Clarkson University
Spring 2025 David A. Walsh‘67 Arts & Sciences Seminar Series
Wednesday, March 12th at 12pm
Room: SN213
Challenges in examining the global urban microbiome
The global urban microbiome represents a dynamic and understudied ecosystem with significant implications for public health, urban planning, and environmental sustainability. Based on recent work by the MetaSub Consortium, we will examine key challenges in conducting large-scale, standardized studies of urban microbial communities. We also discuss the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to integrate microbial data with urban health metrics and ecological insights. The goal is to inspire new ideas to overcome these challenges and make urban microbiome research more impactful and accessible.
Dr. Alexander Lucaci
Dr. Lucaci is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Institute for Computational Biomedicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, jointly mentored by Christopher Mason and Ari Melnick. His research focuses on the development and application of computational methods in microbiology, immuno-oncology, and the areas in which they intersect. Alexander completed his Ph.D. in Bioinformatics at Temple University, advised by Sergei Pond. Alexander’s doctoral research focused on methods development for quantifying natural selection on protein-coding genes, focused on understanding the patterns and processes of multi-nucleotide substitutions in molecular sequences. Prior to his Ph.D., Alexander completed a B.S. in Biochemistry at Stony Brook University, and a M.S. in Biology from NYU.
The Arts & Sciences Seminar Series is a weekly colloquium series that has been supported by the School of Arts & Sciences Advisory Council at Clarkson University especially through generous gifts from David A. Walsh ‘67. Please contact ansseminar@clarkson.edu
SA&S 300: Arts and Sciences Seminar is a one credit course intended to foster an interdisciplinary outlook in undergraduates majoring in the School of Arts and Sciences.