Nicole D. Marino, Ph.D.

Email: ndmarino@upenn.edu

Nicole grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, the proud hometown of Selena and Whataburger. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Rice University in Houston, graduating with dual majors in Biochemistry/Cell Biology and Classical Studies. In 2018, she received her Ph.D. from Stanford University, where she studied Toxoplasma gondii pathogenesis in the laboratory of John Boothroyd. Driven by a long-standing fascination with molecular conflict and infectious disease, Nicole pursued postdoctoral research in Joseph Bondy-Denomy’s lab at the University of California, San Francisco, where she investigated the evolutionary arms race between bacteria and their genetic parasites, bacteriophages. She launched her own lab in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania in January 2024. Outside the lab, Nicole enjoys tango dancing, cooking, live music, and comedy shows.

Notable Awards: National Merit Scholarship, NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Research Award, NIH F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Research Award, NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award

Busra Toktas

Graduate Student

Busra grew up in Türkiye, where she completed her B.S. at Bogazici University with a double major in Molecular Biology & Genetics and Chemistry. Her previous research focused on bacterial biodegradation of quaternary ammonium compounds (disinfectants) and sedentary integron recombination. She is now a PhD student in Biology at Penn. Fascinated by all things bacteria, Busra is most excited about the ongoing war between bacteria and phage and all the drama that comes with it. This interest drew her to the Marino Lab, where she wants to uncover how this ongoing arms race sparks evolution. When she’s not at the bench, Busra likes wandering through different realms in books and video games. She also loves pottery, embroidery, and painting. She recently tried agar art, which turned out to be much trickier than she thought.

Chrishan is the proud sole Midwesterner of the lab. He grew up in central Indiana but was born in Detroit (hence why he supports Detroit sports teams). He completed his B.S. at Purdue University with a double major in biochemistry and mathematics. Long fascinated by RNA, he worked on structured noncoding RNAs with Ronald Breaker at Yale University, where he obtained his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. His thesis work focused on a mysterious large noncoding RNA called OLE (ornate, large, extremophilic) RNA. He started in the Marino lab in August 2025 and hopes to apply his RNA knowledge to the exciting world of bacterial immunity. Outside of the lab, Chrishan enjoys going to the gym, playing music (mostly guitar and flute), and expanding his tea collection.

Mason Hillers

Mason left his homeland of Baltimore, Maryland to grow up on the sunny streets of San Miguel De Allende, Mexico and, later, Claremont, California. He completed his B.S. at the University of California, Berkeley, where he investigated how directed evolution can be used to improve rates of bioplastic and biofuel synthesis in the lab of Jay Keasling. After graduation, Mason moved to Philadelphia, where he stumbled into the doors of the Marino Lab. Now he’s all in on phages. He hopes his research into how phages subvert host defense (such as CRISPR) can be applied to phage engineering and phage therapy efforts. Outside of the lab, he enjoys reading, painting, supporting the Ravens, listening to music, and continuing a lifelong search for his grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared in a hot air balloon.

Pengdbamba D. Zongo, Ph.D.

Dieudonné grew up in Saponé, in Burkina Faso, where he completed high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from the Université de Versailles in France and a master’s degree in fundamental microbiology from Université Paris Cité in France. In 2024, He obtained his PhD in microbiology and immunology from Sorbonne Université in France. He worked on the factors and mechanisms involved in the chromosomal integration of antibiotic resistance genes in E. coli, under the supervision of Doctor Isabelle Rosinski-Chupin, in the Glaser lab at Institut Pasteur Paris. This research led to the discovery of an anti-plasmid system that is involved in the chromosomal integration of antibiotic resistance genes, and it eventually led him into the fascinating world of bacterial immunity. In the Marino lab, he is working on antiplasmid systems and plasmid-plasmid conflicts, with some interest on their potential medical applications. Outside of the lab, Dieudonné enjoy jogging, going to the gym, and watching European football.

Theresa Astmann, B.S.

Theresa is from New Jersey and is a graduate student in the VMD-PhD program at Penn (CAMB-MVP). She graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Vermont in 2019 and from there went on to work as a research technician in the van Pijkeren lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There she developed an interest in bacterial engineering and bacterial-phage interactions, which drew her to the Marino lab upon coming to Penn. Broadly, Theresa is interested in combining her interests in veterinary medicine and bacteriology and building a career at the interface between research and clinical practice. Outside of the lab, Theresa enjoys hiking with her dog, horseback riding, and live music.

Andrew Schmidt

Undergraduate Student

Andrew grew up in Manhattan and loves life in big cities. As a junior at Penn, he's pursuing a dual degree in biology at the College of Arts and Sciences and healthcare management at Wharton. Andrew plans on applying to PhD programs for molecular biology in the fall of 2025. In addition to doing research in the Marino lab, Andrew is an analyst for the biotech consulting club Locust Bioventures, an editor for the Penn Healthcare Review, and a member of the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. Some of his favorite activities are enjoying Philly sports games, playing classic rock songs on guitar, and reading fantasy novels.