations in an urban river system.

Ben Lorentz - Undergraduate and MS Student

Ben joined the Kelly Lab in 2015 as an undergraduate student and worked in the lab while completing his BS in Bioinformatics in 2019 and his MS in Bioinformatics in 2020. Ben's project  assessed the effects of pharmaceuticals on stream microbial communities. Ben is currently a PhD student at the University of Georgia.

Justine Nguyen - Undergraduate Student 2019-2020

Justine worked in the Kelly Lab as an undergraduate student on a project that assessed the effects of pharmaceuticals on the microbial colonization of microplastics. Justine completed her BS in Biology in May 2020 and is currently a doctoral student at Marquette University.

Paul Risteca - Undergraduate and MS Student

Paul joined the Kelly Lab in 2015 as an undergraduate student and worked in the lab while completing his BS in Bioinformatics in 2019 and enrolling in the Bioinformatics MS Program. Paul's MS research project explored the interactions of pharmaceuticals and microbial biofilms on the surfaces of microplastics. Paul is currently a doctoral student at Virginia Tech University.

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Leila Tuzlak - Undergraduate Student 2018-2020

Leila joined in the Kelly Lab as an undergraduate student in Fall 2018 and she participated in a research project exploring the effects of storm events on microplastic concentrations in an urban river system. Leila completed her BS in Biology in May 2020 and she subsequently received a post-baccalaureate research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

Sameer Khan - Undergraduate Student 2017-2018

Sameer was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago who majored in Biology. Sameer joined the Kelly Lab in Winter 2017 and graduated from Loyola in Spring 2018. Sameer's research contributed to quantification of microplastic particles in tributaries of Lake Michigan. 

Brianne Coffey - Undergraduate Student 2017-2018

Brianne was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago who majored in Bioinformatics. Brianne joined the Kelly Lab in Winter 2017 and graduated from Loyola in Spring 2018. Brianne's research project explored the effects of pharmaceuticals on benthic microbial communities.

Roma Patel - Undergraduate Student 2017

Roma was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago who majored in Biology. Roma joined the Kelly Lab in Summer 2017 as a WISER Fellow, and she graduated from Loyola in December 2017. Roma's research contributed to the quantification of microplastic particles in tributaries of Lake Michigan.

Aamna Siddiqui - High School Intern Summer 2017

Aamna was a student at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago who was a summer intern in the Kelly Lab during Summer 2017 working on microplastic pollution in Lake Michigan tributaries. 

Samantha Keyport - Undergraduate Student 2015-2016

Samantha was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology with an emphasis in Molecular Biology. Samantha began a research collaboration with the Kelly Lab in Summer 2015 as an IES Fellow and continued this collaboration during the 2015-2016 academic year. Samantha's research project investigated the effects of invasive species restoration on wetland microbial communities. Samantha graduated from Loyola University Chicago in May 2016 and she is currently a student in the PhD program at the University of Chicago.

Catherine Rovegno - Undergraduate Student 2015-2018

Catherine joined the Kelly Lab in Summer 2015 as a WISER Fellow and continued to work in the lab until she graduated from Loyola University Chicago in Spring 2017.  Catherine contributed to the lab's work on microplastic contamination of freshwater ecosystems in the Midwestern United States.  

Miguel Rojas - MS Degree Completed 2016

Miguel received his Bachelors degree in Biological Sciences from DePaul University in 2010, where he was an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Windsor Aguirre on projects focused on the ecology and evolution of two fish model systems. From 2009-2010 he worked on various projects as a Collections Assistant at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL. Miguel received his MS degree in Biology from Loyola University Chicago in Summer 2016. In the Kelly Lab Miguel's work  explored the effects that algal species identity has on the structure and function of denitrifying bacterial communities within periphytic biofilms.  Miguel was also involved in several projects examining the effects of pharmaceuticals and personal care projects on benthic microbial communities in streams. Miguel's work in the  Kelly lab was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship​. 

Dr. Binh Chu Thi Thanh  - Postdoctoral Fellow 2011-2015

Binh was a postdoctoral fellow in the Kelly Lab from 2011 through 2015. Binh received her Bachelors Degree in Biology in 1996 and Masters Degree in Microbiology in 1998 both from Vietnam National University,  Hanoi. In 2000 Binh completed an Advanced Training Course in the field of Biotechnology in Germany. In 2008 Binh completed her PhD at Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany, working with  Dr. Kornelia Smalla. Binh's Ph.D. work investigated the effects of antibiotics on the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes among soil bacteria. From 2008 to 2010 she worked in the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vietnam National University on a Vietnamese-Japanese collaborative project exploring the biodiversity of microorganisms in different ecological regions. Binh's work in the Kelly Lab explored the effects of nanotitania on microorganisms in aquatic systems. Binh is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois Chicago working with Dr. Rachel Poretsky.

