Ph.D. Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ursinus College
My research program has two branches that are related through studying microbial communities and interactions: 1) profiling microbial communities and succession of these communities in unique ecological niches, and 2) examining cultured bacterial isolates from these communities and how interactions between distinct community members elicit the production of unique colony phenotypes (sporulation, motility) or small molecules (antibiotics or anti-biofilm agents).
My research employs various techniques including basic microbiology techniques, sequencing and genomic analysis, molecular biology and cloning, and analytical techniques. My research program can help answer outstanding questions in microbial ecology, and may lead to the discovery of novel and clinically relevant anti-microbial compounds.
Stasulli NM, Yourstone S, Weinstein I, Ademski E, Shank, EA. (in submission) Selective bacterial community enrichment between the pitcher plants Sarracenia minor and Sarracenia flava.
Stasulli NM, Shank EA. (2016) Profiling the metabolic signals involved in chemical communication between microbes using imaging mass spectrometry. FEMS Microbiology Reviews. 2016 Sept 2. pii: fuw032 doi:10.1093/femsre/fuw032
In the Media
Nikolas Stasulli, assistant professor of biology and environmental science, discusses the conditions necessary in bodies of fresh water to be conducive brain-eating amoebas being present.
In the Media
Nikolas Stasulli, assistant professor of biology and environmental science, comments on why viruses remain stable when attached to waterborne microplastics.