Undergraduate Researcher

Our team is seeking motivated and driven undergraduate researchers with an interest in public health and water quality. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can proliferate in surface water environments such as lakes, rivers, and estuaries, and poses one of the biggest public health challenges of our time. As more bacteria develop resistance to important and common antibiotics, more lives are at risk of enduring a costly and difficult to treat antibiotic-resistant infection. As such, more research contributing to appropriate monitoring, surveillance, and management of factors promoting antibiotic resistance is necessary. In the Sozzi research group, we are investigating how heavy metals influence the development of antibiotic resistance in the Neuse River.

Undergraduate students will have the opportunity to conduct field research, learn culture-based microbiology research methods, practice writing scientific publications, and learn more about environmental science and engineering in Public Health. You will learn a series of microbiology skills transferable to other disciplines as well (medicine, pharmacy, etc.) We offer to our most dedicated and well-performing students the opportunity to contribute to posters to be presented at conferences and peer reviewed-articles

This opportunity lasts from Fall 2021 – Spring 2022. Interested undergraduates should contact Maya Hoon at mhoon@email.unc.edu for more information on how to get involved.