Maxwell London - Research Assistant 2014-2015

Max was a postbac research assistant in the Kelly Lab from 2014-2015. Max received his B.S. Degree in Environmental Science and Policy, with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology and Management, from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2013, and he worked previously as an Environmental Educator at the Phillips Wharf Environmental Center in Tilghman, MD. In the Kelly Lab Max contributed to several projects related to the potential ecological effects of microplastic pollutants in freshwater ecosystems. In Fall 2015 Max enrolled in the graduate program in the Department of Biology at DePaul University. 

Claire Kohout - Research Assistant 2015

Claire graduated from Loyola University Chicago in Spring 2015 and worked as a research assistant in the Kelly lab during Summer 2015. Claire's research focused on antibiotic resistance genes in urban streams. After leaving the Kelly Lab Claire spent a year working as a Research Aide at Argonne National Lab. Claire earned her M.Sc. degree in the Applied Microbiology program at the University of Saskatchewan, and she is currently working as a Research Specialist in the Duschossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago. 

Nicole Minalt - Undergraduate Student 2013-2015

Nicole was an undergraduate research assistant in the Kelly lab from 2013-2015. In the Kelly lab Nicole's work focused on the ecology of bacterial biofilms in water distribution systems. Nicole's work in the Kelly Lab was supported by a Carbon Research Fellowship, and she was a coauthor on a 2015 publication in PLOS OneNicole graduated from Loyola in May 2015 and is currently a student in the Creighton University School of Medicine. 

Sana Iqbal - Undergraduate Student 2012-2015

Sana worked in the Kelly Lab from 2012-2015 investigating the ecological effects of wastewater effluent on riverine bacterial biodiversity.  Sana's work in the Kelly Lab was supported by a Biology Summer Research Fellowship and a Mulcahy Fellowship. Sana graduated from Loyola in May 2015 and spent time working at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago and a Clinical Protocol Coordinator at the Loyola University Medical Center. In fall 2021 Sana will begin pursuing her PhD through the Integrated Program in Biomedical Sciences at Loyola University Chicago. 

Margaret Sladek - Undergraduate Student 2012-2015

Maggie worked in the Kelly Lab from 2012-2015 investigating the effects of wastewater treatment effluent on benthic bacterial communities. Maggie's work in the Kelly Lab was supported by a Biology Department Research Fellowship. Maggie graduated from Loyola in May 2015, and after graduating Maggie worked as a Research Aide at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Maggie is currently a Research Assistant in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. 

Photo credit Miguel Rojas

Nicholas Miller - Undergraduate Student 2014-2015

Nick worked in the Kelly Lab from 2014-2015 while double majoring in Bioinformatics and Biology. Nick's research in the Kelly Lab focused on analyzing the effects of biochar amendments on soil bacterial communities. Nick graduated from Loyola in May 2015 and is currently employed as a technical operations analyst at Spot Trading L.L.C.

Photo credit Miguel Rojas

Francis Cocjin - Undergraduate Student 2013-2015

Francis was an undergraduate research student in the Kelly Lab from 2013 to 2015. His research focused on the effects of anitmicrobial compounds, including triclosan and ciprofloxacin, on stream bacterial communities. Francis also volunteered with the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy’s Kid’s Institute as a teacher. Francis graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2016 and he is currently a medical student at the Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, IL. 

Photo credit Loyola University Chicago

Alexandra Ozaki - MS Degree Completed 2013

Alix received her MS degree in Biology from Loyola University Chicago in Summer 2013. Alix's thesis explored the effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on microorganisms in stream sediments using an artificial stream system and high-throughput techniques. Alix's work produced a first author publication in the journal Microbial EcologyAlix is currently employed as the Sanitary Design/Microbiology Department Leader in Beauty Care and Oral Care Manufacturing for Procter and Gamble in Iowa City, IA.

 

Brad Drury - MS Degree Completed 2014

Brad received his MS degree in Biology from Loyola University Chicago in Spring 2014. Brad's thesis explored the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent and the antibacterial agent triclosan on benthic bacterial communities. Brad's work produced two first author publications in the journals Applied and Environmental Microbiology and Environmental Science and TechnologyBrad is currently employed as a systems administrator and laboratory technician at Chautauqua Chemicals Co. in Ashville, New York.

Erin Adams - Undergraduate Student 2013-2014

Erin was an undergraduate research assistant in the Kelly Lab from 2013-2014, and her work was supported by a Mulcahy Fellowship. Erin participated in several projects exploring the effects of nanotitanium dioxide on benthic bacterial communities. Erin graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2014 and is currently a medical student at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. 

