Emily Nowicki
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Interests
In nature microorganisms exist in complex, multispecies consortia. Some community members can produce metabolites that are either harmful or beneficial for other members. Bacterial infections in humans or other animals are no exception—most infections are the result of not just a single organism but an entire community composed of both commensal and pathogenic microbes. Often, these polymicrobial interactions result in more severe infections than if the pathogen were alone. I am interested in studying polymicrobial infections with a particular emphasis on the interplay between nonharmful commensal microbes and pathogens. I am currently working with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), an opportunistic pathogen that thrives within the oral cavity along with a number of other bacterial species. I will use in vivo murine models in combination with next-generation sequencing techniques to reveal genetic determinants important for the synergy often seen between various microbial species within an infection.
About Emily
I am from the little township of Fredon in beautiful, rural Sussex County New Jersey (yes- NJ can be both beautiful and rural!). I attended The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and worked in Dr. Janet Morrison’s lab studying interactions between a native grass species and its fungal pathogen. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 2010, I moved to Austin to attend graduate school at The University of Texas at Austin. Working in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Trent, I studied LPS remodeling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and characterized two novel lipid A modification enzymes. I received my PhD in May 2015, and have been working in the Whiteley lab ever since. During the school year, I will also co-teach General Microbiology with Dr. Whiteley. My interests include hiking and other outdoor activities, cooking, and singing with my band, Maggie’s Harem.
Publications
Nowicki E.M., O’Brien J.P., Brodbelt J.S., Trent M.S. Extracellular zinc induces phosphoethanolamine addition to Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipid A via the ColRS two-component system. 2015. Molecular Microbiology. doi: 10.1111/mmi.13018.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mmi.13018/abstract
Nowicki E.M., O’Brien J.P., Brodbelt J.S., Trent M.S. Characterization of Pseudomonas
aeruginosa LpxT reveals dual-positional lipid A kinase activity and co-ordinatedcontrol of
outer membrane modification. 2014. Molecular Microbiology. 94(3):728-741.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mmi.12796/abstract
Tucker A.T., Nowicki E.M., Boll J.M., Knauf G.A., Burdis N.C., Davies B.W. Defining gene-phenotype relationship in Acinetobacter baumannii through one-step chromosomal inactivation. 2014. MBio. 5:5(4):e01313-14.
http://mbio.asm.org/content/5/4/e01313-14
O’Brien J.P., Needham B.D., Henderson J.C., Nowicki E.M., Trent M.S., Brodbelt J.S. 193nm ultraviolet photodissociation mass spectrometry for the structural eludication of lipid A compounds in complex mixtures. 2014. Analytical Chemistry. 18;86(4):2138-45.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24446701
Honors and Awards
2014 - Microbiology Professional Development Award, The University of Texas at Austin
2012 - Microbiology Professional Development Award, The University of Texas at Austin
2010 - Magna Cum Laude graduate with Departmental Honors in Biology, TCNJ
2010 - Excellence in Biology Award, TCNJ
2009 - Research in Science and Engineering summer Research Fellow, Rutgers University
2008 - NSF-REU summer Research Fellow, Cornell University
2007 - Undergraduate Summer Research Program Fellow, The College of New Jersey
