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Cuellar-Gempeler lab

 Host-associated microbial community ecology
at Cal Poly Humboldt
Research in our lab focuses on the assembly and function 0f microbial communities associated with plants and animals. Our research questions relate to metacommunities, ecosystem function and some eco-evolutionary dynamics. To tackle these questions, we focus on microbial communities, their assembly processes and their function. Most often than not, the microbial communities we study are associated with animal and plant hosts. We believe most of our thinking surrounds three overlapping themes: (1) ecological theory, (2) microbiology and (3) the natural history of each of our systems of study (Fig 1). 

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Check out our research page: You will find crabs, bacteria and protozoa, pitcher plants, and more. There is something for everyone.

To investigate these themes, we use field sampling and field experiments, natural microcosms and experimental manipulations, all in combination with cutting-edge molecular and bioinformatic tools. We are developing a Methods page to better convey and share our methods. Coming soon!


Before you leave, make sure to consider:
​
  • To meet the Team! And check out what everyone is up to.
  • Do you like science and music? In my free time, I sing songs about science.
  • We are looking for new members for our team. Check our opportunities page!
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Dr. Cuellar-Gempeler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt

NEWS FEED

Quick updates for 2021 (now up to September). 
  • Victoria Cifelli has joined the team to complete her Masters
  • Travis Nickols has returned to the lab and will be working as a tech to make sure we are all on track
  • Taylor Krilanovich has began her Honors Thesis work in the lab
  • Graduate students Parker Lund, Megan Teigen and Jonas Sotingco have been busy getting their projects started, writing grants (and getting grants) and in general having fun in the lab - recently threw a party for plant germination. 
  • I have received the NSF CAREER grant to support our work on the assembly and function of microbes associated with Darlingtonia californica. You will have to hear me talk about this for years! I feel extremely lucky and grateful for this recognition and the support it brings to the lab and our school.
  • Will be recruiting 1-2 graduate students to work with us on the pitcher plant system for Fall 2022! keep an eye out for the official announcement. 
  • We are involved in the development of a new Computing Facility in the Department of Biological Sciences at HSU and leading a bioinformatics community (Humboldt State University Bioinformatics in the Biological Sciences - HUBBS). Interested? contact us to join the coding fun (available in asynchronous and synchronous virtual formats)!

December 2020. Excited to be done with a challenging semester where we learned a lot about ourselves. We have cool  sequence data to look at in the near future and many experiments and field sampling to happen in 2021. The CG lab wishes Happy Holidays and a wonderful new year for everyone! Including microbes everywhere of course. 

August 2020: official welcome to Parker, Jonas and Megan. Although campus remains closed, we will begin thinking about project ideas and start developing the experimental approaches. 

May2020: Congratulations to Sandrine for obtaining the Humboldt MCSI Graduate Student Research Fund! We also got funding from ERFSA to put towards sensing devices. 

April2020: Welcome to incoming graduate students Parker Lund, Jonas Sotingco and Megan Teigen!! We are really excited to have you join our team.  

March2020: Wow this got crazy pretty fast. We had to shut down the lab to comply with University and State policies and make sure everyone was safe. We have now fully switched to working online, shifting some of our lab work onto literature reviews and focusing on developing our biocomputing tools and scientific writing.

Feb 7: Congratulations to A.H. Huebner for obtaining the Siering/Wilson Endowment award! We ll be sequencing fungi associated with Astragalus applegatei
We also obtained support from HSU via the RSCA award to continue our work with pitcher plant associated bacterial function. Alejandro will be leading this effort with support from Breane, Brooke and Esmeralda. We are off to a good start this semester!

Jan 11: Great time at AmNat2020! caught up with friends and academic family. Stimulating science and motivating conversations. Cannot wait to get this semester started!

News Archive: Read about the news of the past.
Pinned news: 
My interview with Ciencia café is out! (spanish with English subtitles)
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  • Home
  • Research
  • Publications
  • Teaching
  • People
  • Contact and opportunities