Graduate Student Profile - Nicholas Gallina

Man wearing a lab coat and gloves while leaning on a lab benchtop next to test tubesNicholas Gallina successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation on January 22, 2026. Nicholas is originally from Griffith, Indiana, and he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Indiana State University.

Nicholas' dissertation was entitled, "Next Generation Bioengineered Probiotic Ameliorates Colitis via a Receptor-Targeted Approach".

As a part of this research, Nicholas and his team designed a next-generation probiotic that expresses a protein from another bacterium to enhance adhesion to inflamed tissue via the receptor Hsp60. Hsp60, a pro-inflammatory mediator, is elevated in inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. During experiments, colitis was induced in mice, which were then fed this next-generation probiotic. Results showed that, within 10 days of feeding, colitis symptoms could be mitigated and levels of Hsp60 and other inflammatory mediators reduced. This success has been confirmed in therapeutic and prophylactic colitis models. Nicholas and his team are currently exploring this novel technology for implementation in swine and human nutrition.

Nicholas was advised by Arun Bhunia and Lavanya Reddivari. Other members of his graduate committee included Abigail Cox and Ramesh Vemulapalli.

When exploring options for graduate school, Nicholas hoped that he could stay in Indiana while pursuing his PhD at a reputable institution. After some research, he found Arun Bhunia and was interested in working with him. 

During his time at Purdue, Nicholas was the graduate student representative for the Food Science Department's Graduate and Safety Committees, and he served as the treasurer for the Food Science Graduate Student Association. Nicholas also received several awards and recognitions, including:

  • Invited speaker, Microbial Discovery Group, Oak Creek, WI (February 2026)
  • Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship (Summer 2025)
  • Science Chat, guest lecturer. United Animal Health, Sheridan, IN (May 2024)
  • ASM Annual National Conference Best Poster Award (Spring 2023)
  • Meat Foundation Scholarship recipient (2024)
  • Food Science Graduate Student Recognition Award (Spring 2024)
  • Purdue College of Agriculture Graduate Student Spotlight (Spring 2024)

Congratulations, Nicholas! We can't wait to see what you accomplish next!