Dr. Trista Vick-Majors
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech
Curriculum vitae | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | ORCID | Twitter
I am a microbial ecologist who studies the roles of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycles. Microbially-mediated transformations of elements are integral to aquatic ecosystem function, yet little is known about the controls on microbial activity. My research interests focus on the activities and energetics of microbial metabolism in aquatic environments and the cryosphere, especially those that are energy-limited. I am also interested in microbial interactions with ice, and microbial ecosystem-level responses to change, both within the context of seasonal cycles (e.g. lake ice-on and ice-off) and incremental and acute changes related to land-use or climate change.
I teach undergraduate and graduate level courses in Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, and Limnology.
Graduate Students
K. M. Shafi, Ph.D. Student, Biological Sciences
I started working at Dr. Vick-Majors’ Lab in the spring of 2024. I graduated from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh with a B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology. My master’s research and professional involvement in the isolation of bacteria from extreme conditions like diesel oil-contaminated soil sites and highly treated pharmaceutical water intrigued me to know more about the roles that microorganisms play in the ecological setup, especially in aquatic environments. I am particularly interested in microbial dynamics in aquatic ecological conditions, their metabolic ability to survive extreme conditions, and how they participate individually and in a community.
At MTU, as a Ph.D. student, my research focuses on collecting samples from extreme cold conditions, cultivating microorganisms in the lab, screening for microbes that can modulate ice, and trying to figure out the natural biomolecules responsible for ice formation. To accomplish this, I'm using computational biology and molecular microbiological approaches.
I feel fortunate to work in Dr. Vick-Majors’ lab where the supportive academic atmosphere, and cooperative, and fun-loving team members help conducting research efficiently. Thus, I can happily call Dr. Vick-Majors’ Lab my second home.
I started working at Dr. Vick-Majors’ Lab in the spring of 2024. I graduated from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh with a B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology. My master’s research and professional involvement in the isolation of bacteria from extreme conditions like diesel oil-contaminated soil sites and highly treated pharmaceutical water intrigued me to know more about the roles that microorganisms play in the ecological setup, especially in aquatic environments. I am particularly interested in microbial dynamics in aquatic ecological conditions, their metabolic ability to survive extreme conditions, and how they participate individually and in a community.
At MTU, as a Ph.D. student, my research focuses on collecting samples from extreme cold conditions, cultivating microorganisms in the lab, screening for microbes that can modulate ice, and trying to figure out the natural biomolecules responsible for ice formation. To accomplish this, I'm using computational biology and molecular microbiological approaches.
I feel fortunate to work in Dr. Vick-Majors’ lab where the supportive academic atmosphere, and cooperative, and fun-loving team members help conducting research efficiently. Thus, I can happily call Dr. Vick-Majors’ Lab my second home.
Garrett Lukosavich, Ph.D. Student, Biological Sciences
I began work in Dr. Vick-Majors lab in the winter of 2022 as part of my undergraduate capstone research project. Initially brought on as a field hand to assist with the collection of ice and snow samples from many of the Keweenaw Peninsula’s lakes, I’ve since begun work on investigating the formation of microbial assemblages in freshwater ice for my M.S. program and transitioned to the Ph.D. program in Spring 2026. My primary interest lies in the community dynamics and resource partitioning of this unique ice-bound ecosystem, and the development of novel methodologies to help drive adjacent research.
I began work in Dr. Vick-Majors lab in the winter of 2022 as part of my undergraduate capstone research project. Initially brought on as a field hand to assist with the collection of ice and snow samples from many of the Keweenaw Peninsula’s lakes, I’ve since begun work on investigating the formation of microbial assemblages in freshwater ice for my M.S. program and transitioned to the Ph.D. program in Spring 2026. My primary interest lies in the community dynamics and resource partitioning of this unique ice-bound ecosystem, and the development of novel methodologies to help drive adjacent research.