Photo credit Miguel Rojas

Tanya Grancharova - Undergrad Student 2007-2010

Tanya was an undergraduate research assistant in the Kelly Lab from 2007-2010 investigating the effects of environmental perturbations on nitrogen cycling microbial communities in soil. Tanya graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2010 and earned an M.S. degree in Bioinformatics from the University of Washington in 2015. Tanya is currently a Bioinformatics Associate at the Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle, WA

Photo credit Tanya Grancharova

Kimberly Garcia - High School Intern Summer 2018

Kimberly was a rising senior at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago in summer 2018 when she worked in the Kelly Lab as a summer intern. Kimberly contributed to our research on the fate and transport of microplastic in streams and rivers. 

Ricky Ly - High School Intern Summer 2018

Ricky was a rising senior at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago in summer 2018 when he worked in the Kelly Lab as a summer intern. Ricky participated in our research on the fate and transport of microplastic in streams and rivers. 

Brandon Cifuentes - High School Intern Summer 2016

Brandon was a rising senior at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago in summer 2016 when he worked as an intern in the Kelly Lab. Brandon worked as part of team quantifying microplastic inputs to Lake Michigan. Barndon is currently a senior at Senn High School.

Nina Oforji - High School Intern Summer 2014

Nina was a rising senior at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago in summer 2014 when she worked as an intern in the Kelly Lab. Nina worked on an experiment exploring the interactions between microplastics and freshwater bacterial communities. Nina's work in the lab was supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) program and by the Loyola University Chicago Department of Biology. Nina is currently an undergraduate student at St. Louis University.

Ayomide Ogunsola - High School Intern Summer 2014

Ayo was a rising senior at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago in summer 2014 when she worked as an intern in the Kelly Lab. Ayo worked on an experiment exploring the interactions between microplastics and freshwater bacterial communities. Ayo's work in the lab was supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) program and by the Loyola University Chicago Department of Biology. Ayo is currently an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago.

Keila Magafas - High School Intern Summer 2013

Keila was a rising senior at Hubbard High School in Chicago in summer 2013 when she worked as an intern in the Kelly Lab. Keila worked on an artificial stream experiment to assess the potential ecological effects of engineered nanomaterials. Keila's work in the lab was supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) program. Keila is currently an undergraduate student at Illinois Weselyan University.

Photo credit Miguel Rojas

Lorena Delgado - High School Intern Summer 2013

Lorena was a rising senior at Hubbard High School in Chicago in summer 2013 when she worked as an intern in the Kelly Lab. Lorena worked on an artificial stream experiment to assess the potential ecological effects of engineered nanomaterials. Lorena's work in the lab was supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) program. Lorena is currently an undergraduate student at Harold Washington College.

Photo credit Miguel Rojas

Melissa Achettu - Undergraduate Student 2016-2018

Melissa was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago who majored in Psychology with a minor in Biology. Melissa joined the Kelly Lab in Fall 2016, and graduated from Loyola in Spring 2018. Melissa's research documented the presence of microplastic particles in fish in tributaries of Lake Michigan. Melissa is currently working as a Research Assistant at the Northwestern University Medical Center.

Wesley Heal - Undergraduate Student 2017-2019

Wesley was an undergraduate student who worked in the Kelly lab from Fall 2017 until Spring 2019. Wesley's research project focused on assessing factors controlling microplastic fate and transport in streams. Wesley was awarded a Provost Research Fellowship for Summer 2018 and Mulcahy Research Fellowship for AY 2018-2019.

Kelli Rogers - Undergraduate Student 2018-2019

Kelli was an undergraduate student who worked in the Kelly Lab from Summer 2018 until her graduation from Loyola in Spring 2019. Kelli's research explored the composition of bacterial communities colonizing microplastic particles in Lake Michigan tributaries. Kelli was awarded a Mulcahy Research Fellowship for AY 2018-2019. After graduation Kelli went on to medical school at Midwestern University. 

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Fatena Alhamud - High School Intern Summer 2019

Fatena was a rising senior at Nicholas Senn High School when she worked as an intern in the Kelly Lab for Summer 2019. Fatena made an important contribution to a project exploring the interactions between microplastic, pharmaceuticals, and microbes in streams. 

Stuti Desai - Undergraduate Student

Stuti was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology. She joined the Kelly Lab in Summer 2017 and her research project focused on quantifying microplastic particles in tributaries of Lake Michigan. Stuti was awarded a Biology Summer Research Fellowship for Summer 2018 and a Provost Research Fellowship for AY 2018-2019. Stuti graduated from Loyola in May 2019.

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