About

I have a Master's in Marine Biology and PhD in Microbiology. Combining these backgrounds, I use molecular tools to study the microbial ecology of marine microbes.

Research Interests

copper tolerance, biofilms, and mega-plasmids in marine bacteria; harmful algal bloom dynamics; bioluminescence

Teaching Interests

Microbiology

Selected Classes

Fall 2018	BIOL 739 – Res Sem in Molecular Biology
Spring 2018	BIOL 739 – Res Seminar in Molecular Biology

Contracts, Fellowships, Grants, and Sponsored Research

Cusick, Kathleen Summer Research Faculty Fellowship Fellowship (Funded) Sponsored by UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research (Jun 1, 2018 – Aug 31, 2018)

Cusick, Kathleen National Academies Post-doctoral Fellowship Fellowship (Funded) Sponsored by National Academies/National Research Council (Nov 1, 2013 – Nov 30, 2016)

Cusick, Kathleen NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program Fellowship Fellowship (Funded) Sponsored by NASA (Aug 1, 2005 – Aug 31, 2008)

Cusick, Kathleen Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid Grant (Funded) Sponsored by Sigma Xi (Jan 1, 1998 – Dec 31, 1999)

Cusick, Kathleen Early Career Travel Grant Grant (Funded) Sponsored by Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

Intellectual Contributions

Cusick, Kathleen Dale, Jason R. Fitzgerald, Lisa A. Little, Brenda J. Biffinger, Justin C. (2017) Adaptation to copper stress influences biofilm formation in Alteromonas macleodii 6 vol. 33 505-519 BIOFOULING

Gaston, Joel D. Bischel, Lauren L. Fitzgerald, Lisa A. Cusick, Kathleen Ringeisen, Bradley R. Pirlo, Russell K. (2017) Gene Expression Changes in Long-Term In Vitro Human Blood-Brain Barrier Models and Their Dependence on a Transwell Scaffold Material JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING

Research in Progress

Cusick, Kathleen Chiou, Wen-An Hunsucker, Kelli Price, Amelia Molecular mechanisms of copper tolerance in marine bacteria Scholarly (On-Going) Mar 1, 2018

Cusick, Kathleen Erill, Ivan Intracellular Signaling in Alteromonas Scholarly (On-Going) Nov 1, 2017

Cusick, Kathleen Greenawalt, Wendy Wolf, Julia B. Gardner, Jeffrey G. Development of a genetic system for Alteromonas Scholarly (On-Going) Sep 1, 2017

Presentations

Cusick, Kathleen Price, Amelia (Author) Biffinger, Justin (Author) 6th American Society for Microbiology Conference on Cell-Cell Communication in Bacteria Poster Comparative genomics of cyclic di-GMP signaling in strains of the globally-distributed marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii ASM Athens, GA (Oct 1, 2017)

Cusick, Kathleen Little, Brenda (Author) Biffinger, Justin (Author) 2nd American Society for Microbiology Conference on Experimental Microbial Evolution Poster Adaptation and evolution of a marine microbe following long-term exposure to elevated copper ASM Washington, DC (Aug 1, 2016)

Cusick, Kathleen Dale, Jason (Author) Little, Brenda (Author) Cockrell, Allison (Author) Biffinger, Justin (Author) Ocean Sciences Meeting Poster Genomic and transcriptomic analyses to identify pathways involved in nanoparticle generation in the ubiquitous marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii under elevated copper conditions ASLO New Orleans, LA (Feb 1, 2016)

Cusick, Kathleen Dale, Jason (Author) Little, Brenda (Author) Biffinger, Justin (Author) 7th American Society for Microbiology Conference on Biofilms Poster Adaptation to copper stress promotes biofilm formation in Alteromonas macleodii ASM Chicago, IL (Oct 1, 2015)

Cusick, Kathleen Cockrell, Allison (Author) Fitzgerald, Lisa (Author) Dale, Jason Baldwin, Jeffrey Biffinger, Justin (Author) 115th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology Oral Presentation Molecular mechanisms associated with anaerobic metal reduction in a thermophilic bacterium (Thermus sp.) ASM New Orleans, LA (Jun 1, 2015)