Connor O'Loughlin, Ph.D. Student, Biological Sciences
I started my position at the Vick-Majors lab in the summer of 2024. I graduated from Northern Michigan University in May of 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Science where I was involved in undergraduate research evaluating the influence of climate and Lake Superior on coastal wetland water tables, as well as investigating Fe plaque formation as a diagnostic comparison between natural wetlands and mitigated wetlands. I decided to take a year off for professional experience and during that year I worked for the Superior Watershed Partnership and interned as an undergraduate researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory looking at Fe-OM interactions and how they can provide a mechanism for lateral DOM transportation following saltwater inundation.
In the Vick-Major’s lab, I work on the Great Lakes Winter Limnology project. This novel and ambitious project is in its second sampling year and seeks to provide physical, chemical, and biological data about the great lakes during winter. This data would be a boon to limnologists as a benchmark for how the great lakes currently operate and allow us to evaluate changing conditions due to climate change. I am hoping to utilize a relatively novel technique called bioorthagonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) to better understand the microbial activity of the Great Lakes.
I started my position at the Vick-Majors lab in the summer of 2024. I graduated from Northern Michigan University in May of 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Science where I was involved in undergraduate research evaluating the influence of climate and Lake Superior on coastal wetland water tables, as well as investigating Fe plaque formation as a diagnostic comparison between natural wetlands and mitigated wetlands. I decided to take a year off for professional experience and during that year I worked for the Superior Watershed Partnership and interned as an undergraduate researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory looking at Fe-OM interactions and how they can provide a mechanism for lateral DOM transportation following saltwater inundation.
In the Vick-Major’s lab, I work on the Great Lakes Winter Limnology project. This novel and ambitious project is in its second sampling year and seeks to provide physical, chemical, and biological data about the great lakes during winter. This data would be a boon to limnologists as a benchmark for how the great lakes currently operate and allow us to evaluate changing conditions due to climate change. I am hoping to utilize a relatively novel technique called bioorthagonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) to better understand the microbial activity of the Great Lakes.
Mari Leland, Ph.D Student, Biological Sciences
I joined the Vick-Majors lab in the fall of 2024. I earned my B.S.E. from Purdue University in 2022, with a focus on cellular and biomolecular engineering and a background in bioinformatics. Before beginning my graduate studies at MTU, I worked in sustainability in Yellowstone National Park and as an Environmental Research Fellow at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station (Science Museum of Minnesota). My research background centers on paleolimnology, water chemistry, invasive algae in Lake Superior, and food-web dynamics explored through impacts of salinization, ecosystem responses to invasives, and Cyanobacterial blooms. My work on lakes has emphasized ecological stoichiometry and patterns of environmental change. As a PhD student, my primary research interests are bioinformatics, ecological response to climate change, and microbial community structure. I’ll pursue these topics in the Vick-Majors lab through our Northern Lakes Winter Network project.
I joined the Vick-Majors lab in the fall of 2024. I earned my B.S.E. from Purdue University in 2022, with a focus on cellular and biomolecular engineering and a background in bioinformatics. Before beginning my graduate studies at MTU, I worked in sustainability in Yellowstone National Park and as an Environmental Research Fellow at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station (Science Museum of Minnesota). My research background centers on paleolimnology, water chemistry, invasive algae in Lake Superior, and food-web dynamics explored through impacts of salinization, ecosystem responses to invasives, and Cyanobacterial blooms. My work on lakes has emphasized ecological stoichiometry and patterns of environmental change. As a PhD student, my primary research interests are bioinformatics, ecological response to climate change, and microbial community structure. I’ll pursue these topics in the Vick-Majors lab through our Northern Lakes Winter Network project.
An Nguyen, Ph.D Student, Biological Sciences
I joined the Vick-Majors lab in the spring of 2025 as a PhD student. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a B.S. in Environmental Science. My undergraduate studies spanned different aspects of freshwater such as lake water quality, wetlands and streams, and fisheries. However, my independent research mostly focused on lake biogeochemical processes. In winter 2023, I initiated an under-ice experiment in a reservoir to investigate the growth of photoautotrophs in the water column and on the under-ice surface. This research has interested me in microbial communities and their roles in winter ecosystems, which may carry ecological memories into other seasons. I also conducted a data analysis project examining long-term trends in dissolved oxygen levels and temperature in urban lakes in the Twin Cities areas to assess the impact of urbanization on water quality that impacts cold-water fishes.
