Kaitlin Lesco
Postdoctoral Associate
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BSc St. Francis Xavier University; PhD Colorado School of Mines
Research Websites: Center for Genomics and Systems Biology
Research Areas: Marine Microbiology; Characterization; Separations; Extracellular Polymeric Substances
Kaitlin Lesco is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Center for Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB) at NYU Abu Dhabi, working in collaboration with the Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ACCESS). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
Following her undergraduate studies, Lesco joined the Algae Biotechnology Platform at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, where she focused on developing analytical methodologies for spatial lipidomics and untargeted metabolomics in microalgae. This work led her to pursue a PhD in Applied Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines, in collaboration with NREL, under the co-advisement of Dr. Kim Williams and Dr. Lieve Laurens. Her doctoral research explored the physical and chemical properties of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) released by algae, using multi-detector Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AF4).
Summary of Research
At NYU Abu Dhabi, Lesco’s research centers on modeling the microbial loop in the Arabian Gulf by investigating symbiotic interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria, with the goal of understanding ecosystem dynamics in a changing climate.