Vincent Denef, Principal investigator

 Focus:  Aquatic microbial interactions

 Office address: 1141 Kraus Natural Science Building
 Tel: +1 (734) 764 6481
 E-mail V. Denef   
            





First steps: University of Leuven, Belgium

 

Education/Employment

2012 - … : Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
2005 – 2011: Post-doctoral researcher, Banfield Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, USA.
2001 – 2005: Ph.D. in Applied Biological Sciences, LabMET, Universiteit Gent, Belgium.
2000 – 2005: Visiting Scholar at the Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, USA.
1996 – 2001: Bachelor/Master Bio-engineering, magna cum laude, University of Leuven, Belgium.
2008: Teaching assistant, NSF International Antarctic Biology Course, McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
2003: Advanced Bacterial Genetics Summer Course (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA)
2002: Microbial Diversity Summer Course (Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA).

 

Selected Publications

Denef V.J., J.F. Banfield. 2012. In situ evolutionary rate measurements show ecological success of recently emerged bacterial hybrids. Science 336(6080):462-6    Pubmed

Morowitz, M.J., V.J. Denef, E. Costello, B. Thomas, D.A. Relman, J.F. Banfield. 2011. Strain-resolved community genomic analysis of gut microbial colonization in a premature infant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108(3): 1128–1133    Pubmed

Denef, V.J., Mueller, R.S., and Banfield J.F. 2010. Winogradsky review: AMD biofilms: using model communities to study microbial evolution and ecological complexity in nature. ISME J. 4(5):599-610.   Pubmed

Denef, V.J., L. Kalnejais, P., Mueller, R.S., Wilmes, B. Baker, Brian C. Thomas, N.C. VerBerkmoes, R.L. Hettich, and J.F. Banfield. 2010. Proteogenomic basis for ecological divergence of closely related bacteria in natural acidophilic microbial communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(6):2383-90.   Pubmed

Denef, V.J., N.C. VerBerkmoes, M.B. Shah, P. Abraham, M. Lefsrud, R.L. Hettich, and J.F. Banfield. 2009. Proteomics-inferred genome typing (PIGT) demonstrates inter-population recombination as a strategy for environmental adaptation. Environ Microbiol. 11(2), 313-325.   Pubmed

 Dylan Baker, Lab Technician/Manager (2018-)

 Focus: Dylan started as a junior undergrad and transitioned to a full-time role in 2020. He initially focused on algae-bacteria interactions and avian botulism gene activity at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Now he is the lab manager and coordinates multiple projects.

 Kathryn Schmidt, PhD Student (2022-)

 Focus: Invasive species, Phenotypic plasticity

 Yu-Cheng (Marvin) Lin, PhD Student (2023-)

 Focus: Predatory-prey interactions, Context Dependency

 Divyashree Dwarakanath, Student Researcher (2025-)

 Focus: Algal-bacterial interactions

 TBA, Lab Pet (2025-)

 Focus: Emotional support

Nikesh Dahal, PhD Student (2017-2025) -

Zachary Buchberger, Undergraduate student + technician (2022-2024) - Masters student, University of Illinois, Chicago

Andrew Carriero, Undergraduate Student Researcher (2023-2024) -

Jinny Yang, PhD Student (2018-2024) - Postdoctoral Researcher, Michigan State University

Jacob Evans, Bioinfromatician (2017-2022) - IT Specialist, UM

Madelyn Foulkes, Undergraduate student researcher (2021-2025) - PhD Student, Stanford University

Bella Wash, Undergraduate student (2021-2022)

Muhtamim Khanam, Undergraduate researcher (2021-2023) -

James Lauer, Undergraduate student researcher (2019-2022) - PhD Student, Stanford University

Sara Jackrel, Postdoc (2016-2019) - Assistant Professor, UC San Diego

Chloe Turnbow, undergraduate researcher (2019-2020)

Marian Schmidt, PhD student (2012-2018) - Assistant Professor, Cornell University

Ruben Props, Visiting Scholar (2016-2018) - Postdoc, CMET, Universiteit Gent

Anna Ortega, undergraduate researcher (2018)

Kyle Buffin, undergraduate researcher (2015-2017) - Data analyst at biotech startup

Cassandra Huerta, undergraduate researcher (2016-2017)

Kristen Hayden, undergraduate researcher (2016-2017)

Amadeus Twu, undergraduate researcher (2015-2016)

Michelle Berry, Research technician (2014-2016) - PhD student @ UW-Seattle

Edna Chiang, undergraduate researcher/honors thesis/technician (2012-2016) - PhD student @ UW-Madison

Morgan Meade, undergraduate researcher (2015-2016) - student @ UM

Seana Florida, undergraduate researcher (2014-2015) - student @ UM

Joe Batdorff, undergraduate researcher (2014-2015) - student @ UM

Masanori Fujimoto, postdoc (2015) - Research Assitant Professor @ University of Florida

Justin Millar, technician (2014) - PhD student @ University of Florida

Michelle Park, undergraduate researcher (2014)

Amelia Waters, undergraduate researcher (2013-2015) - 10th grade Science teacher, Maryland

Natalie Imirzian, undergraduate researcher (2013-2014) - PhD student @ Penn State University

Katherine Hunsberger, undergraduate researcher (2012) - technician @ UM

Ann McCarthy, lab manager (2012-2014) - technician @ biotech startup