My research in the Vick-Majors lab focuses on the issue of Great Lakes acidification in relation to climate change. My primary responsibilities are collecting year-round microbial community profiles and assessing biogeochemical processes in Lakes Superior and Erie.
I joined the Vick-Majors lab in the spring of 2025 as a PhD student. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a B.S. in Environmental Science. My undergraduate studies spanned different aspects of freshwater such as lake water quality, wetlands and streams, and fisheries. However, my independent research mostly focused on lake biogeochemical processes. In winter 2023, I initiated an under-ice experiment in a reservoir to investigate the growth of photoautotrophs in the water column and on the under-ice surface. This research has interested me in microbial communities and their roles in winter ecosystems, which may carry ecological memories into other seasons. I also conducted a data analysis project examining long-term trends in dissolved oxygen levels and temperature in urban lakes in the Twin Cities areas to assess the impact of urbanization on water quality that impacts cold-water fishes.
My research in the Vick-Majors lab focuses on the issue of Great Lakes acidification in relation to climate change. My primary responsibilities are collecting year-round microbial community profiles and assessing biogeochemical processes in Lakes Superior and Erie.
Research Assistants and Technicians
Allen Cureton, Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech
Allen is a post-baccalaureate scholar working on our NSF-Winter Lakes project.
Allen is a post-baccalaureate scholar working on our NSF-Winter Lakes project.
Undergraduate Students
Rebekah Hoehne, Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech
Bekah is a returning undergraduate researcher interested in ecology, water quality, and microbiology.
Bekah is a returning undergraduate researcher interested in ecology, water quality, and microbiology.
Alyvea Reyna, Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech
Alyvea is a returning undergraduate researcher interested in microbes in the environment.
Alyvea is a returning undergraduate researcher interested in microbes in the environment.
Ben Diegel, Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech
Ben is an undergraduate researcher working on interactions between ice nucleating and non-ice nucleating bacteria collected from the environment.
Ben is an undergraduate researcher working on interactions between ice nucleating and non-ice nucleating bacteria collected from the environment.
Riley Perry, Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech
Riley is a returning undergraduate researcher working on automating methods of DNA extraction from environmental samples.
Riley is a returning undergraduate researcher working on automating methods of DNA extraction from environmental samples.
Past Lab Members
Graduate Alumni
Vanessa Cubillos Tellez, M.S., Biological Sciences, 2023. After graduation: Lab Technician for AQUA lab at Michigan Tech.
Undergraduate Students and Research Assistants
Riley Perry, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Cedar Gordan, Post-Bac Researcher, Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences
Allen Cureton, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Matthew Brovont, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Savannah Gunnerson, Undergraduate Researcher, Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences
Laura Bonnett, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Garrett Aud, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Madison Braswell, REU Student (Arctic REU Greenland), Montclair State University
Oliva Johnson, REU Student (Arctic REU Greenland), Haverford College
Kaylee Hofmann, Undergraduate Researcher, Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences
Rebekah Hoehne, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Kali Kater, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences. B.S., Fall 2023
Garrett Lukosavich, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences. B.S., Spring 2022. After graduation: M.S. student, MTU, Vick-Majors Lab
Rachel Anguish, Undergraduate Researcher, Environmental Engineering. B.S., Spring 2022. After graduation: Researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Aleksander Milosevic, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Neve Badalow, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Christopher Downey, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Halle Hill, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Alayna Merten, Undergraduate Researcher, Statistics
Melia Austin, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Ethan Miller, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Andrew Jazdyzk, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Lydia Nicholas, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences. After graduation: Environmental Scientist for the Clinton River Watershed Council
Maci Quintanilla, Grad Research Assistant, Biological Sciences
Alex Baker, Grad Research Assistant, Biological Sciences
Vanessa Cubillos Tellez, Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences
Mady Sherman, Michigan Tech Undergraduate Research Internship Program