Steve Lindemann is the microbiome wrangler and genome guru of the lab. His overarching goals aim to determine how diet influences the gut microbiome and overall host health. He aims to identify whether host health can be treated with dietary solutions. Specifically, molecular ecology techniques, dietary fiber structure determination, and bioinformatic analyses are used to understand the composition and stability of the gut microbiome with various dietary influences.

Miguel A. Alvarez Gonzales is a graduate student in the Lindemann lab, joining the team in 2020.  Prior to starting his PhD, Miguel obtained his BS degree in Food Science and Technology from Zamorano University, Honduras, trained for a year in molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics, and completed his MSc in Food Science with an emphasis on carbohydrate chemistry.  Now, in the Lindemann lab, he uses the structure and function of carbohydrates, fecal fermentations, and bioinformatics to characterize wheat bran interactions with the gut microbiome.

Monique Felix joined the Lindemann lab in 2020 as a PhD student in Food Science.  Before arriving to Purdue, Monique completed her Master’s degree in Agricultural Relations at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  In the Lindemann lab, she studies oligosaccharide competition in enteropathogenesis.  Aiming to identify mechanisms to prevent infection by supporting growth of the native microflora, Monique uses fecal fermentations and qPCR analyses. 

Mai Nguyen is a graduate student in the Lindemann Lab working towards her MS in Food Science.  Mai received her BS in Microbiology and Food Safety in May 2020 from the University of Arizona.  Before coming to Purdue, she worked on various projects, including antibiotic prevalence in alternative water sources, efficacy of eco-friendly cleaners in reducing foodborne pathogens on household surfaces, and isolating Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts from influent and effluent water.  In the Lindemann Lab, she is researching the effects of simple and complex resistant dextrins on consortial evolution of the gut microbiome.

Anurag joined the Lindemann lab as a PhD student in 2021.  Before joining the lab, he received his master’s in Microbiology from India.  In the Lindemann lab, Anurag spends his time working on the development of probes to identify which enzymes within specific organisms are responsible for uptake and metabolism of various types of inulin. 

Adam Quinn is a PhD student joined the Lindemann Lab in 2020 after finishing his BS and MS degrees in Food Science at Brigham Young University.  His research focuses on investigating differences in wheat varieties and their impact on human gut microbiomes.  Supported by the USDA and ARGE diversity fellowships, Adam uses analytical carbohydrate chemistry, in vitro fermentation, and 16S rRNA sequencing to identify drivers of microbial populations. 

Jacob Thompson is a PhD student in the Interdepartmental Nutrition Program that started in Fall 2020. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological University in Spring 2019.  Soon after graduating, he discovered a passion for nutrition and decided to pursue this in graduate school.  In the Lindemann Lab, Jacob is focusing on developing a co-culture system between intestinal cells and gut microbes.  The goal is to further understand how carbohydrate structure influences gut microbiome ecology.