Principal Investigator
Michael A. Bertucci
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Michael graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with B.S. in Chemical Biology before pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Under the mentorship of Dr. Michel R. Gagné, he investigated methods for derivatizing N-Acyl Homoserine Lactone (AHLs), key signaling molecules in gram-negative bacterial quorum sensing. He joined the chemistry department at Hartwick College as a Visiting Assistant Professor in 2014 before moving to Moravian University one year later. In 2021, he accepted an offer to join the chemistry department at his current institution, Lafayette College, and was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in 2024. He has taught courses in Organic Chemistry I & II, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Nursing Chemistry and Senior Seminar for Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors. He is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award and was named a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar in 2023.
Michael A. Bertucci’s Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Current Group Members
Mallory Downs
Senior Neuroscience Major
My research focuses on the synthesis and purification of the competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) of Streptococcus gordonii. I am performing alanine substitutions in order to determine if this changes the quorum sensing ability of the bacteria.
Braeden Beal
Senior Chemistry Major
My research focuses on finding more efficient ways to synthesize the MeDbz linker and LamD derivatives to be utilized in the bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum, as well as studying the stability of these synthesized LamD derivatives.
Alex Yurtola
he/him
Junior Chemistry Major
My research focuses on developing and optimizing a method of measuring beta-glucuronidase activity in an assay to determine the effect of synthetic peptides on quorum sensing in Lactobacillus plantarum.
Sydney Weibel
Senior Biology Major
My research is in collaboration with the Mensch Lab studying the environmentally relevant interactions between the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, polystyrene nanoparticles, and the agricultural antibiotic Tylosin. I use growth based viability assays to determine bacterial viability at different concentrations and combinations of these pollutants.
Jack Baum
Junior Biology Major
My research focuses on synthesizing the plasmid PLIP404-3 to transform into Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in order to create an effective reporter strain with which to test the lab’s peptides.
Katelyn Golembiewski
Sophomore Biochemistry Major
My research focuses on assembling and optimizing reporter plasmids for quorum sensing in Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.
Michaela McCusker
Sophomore Biochemistry Major
My current research is centered around the finding and optimizing of efficient procedures for transforming DNA plasmids into Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactococcus lactis.
Former Group Members
Allie Campanella ’24 – Memorial Sloan Kettering
Xiaotian Gong ’24 – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Abby Skidmore ’24 – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Ryann Carlotz ’24
Brianna Leopold ’23 – Pfizer
Becky Hartman ’23 – UMass Amherst
Jasmine Nguyen ’23 – UC Irvine/Tufts University
Elizabeth Jones ’23 – University of Central Florida
Michael Gorgan ’22 – University of Connecticut
Jillian Kopchak ’22 – Avantor
Joelis Rodriquez-Santos ’22
Zachary Filliben ’22 – Florida Atlantic University
Fadi Hanna ’21 – Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Emilee Engler ’21 – DSM
Naomi Rieth ’21 – OraSure Technologies
Gabe Chlebove ’21 – OraSure Technologies
Liz Hutnick ’21 – NMS Labs
Alec Buttner ’21 – University of Chicago
Ashlyn Cantrel ’19 – University of Delaware/Yale University
Jonathan Nadraws ’19 – University of Pennsylvania
Kylie Chichura ’19 – Syracuse University
Robert Hillman ’18 – University of Delaware/Chemours
Erin Tiwold ’17 – GlaxoSmithKline
Jessica Lynch ’17 – University of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medicine
Jonathan Le ’17 – Temple University School of Dentistry
Daniel Schmucker ’16 – Trinity Consultants