Education
Ph.D. Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ursinus College
About Nikolas
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.
Selected Publications
Yaroshuk, T., & Stasulli, N. M. (2022). Complete Genome Sequence of a Luteibacter Strain Isolated from a Carnivorous Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia minor). Microbiology resource announcements, 11(12), e0069722. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00697-22
Yourstone, S. M., Weinstein, I., Ademski, E., Shank, E. A., & Stasulli, N. M. (2021). Selective Bacterial Community Enrichment between the Pitcher Plants Sarracenia minor and Sarracenia flava. Microbiology spectrum, 9(3), e0069621. https://doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum.00696-21
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