Nicole D. Marino, Ph.D.

Email: ndmarino@upenn.edu

Nicole grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, the proud hometown of Selena and Whataburger. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Rice University in Houston, Texas with dual majors in Biochemistry & Cell Biology and Classical Studies. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2018 from Stanford University, where she studied Toxoplasma gondii pathogenesis in John Boothroyd’s laboratory. Her fascination with parasites and infectious disease led her to explore the ancient arms race between bacteria and their genetic parasites (phage) as a postdoctoral fellow in Joseph Bondy-Denomy’s lab at the University of California, San Francisco. She began her lab in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania in January 2024. Outside of 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

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.

Greater grew up in Gbòngán in Osun State, Southwest Nigeria. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Microbiology from Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria. He then moved to China to pursue a PhD in Microbiology at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and graduated in 2022, receiving the excellent graduate award. His PhD thesis focused on the coevolutionary dynamics between multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and lytic phage. He underwent postdoctoral training at Wuhan University, where he studied the structural basis of anti-phage defense and viral immune evasion. In November 2024, he joined the Marino Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is continuing his research on the molecular arms race between bacteria and phage. Greater seeks to use the knowledge from his research to inform the design and implementation of phage therapy. When he’s not infecting bacteria with phage, he enjoys sightseeing and spending time with his wife.

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 will be working on bacterial and phage defense systems like CRISPR and anti-CRISPR, 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.

Jorge Rodriguez

Jorge grew up in South Jersey where there is a perfect balance of the beach and the city. Jorge is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. On campus Jorge is a volunteer for the West Philadelphia Tutoring Program, social chair of his fraternity, a writer for Under The Button, the Daily Pennsylvania’s satirical department, and enjoys exploring research in Microbiology. Off-campus, Jorge frequents the city and enjoys running, trying new foods, cooking, taking naps, and going to the beach!